The Government of Scotland 1560-1625
Julian Goodare
Abstract
This book shows how Scotland was governed during the transition from Europe's decentralised medieval realms to modern sovereign states. The expanding institutions of government — crown, parliament, privy council, local courts — are detailed, but the book is structured around an analysis of governmental processes. A new framework is offered for understanding the concept of ‘centre and localities’: centralisation happened in the localities. Various interest groups participated in government and influenced its decisions. The nobility, in particular, exercised influence at every level. There was a ... More
This book shows how Scotland was governed during the transition from Europe's decentralised medieval realms to modern sovereign states. The expanding institutions of government — crown, parliament, privy council, local courts — are detailed, but the book is structured around an analysis of governmental processes. A new framework is offered for understanding the concept of ‘centre and localities’: centralisation happened in the localities. Various interest groups participated in government and influenced its decisions. The nobility, in particular, exercised influence at every level. There was also English influence, both before and after the union of crowns in 1603. The book argues that the crown's continuing involvement after 1603 shows the common idea of ‘absentee monarchy’ to be misconceived. Particular attention is also paid to the harsh impact of government in the Highlands — where the chiefs were not full members of Scottish political society — and to the common people who were also excluded from normal political participation.
Keywords:
sovereign states,
centralisation,
nobility,
absentee monarchy,
Highlands,
government,
common people,
political participation
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2004 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780199243549 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: January 2010 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199243549.001.0001 |
