The History of England from the Accession of James I to that of the Brunswick Line: Volume 8

A landmark in female historiography, this eight-volume work (1763–83) traces and champions English political liberty during the seventeenth century.

Catharine Macaulay (Author)

9781108067638, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 19 September 2013

348 pages
25.4 x 17.8 x 1.8 cm, 0.61 kg

A landmark in female historiography, this work first appeared in eight volumes between 1763 and 1783. Notable for her radical politics and her influence on American revolutionary ideology, Catharine Macaulay (1731–91) drew diligently on untapped seventeenth-century sources to craft her skilful yet inevitably biased narrative. Seen as a Whig response to David Hume's Tory perspective on English history, the early volumes made Macaulay a literary sensation in the 1760s. Later instalments were less rapturously received by those critics who took exception to her republican views. Both the product and a portrait of tumultuous ages, the work maintains throughout a strong focus on the fortunes of political liberty. Volume 8 (1783) covers the final years of the reign of Charles II and the ill-fated reign of James II, concluding with a full account of the Glorious Revolution.

Part IV. Charles II (cont.): 1. Monmouth surrenders himself
Part V. James II: 2. James's speech to the Privy Council
3. Close connection between the courts of England and France
4. Controversial preaching prohibited
5. State of parties
6. Preparations in Holland for an embarkation
7. Addresses for the prince of Orange.

Subject Areas: British & Irish history [HBJD1]