Constitutional Royalism and the Search for Settlement, c.1640-1649

by David L. Smith

Overview

"Constitutional Royalism" is one of the most familiar yet least often examined of all the political labels found in the historiography of the English Revolution. This book fills a gap by investigating the leading Constitutional royalists who rallied to King Charles I in 1642 while consistently urging him to reach an "accommodation" with Parliament. These royalists' early careers reveal that a commitment to the rule of law and a relative lack of "godly" zeal were the characteristic predictors of Constitutional royalism in the Civil War. Such attitudes explain why many of them criticized the policies of the King's personal rule, but also why they joined the King in 1642 and tried to achieve a negotiated settlement thereafter.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521410564
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	09/08/1994
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Early Modern British History
Pages:	392
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.33(h) x 1.06(d)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; A note on quotations, sources, dates and terminology; Part I. The Origins of Constitutional Royalism: 1. Introduction: themes, debates, sources; 2. Context: the early Stuarts and the early Stuart constitution; 3. Early careers of the main exponents; 4. Formation and convergence, 1640–1642; Part II. Constitutional Royalism in Theory and Practice, 1642–1649: 5. Chronological outline: negotiations formal and informal; 6. Issues and sticking-points; 7. The theory of Constitutional Royalism; Part III. Constitutional Royalism in Perspective: 8. Epilogue: Constitutional Royalism from Regicide to Restoration; 9. Legacy: an ideology vindicated?; 10. Conclusion: assessment and evaluation; Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"This pioneering study makes a significant contribution to our understanding of England's resistance to the surge of absolutism and is required reading for all serious scholars of the period." History

"Smith's book is well written and based on impressive research on primary printed and manuscript sources. Its great value is that it traces the careers of a core group of ten advocates of constitutional Royalism, analyzes their thoughts and actions at length, and looks at their impact on attempts to find negotiated settlements during the 1640s, at the time of the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, and even after the Glorious Revolution of 1688. In skillfully charting an important feature of the middle ground in seventeenth-century political life, which emphasized moderation and continuity with the past, Smith has made a welcome and important contribution." The Historian

"Political thought is an area in which David L. Smith is particularly strong....His well-planned, elegantly executed book is a pleasure to read." Austin Woolrych, Times Literary Supplement

"Smith's readers should be...greatful for his longitudinal efforts in reading constitutuinal royalism across two centuries and his close-context reading of it in light of the push for a negotiated settlement....his study ought to re-awaken interest in the sort of constitutional history that so far from being 'sterile' holds the deed to the agora of public affairs:the juncture of politics, institutions, social arangements, and religion." Michael Mendle, Albion

"Although many of his conclusions will not surprise historians familiar with recent work on the Civil War, Smith provides a much fuller and more precise picture of his subject than any previously available." R. Malcolm Smuts, American Historical Review

"This book is a valuable contribution to the historiography of seventeenth-century Stuart politics....should serve as a stimulating point of departure for further discussion on the major political trends and ideological continuities of seventeenth-century England." James B. McSwain, Sixteenth Century Journal

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