’This is a work of deep and original scholarship providing an abundance of information about the social context of Covenant struggles.’ - The Scotsman
The Troubles of mid-seventeenth century Scotland were the final episode of a long revolutionary process which had begun more than a century earlier. The changes of the intervening years - most of them gradual and imperceptible - were barely visible on the surface, but their cumulative impact was profound. Charles I inherited a social revolution; he found society already transformed and a power structure still in the process of transformation. Scotland was inherently unstable and the unending conflict between king, baron and churchman was therefore accentuated.
The failure of the Canterburian solution left magnate to struggle with minister for control of the Church and thus for the substance of power in Scotland. The struggle was often obscured by war: the feudal magnates, bold in defence of the ancient liberties of the kingdom, patched up an uneasy alliance with the radical ministers pursuing a new order. the end of the First Civil War was merely the prelude to a new conflict, which left the Kirk triumphant for the time being and the state, albeit temporarily, its impotent servant.
One of the advantages of new technology is that it enables hard-to-find books to be made available again. We are pleased to present the first fruits of exploring John Donald’s classic backlist of academic titles. Not only do we hope to add more titles to the list but look forward to bringing in other titles suitable for this system as time goes on.
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