There are two sides to Roman Britain, the British side and the Roman side...in this volume we do justice to both these sides. From the point of view of England, the Roman period seems an isolated and somewhat unintelligible episode in the history of our country. In the history of Rome, is cuts a slightly better figure, because Roman Britain does form part of the Roman Empire as an organic whole.

Discussing the development of English society, from the growth of royal power to the establishment of feudalism after the Norman Conquest, this book focuses on the emergence of the earliest English kingdoms and the Anglo-Norman monarchy in 1087. It also describes the chief phases in the history of the Anglo-Saxon church, drawing on many diverse examples; the result is a fascinating insight into this period of English history.

A landmark study of key century in medieval history, this book comprises the history of the century and a quarter which elapsed between the compilation of Domesday Book and the issue of the Magna Carta, the two greatest documents of English medieval history. The volume opens with chapters in which the position of the monarchy and social and economic background of the period in its feudal, rural, and urban aspects are discussed. In the political sphere it describes the building up of the great continental dominions, which in the time of Henry II are known as the Angevin Empire, and the collapse of the battle of Bouvines in 1214; it embraces also the attempts of the English kings to establish their supremacy over Scotland and Wales, and the conquest of Ireland. The work of the ecclesiastical reformers and the conflicts between church and state associated with the archbishops Anselm and Becket and Pope Innocent III are discussed. The progress of education, the contribution of Englishmen to the twelth-century renaissance, the literature, and the art of the age are brought under review. Finally, the great development of the common law brought about by the legal reforms of Henry II is traced, and the book ends with a description of the events leading up Magna Carta and its sequel, civil war, in which the reign of King John was brought to a close.

Focusing on a formative age in English history, this book covers the long reigns of Henry III whose authority was challenged by Simon de Montfort bringing England to civil war in 1264 and Henry's son, Edward I, remembered for his efforts to subjugate the Scots and the Welsh, but also as "the English Justinian" because of the wide range of new laws issued during his reign. Powicke studies the successive involvement of both kings with the crusades and France, the powers and position of the clergy, and the development and administration of the Royal Household.

The fourteenth century in England was a turbulent, complex two of the century's monarchs were murdered by rivals, nearly half the population of England was wiped out by the Black Death and the Great Famine, and many more died in conflict with Scotland and in The Hundred Years War against France. During this time, the Great Schism divided the church which led to the establishment of the papacy in Avignon and an unpopular poll-tax provided the spark which ignited the Peasants' Revolt. Yet it was also a period of developments in parliamentary, administrative, and legal system, and one which witnessed the development of English literature, including Chaucer's Canterbury Tales .

The sixth volume in the acclaimed Oxford History of England, this is an authoritative account of a violent and turbulent period which saw the fall and rise of four royal houses. E. F. Jacob examines the impact of the Hundred Years' War and inadequate financial and administrative machinery on the failure of the Lancastrians, and shows that the War of the Roses were less a unique struggle between defined parties than a typical effort by a noble house to maintain and improve its position by the exercise of patronage and influence in a society that was rapidly undergoing change. He also provides detailed portraits of key figures of the age, and chapters on economic growth, Anglo-French relations, the Church, and the peaceful arts.

This classic volume in the renowned Oxford History of England series examines the birth of a nation-state from the death throes of the Middle Ages in North-West Europe. John D. Mackie describes the establishment of a stable monarchy by the very competent Henry VII, examines the means employed by him, and considers how far his monarchy can be described as "new." He also discusses the machinery by which the royal power was exercised and traces the effect of the concentration of lay and eccleciastical authority in the person of Wolsey, whose soaring ambition helped make possible the Caesaro-Papalism of Henry VIII.

Few rulers have impressed themselves so forcefully on the memory and imagination of their people as Queen Elizabeth I. 'Elizabethan England' was, in a very real sense, Elizabeth's England, and the country she left behind when she died was a kingdom that had won a commanding position among the great powers of Europe. This book, first published in The Oxford History of England covers all aspects of the reign of Elizabeth, encompassing social and cultural history as well as political and economic. Among the principal issues it deals with are the Religious Settlement, England's relations with foreign powers, notably France and the Netherlands, Mary Stuart's challenge to the succession, the Armada, and the Irish problem. In the sphere of the arts, particular attention is paid to drama and poetry, and developments in the sciences are also discussed.

1987 reprint, shelf wear to dust jacket, page edges tanned Shipped from the U.K. All orders received before 3pm sent that weekday.

Surveys the major developments in the political, social, economic and intellectual history of England from the restoration of Charles II to the death of Queen Anne.

Second Edition.Hardback, ex-library, with usual stamps and markings, in fair all round condition, suitable as a study copy.

FROM THE CONQUEST OF CANADA TO VICTORY OVER NAPOLEON. THE ACCESSION; ECONOMIC PATTERN IN 1760; MINISTERIAL DIFFICULTIES; ORIGINS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLT; LORD NORTH; THE FALL OF NORTH; PITT; AMIENS TO TRAFALGAR PORTLAND; WARFARE; MAPS

A general survey of the achievements - and failures - of the English people over half a century between the victory of Waterloo and the first administration of Gladstone.

First published in 1936, this now-classic volume spans a time of rapid and far-reaching change in England—from Gladstone's first ministry, through the great contest with Disraeli, the Home Rule debate, the establishment of the Labour moverment, the Boer War, and the Liberal reforms of 1909-10, to the end of an era marked by the catastrophe of 1914. With stimulating analyses of social and economic developments as well as domestic and foreign policy, Ensor's account serves as a superb introduction to the period it covers and offers insight into the world of the 1930s in which it was written.

Beginning on August 4, 1914, the day Britain entered the "Great War," this book guides us through three decades of unparalleled upheaval and change in Britain that eventually lead to the defeat of Japan in 1945—a momentous event that marked the end of the Second World War. Twin themes of international conflict and mass unemployment in England predominate. And besides a full account of foreign and domestic politics that were enacted to deal with them, Taylor pays particular attention to the impact of events on everyday lives. It is an essential work from one of the finest historians of the twentieth century—a book that no one interested in British affairs will want to be without.