On the Parish - Micro-Politics of Poor Relief in Rural England c. 1550 - 1750
On the Parish? is a study of the experience of poor relief in the rural parishes of early modern England. It explores the relationships of paupers not only to the parish officers who administered the Elizabethan poor laws but also to their kinfolk and neighbours who continued to provide extensive networks of informal support.
A Sport Loving Society - Victorian and Edwardian Middle-Class England at Play
In a time of unprecedented political and economic transformation, the middle classes of Victorian and Edwardian England became principal players in a new social order. Nowhere did their culture, values and identity gain clearer expression than in their sports, and their influence is still felt in the way we organise, play and think of sport today.
The Empire of Cnut the Great - Conquest and the Consolidation of Power in Northern Europe in the Early Eleventh Century
The reign of King Cnut the Great (10161035) marks a pivotal point in the history of both England and Scandinavia, yet his conquests and his consolidation of power remain under-appreciated and rarely studied. Almost all existing scholarship has been geographically centred on either England or Scandinavia. However, this study, through a series of studies of individual aspects of his rise to power in those regions, seeks to encompass his entire dominion, and cast new light on our understanding of the nature of this political unit and contemporary figures' conceptions of it.
Court Patronage and Corruption in Early Stuart England
Private alliances and exchange of favors permeated political, social, economic, and artistic life in early modern Europe. These informal patronage relationships, which helped construct ties between monarchs and political elites, were especially strong in early Stuart England. As court patronage grew, so did opportunities for betrayal and corruption. But was Stuart government really more corrupt than Tudor government? Were the structures of governance becoming unworkable, or were they badly managed by the Stuarts?
Lady Jane Grey is the queen England rejected and one of the most elusive and tragic characters in English history. Here, Eric Ives, master historian and storyteller presents a compelling new interpretation of Jane and her role in the accession crisis of 1553, with wide-ranging implications for our understanding of the workings of Tudor politics and the exercise of power in early modern England.