1st Edition

The Monarchical Republic of Early Modern England Essays in Response to Patrick Collinson

Edited By John F. McDiarmid Copyright 2007

    With its challenging, paradoxical thesis that Elizabethan England was a 'republic which happened also to be a monarchy', Patrick Collinson's 1987 essay 'The Monarchical Republic of Queen Elizabeth I' instigated a proliferation of research and lively debate about quasi-republican aspects of Tudor and Stuart England. In this volume, a distinguished international group of scholars examines the idea of the 'monarchical republic' from the 1530s to the 1640s, and tests the concept from a variety of points of view. New suggestions are advanced about the pattern of development of quasi-republican tendencies and of opposition to them, and about their relation to the politics of earlier and later periods. A number of essays focus on the political activity of leading figures at court; several analyse political life in towns or rural areas; others discuss education, rhetoric, linguistic thought and reading practices, poetic and dramatic texts, the relations of politics to religious conflict, gendered conceptions of the monarchy, and 'monarchical republicanism' in the new American colonies. Differing positions in the scholarly debate about early modern English republicanism are represented, and fresh archival research advances the study of quasi-republican elements in early modern English politics.

    Contents: Introduction, John F. McDiarmid; The 2 republics: conflicting views of participatory local government in early Tudor England, Ethan H. Shagan; Sir William Cecil, Sir Thomas Smith, and the monarchical republic of Tudor England, Dale Hoak; Common consent, latinitas and the 'monarchical republic' in mid-Tudor humanism, John F. McDiarmid; The political creed of William Cecil, Stephen Alford; 'Let none such office take, save he that can for right his prince forsake': A Mirror for Magistrates, resistance theory and the Elizabethan monarchical republic, Scott Lucas; Rhetoric and citizenship in the monarchical republic of Queen Elizabeth I, Markku Peltonen; The monarchical republic of Queen Elizabeth I (and the fall of Archbishop Grindal) revisited, Peter Lake; The political significance of the 1st tetralogy, Andrew Hadfield; Challenging the monarchical republic: James I's articulation of kingship, Anne McLaren; Reading for magistracy: the mental world of Sir John Newdigate, Richard Cust; English and Roman liberty in the monarchical republic of early Stuart England, Johann P. Sommerville; American corruption, Andrew Fitzmaurice; The monarchical republic enthroned, Quentin Skinner; Afterword, Patrick Collinson; Bibliography; Index.

    Biography

    John F. McDiarmid is Associate Professor Emeritus of British and American Literature at New College of Florida, USA.

    'This compelling series of essays is a worthy tribute to the creative originality of one of Tudor England's greatest scholars, Patrick Collinson. It echoes his achievement in opening up new understandings of a political system which was once crudely seen as a despotism, and now is revealed as something far more subtle and responsive. The collection goes some way to explaining why the United Kingdom is still a Kingdom.' Diarmaid N.J. MacCulloch, University of Oxford, UK 'This wide-ranging and thought-provoking collection opens up rich vistas in our understanding of early modern politics, political thought and culture. Exploring, re-examining, expanding and challenging Patrick Collinson's seminal work on the "monarchical republic of Elizabeth I", it raises a host of new questions about the nature of Elizabethan (and early modern) governance and political culture that scholars will be discussing for at least another twenty years. A significant and welcome contribution.' Natalie Mears, University of Durham, UK ’If a student of early modern literature were to look at only one book on the state of current thinking about Tudor (especially) and early Stuart political history, this would be the one. Similarly, if a historian of the period wants an update on where some of the best thinkers in the field are directing their attention, this book will be very useful.’ CLIO ’On the whole, Monarchical Republic is a well orchestrated collection of essays that deserves the attention of early modern experts in many disciplines.’ Sixteenth Century Journal ’This is a superb contribution to the exploration of English political culture.’ Journal of Modern History 'Collections of essays aspire to be multi-authored books, but this is the rare example that fulfills its promise. Imaginatively and successfully executed (complete with a full bibliography of sources and works!), The Monarchical Republic of Early Modern England can serve as a model for a genre of scholarly public