This book explores the political relationship between Scotland and England as it was negotiated in literature after the 1707 Act of Union. It is built around five discursive encounters between Scottish and English writers: Daniel Defoe-?Lord Belhaven, Tobias Smollett-?Henry Fielding, James Macpherson-?Samuel Johnson, William Wordsworth-?Robert Burns, and Walter Scott-?Thomas Percy.
In 1603, England and Scotland came together and Great Britain was created. But how did this union last when so many others in Europe have failed? This volume provides an account of two nations who have often differed, remained very distinct and yet have achieved endurance in European terms.
The United Kingdom; Great Britain; the British Isles; the Home Nations: such a wealth of different names implies uncertainty and contention - and an ability to invent and adjust. In a year that sees a Scottish referendum on independence, Linda Colley analyses some of the forces that have unified Britain in the past. She examines the mythology of Britishness, and how far - and why - it has faded. She discusses the Acts of Union with Wales, Scotland and Ireland, and their limitations, while scrutinizing England's own fractures. And she demonstrates how the UK has been shaped by movement: of British people to other countries and continents, and of people, ideas and influences arriving from elsewhere. As acts of union and disunion again become increasingly relevant to our daily lives and politics, Colley considers how - if at all - the pieces might be put together anew, and what this might mean. Based on a 15-part BBC Radio 4 series.
In this fresh and challenging look at the origins of the United Kingdom, Michael Fry focuses on the years which led up to the Union of 1707, setting the political history of Scotland and England against the backdrop of war in Europe and the emergence of imperialism. He rejects the long-held assumption that the economy was of overwhelming importance in the Scots' acceptance of the terms of the Treaty, showing how they were able to exploit English ignorance of and indifference to Scotland to steer the settlement in their own favour. The implications of this have influenced the dynamics of the Union ever since, and are only being fully worked out in our own time.
This book traces the background to the Treaty of Union of 1707, explains why it happened and assesses its impact on Scottish society, including the bitter struggle with the Jacobites for acceptance of the union in the two decades that followed its inaugur
Border Fury provides a fascinating account of the period of Anglo-Scottish Border conflict from the Edwardian invasions of 1296 until the Union of the Crowns under James VI of Scotland, James I of England in 1603. It looks at developments in the art of war during the period, the key transition from medieval to renaissance warfare, the development of tactics, arms, armour and military logistics during the period. All the key personalities involved are profiled and the typology of each battle site is examined in detail with the author providing several new interpretations that differ radically from those that have previously been understood.
