Noble Society in Scotland
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Edinburgh University Press
Published:21st Nov '03
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Even in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries it was conventional for humanist writers and their Enlightenment successors to regard the nobility which dominated early modern Scottish society and politics as violent, unlearned, and backward - at best conservatively bound to feudal codes of behaviour; at worst, brutal, corrupt and anarchic. It is a view that prevails still. Keith Brown takes issue with this.The author draws on extensive research in the rich archives of the Scottish noble houses to demonstrate that the conventional view of the Scottish nobility is wrong. He shows that the nobility were as steeped in contemporary European debates and movements as they were rooted in local society. Far from holding back Scotland's economic and cultural development, they embraced economic change, seized financial opportunities, led the way in the pursuit of Renaissance ideals through their own learning and in the education of their children, and were partners in religious reform. Professor Brown makes extensive comparisons with the noble societies elsewhere in Europe to reveal how the differences and above all the similarities between the lives of Scottish nobles and their peers abroad.Elegantly written and illustrated with a wealth of contemporary incident and anecdote, the book presents an intimate and vivid picture of noble life in Scotland. It challenges and will change perceptions of early modern Scotland. Noble Society in Scotland is the first of two related books on the subject. The second, on noble power and the relations between the nobility, state and monarchy, will be published by EUP in 2003.
Brown's lavishly illustrated (both anecdotally and pictorially) study of the Scottish nobility in the early modern period does far more than redress the balance a little: it achieves its aims very convincingly indeed and is a significant contribution to Scottish history ... the overriding impression left by Noble Society in Scotland is eager anticipation for the second volume.' -- Diana Newton, University of Teeside * English Historical Review *
Brown's lavishly illustrated (both anecdotally and pictorially) study of the Scottish nobility in the early modern period does far more than redress the balance a little: it achieves its aims very convincingly indeed and is a significant contribution to Scottish history ... the overriding impression left by Noble Society in Scotland is eager anticipation for the second volume." -- Diana Newton, University of Teesside * English Historical Review *
Keith M. Brown's thoughtful, impressively researched study adds significance to our understanding of European noble society … an admirable book. It rests on solid and wide-ranging research, and it displays a remarkable understanding of the mechanics of noble life; and Brown's attentiveness to the European context of his study means that it will be of considerable use to those outside the field of British History, as well as to specialists. -- Jonathan Dewald, State University of New York at Buffalo * Journal of Early Modern History *
Keith M. Brown's thoughtful, impressively researched study adds significance to our understanding of European noble society … an admirable book. It rests on solid and wide-ranging research, and it displays a remarkable understanding of the mechanics of noble life; and Brown's attentiveness to the European context of his study means that it will be of considerable use to those outside the field of British History, as well as to specialists. * Journal of Early Modern History *
This is a well-written and well-researched book … the product of many years' research. This book has given us a greater 'all-round' awareness of the social, cultural and economic forces that influenced the early modern Scottish nobility. For this contribution, Professor Brown's book is to be welcomed. -- JOhn Young, University of Strathclyde * Scottish Economic and Social History *
This is a well-written and well-researched book … the product of many years' research. This book has given us a greater 'all-round' awareness of the social, cultural and economic forces that influenced the early modern Scottish nobility. For this contribution, Professor Brown's book is to be welcomed. * Scottish Economic and Social History *
Noble Society in Scotland should be consulted frequently ... for the wealth of varied detail on aristocratic life that it presents ... Each chapter ends with a handy summary, headed 'Conclusion’ ... There are many valuable illustrations. -- Julian Goodare, University of Edinburgh * Scottish Historical Review *
'Noble Society in Scotland should be consulted frequently ... for the wealth of varied detail on aristocratic life that it presents ... Each chapter ends with a handy summary, headed 'Conclusion’ ... There are many valuable illustrations.' * Scottish Historical Review *
This is a remarkable and thoroughly enjoyable foray into an area of study which so often produces the most boring of sludge... I concur entirely with a blurb which says that this book is 'elegantly written and illustrated with a wealth of contemporary incident and anecdote'. The result is both intimate and vivid... The 50 illustrations (not to mention both the front and back covers) are, frankly, delicious and well chosen; clearly a labour of love. To conclude, I would simply say that this book is such good fun; buy it and enjoy. -- M. H. Merriman, Lancaster University * Social History Society Bulletin *
This is a remarkable and thoroughly enjoyable foray into an area of study which so often produces the most boring of sludge... I concur entirely with a blurb which says that this book is 'elegantly written and illustrated with a wealth of contemporary incident and anecdote'. The result is both intimate and vivid... The 50 illustrations (not to mention both the front and back covers) are, frankly, delicious and well chosen; clearly a labour of love. To conclude, I would simply say that this book is such good fun; buy it and enjoy. * Social History Society Bulletin *
ISBN: 9780748612994
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
370 pages