Scotland in Revolution, 1685–1690

An excellent contribution to a greater understanding of this important transitional period in both Scottish and British history. -- R. P. Nash, University of Nebraska * Choice *
Building on his earlier scholarship, Raffe here examines the brief but momentous reign of James VII of Scotland, from his accession to the throne in 1685 through the Glorious Revolution, which deposed him, and the subsequent revolution settlement of 1689–1690 . . . Through his extensive use of local church and municipal records, Raffe provides valuable insights into how events played out at the regional and local levels. An excellent contribution to a greater understanding of this important transitional period in both Scottish and British history. -- R. P. Nash, University of Nebraska at Omaha * CHOICE *
Deeply researched, scotland in Revolution makes its case judiciously and succinctly, supplying a much-needed provincial corrective to metropolitan biases evident in previous studies of James's Scottish reign. -- Clare Jackson, Trinity Hall Cambridge * Eighteenth-Century Scotland *
Over the past thirty years there has been an abundance of exciting sholarship examining the Glorious Revolution of 1688 [...] Alasdair Raffe's Scotland in Revolution is a valuable contribution to this body of work, bringing a new perspective to events in James VII & II's northern kingdom. -- David Parrish, College of the Ozarks * Fides et Victoria 2019 *
Drawing on a wealth of research from local archives, Raffe weaves a rich and satisfying account of the political and religious shifts that gripped Scotland between 1685 to 1690. What sets this book apart from previous studies is the author’s attention to localities. Previous histories of the Williamite Revolution in Scotland have a marked metropolitan bias: focusing first and foremost on the political class and events which unfolded in the capital. As Raffe points out, however, the course and the outcomes of the revolution and subsequent settlement were not determined by the actions or influence of an Edinburgh-based elite, but were instead formed largely in Scotland’s local communities. -- Jamie Kelly, University of Glasgow * The Innes Review *
This deeply researched study sheds important new light on the reign of James VII in Scotland and the subsequent ‘Glorious Revolution’. The particular strength of this book lies in its extensive use of local records. Yet while this study takes us into the localities, it never loses sight of the central, important issues. This is a very impressive piece of scholarship. -- Tim Harris, Brown University