Noble Power in Scotland from the Reformation to the Revolution

This tumultuous period has generated much historical debate on issues of political authority and power. In this volume Keith Brown builds on his previous book, Noble Society in Scotland, to argue that in spite of the changes brought about by the Reformation, by the recovery of crown authority and by the regal union between England and Scotland, the huge power exercised by the nobility remained fundamentally unaltered. Hence, when political crisis did surface in 1637-8, the crown lacked the means to oppose a noble-led revolution.

Noble Power in Scotland from the Reformation to the Revolution discusses the nobility's political relationship with the crown in chapters at either end of this volume, taking the regal union of 1603 as the crucial dividing point. The remainder of the book addresses in turn themes that analyse the various roles nobles played in exercising power.

Keith Brown situates the Scottish debate within the wider arena of European nobilities and their enduring power, showing that the Scottish nobility successfully adapted to political change, just as it did to economic and cultural change, to retain its dominant political position throughout the period.

Key Content:

Nobles as chiefs of clans and lords and magistrates of Scottish territories

Nobles as warriors and soldiers in domestic and foreign service

Nobles as parliamentarians, royal councillors and courtiers

Keith Brown is Professor of History at the University of Manchester. He specialises in early modern Scottish History, particularly the history of parliament and of the nobility