Early Modern British History 1485-1691: Society and Politics in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales

Early Modern British and Irish History 1500-1700: Society and Culture in Four Nations takes an innovative comparative approach to the social and cultural history of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales during the period when they came under the rule of a single monarch. This accessible and engaging synthesis will be of use to teachers and students of any or all of the constituent parts of the British and Irish Isles in the early modern period, and will also appeal to anyone interested more generally in this turbulent period.

Within the context of recent debates on the 'New British History', the book looks at the experiences of the inhabitants of the islands and their contacts with their fellow citizens, whether locally or further afield. It explores the construction of ideas about national origins and identities, and considers how ideas about ethnic difference shaped both violent and peaceful interactions between and within nations. The development of competing religious identities is traced, but despite theological differences, many aspects of belief - in its widest sense - were familiar throughout the islands. Likewise, concerns with life from birth to death, with status and reputation, and with being part of families and communities, were common to the populations of different areas.

This will be a key text in British and early modern history for years to come

《1500-1700年的英愛歷史：四個國家的社會與文化》採用創新的比較方法，研究了英格蘭、愛爾蘭、蘇格蘭和威爾斯在單一君主統治下的社會與文化史。這本易於理解且引人入勝的綜合性著作對於研究英愛群島早期現代時期的教師和學生非常有用，同時也吸引了對這個動盪時期有興趣的讀者。

在最近關於「新英國史」的討論背景下，本書探討了島上居民的經歷以及他們與同胞的聯繫，無論是在當地還是在更遠的地方。它探討了有關民族起源和身份的觀念建構，並考慮了民族之間和國內的暴力和和平互動如何受到對種族差異的觀念塑造。書中追蹤了宗教身份的競爭發展，但儘管神學上的差異，對於信仰的許多方面（以其最廣泛的意義）在整個群島上都是熟悉的。同樣，對於從出生到死亡的生活、地位和聲譽以及成為家庭和社區的一部分的關注，也是不同地區人口的共同特點。

這本書將成為未來多年英國和早期現代史的重要著作。

Clodagh Tait is Lecturer in History at the University of Essex

Clodagh Tait 是埃塞克斯大學的歷史講師。