Leviathan: The Rise Of Britain As A World Power

Description

The history of Britain as never before told, 'Leviathan' overturns long-held beliefs about our ancestry and weaves together the disparate strands that made the fabric of the Empire. The 350 years between the accession of the Tudors and the beginning of the Victorian era saw one of the great transformations of any nation in history: Britain emerged from its lowly position as European underdog to become the world's only maritime superpower. It was a period that saw the creation of Protestant kingdoms in England and Scotland, the gain and loss of American colonies and the beginnings of a new empire in Africa, India and Australasia. It is a slice of our past represented by some of the most compelling personalities to have graced the historical stage - Elizabeth I, Nelson, Cromwell and Byron amongst them. In this wide-ranging yet succinct history, David Scott challenges some of our longest held beliefs in how Britain achieved its constitutional might. Where other histories have concentrated on a narrow chronology, 'Leviathan: A World of Ships and Men' encompasses a broad spectrum, tracing the connections made across time as never before.

Reviews

Praise for 'Politics and War in the Three Stuart Kingdoms': 'Scott compresses the conclusions not only of his own state-of-the-art research but of a wealth of recent dissertations and articles with which only a specialist could keep pace' Blair Worden, Guardian 'This is an excellent and really useful volume. It is beautifully written and full of interesting new information and ideas' Dr David Smith, Selwyn College, Cambridge '"Politics and War in the Three Stuart Kingdoms" has real star quality: beautifully written, and offering a highly original survey of British historians' favourite field of battle' John Adamson's Book of the Year, Sunday Telegraph Review

Author description

David Scott is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the History of Parliament Trust and has formerly taught at both York and Yale Universities. His previous book (for Palgrave) 'Politics and War in the Three Stuart Kingdoms 1637-49' was chosen by the Sunday Telegraph as one of its Books of the Year in 2004.