Research Catalog

The true law of kingship : concepts of monarchy in early-modern Scotland

Title: The true law of kingship : concepts of monarchy in early-modern Scotland / J.H. Burns.
Author: Burns, J. H. (James Henderson)
Publication: Oxford : Clarendon Press ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1996.

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Status	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request for On-site Use Request Scan How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Text	Use in library	JA84.S26 B87 1996	Off-site

Details

Description

ix, 315 pages; 23 cm

Summary

"'Fear God, honour the king.' Sixteenth-century people were supposed to do both. But what was the king entitled to command? And what if he ordered one thing and God's law said another? In this fascinating and original study, James Burns examines these questions by focusing on a neglected area of study: the Scottish experience. The sixteenth century in Scotland was a time of intense political and religious conflict, which generated a substantial literature of political debate. This debate was of such intensity that James VI, the first king to rule over Scotland and England, wrote his own book on the subject: 'The True Lawe of Free Monarchies'." "Some of the substantial literature of political debate has long been recognized as important in the wider history of European political thought. Knox and Buchanan as exponents of 'resistance theory', Blackwood and Barclay as defenders of 'absolute' monarchy, have had that recognition. James VI, uniquely expounding 'divine right' principles from the throne, has likewise had his place. More recently, the significance of the late-scholastic theory of John Mair has been increasingly acknowledged. This book, however, is the first attempt to bring together systematically these and less familiar elements in a rich and varied body of political thought. The Scottish response to monarchical government not only provides a microcosmic view of European thinking on the subject, it also contributes substantially to our understanding of the Scottish element in the new 'British' polity which was emerging at the end of the period."--Jacket.

Subject

Genre/Form

History.

Bibliography (note)

Includes bibliographical references (p. [296]-306) and index.

Contents

Abbreviations -- A Note on Quotations -- Introduction (starting p. 1) -- 1 Theology and Politics: John Ireland and John Mair (starting p. 19) -- 2 Politics and History: John Mair and Hector Boece (starting p. 54) -- 3 Satire and Complaint (starting p. 93) -- 4 Reformation and Resistance: John Knox (starting p. 122) -- 5 Congregation, Kirk, and Crown (starting p. 153) -- 6 Politics, Humanism, History: George Buchanan and his Critics (starting p. 185) -- 7 Free Monarchy: James VI (starting p. 222) -- 8 The Whole Isle and Beyond: James VI and I (starting p. 255) -- Conclusion (starting p. 283) -- Bibliography (starting p. 296) -- Index (starting p. 307)

ISBN

0198203845
9780198203841

LCCN

95017980

OCLC

ocm32467444
32467444
SCSB-2078846

Owning Institutions

Princeton University Library