The Making of the British Isles

This complete overview of the interaction between England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales shows how each country’s sense of national identity was shaped by the politics of state formation.

Recounts the development of the nations of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland from the time of Anglo-French dual monarchy under Henry VI through the Wars of the Roses, Reformation crisis, reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, British multiple monarchy and Cromwellian Republic, ending with the acts of British Union and Restoration of Monarchy.

The history of the British Isles is the story of four peoples linked together by a process of state building that was as much about far-sighted planning and vision as coincidence, accident and failure. It is a history of revolts and reversal, familial bonds and enmity, the study of which does much to explain the underlying tension between the nations of modern day Britain.

The Making of the British Islesrecounts the development of the nations of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland from the time of the Anglo-French dual monarchy under Henry VI through the Wars of the Roses, the Reformation crisis, the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, the Anglo-Scottish dynastic union, the British multiple monarchy and the Cromwellian Republic, ending with the acts of British Union and the Restoration of the Monarchy.