Description
Book SynopsisA study of the actions and responsibilities of those taking temporary power during the minority of a monarch. Three monarchs of Scotland (James V, Mary Queen of Scots, and James VI/I) were crowned during the sixteenth century; each came to the throne before their second birthday. Throughout all three royal minorities, the Scots remained remarkably consistent in their governmental preferences: that an individual should "bear the person" of the infant monarch, with all the power and risks that entailed. Regents could alienate crown lands, call parliament, raise taxes, and negotiate for the monarch's marriage, yet they also faced the potential of a shameful deposition from power and the assassin's gun. In examining the careers of the six men and two women who became regent in context with each other and contemporary expectations, Regency in Sixteenth-Century Scotland offers the first study of regency as a political office. It provides a major reassessment of both the office of regency itself and of individual regents. The developments in how the Scots thought about regency are charted, and the debates in which they engaged on this subject are exposed for the first time. Drawing on a broad archival base of neglected manuscript materials, ranging from financial accounts, to the justiciary court records, to diplomatic correspondence scattered from Edinburgh to Paris, the book reveals a greater level of continuity between the personal rules of the adult Stewarts and of their regents than has hitherto been appreciated. AMY BLAKEWAY is a Lecturer in Scottish History, University of St Andrews.
Trade ReviewWell written and superbly researched, and should encourage further research into minority rule.. This is an impressive monograph from the new generation of Scottish historians. * NORTHERN SCOTLAND *
[A] well-structured and engaging book about an aspect of governance of Scotland in the sixteenth century which has been largely neglected. * HISTORY *
Amy Blakeway has written an interesting and informative book that makes a valuable contribution to the debate on the nature of sixteenth-century Scottish government, although it is very much a view from the center in what was a highly diffuse political culture. She sits the Scottish case in the wider context, and European historians grappling with the question of how kingdoms without kings were ruled will find Regency in Sixteenth-Century Scotland a useful comparative resource. * JOURNAL OF MODERN HISTORY *
Thoroughly researched, deftly written and highly informative. [It] makes a significant contribution to the field, and will be essential reading for future students and scholars interested in this crucial period of Scottish history. * REVIEWS IN HISTORY *
The meticulously detailed archival study is a major strength of this impressive, energetically-argued book, which is a valuable addition to the field of sixteenth-century Scots studies. * SCOTTISH STUDIES NEWSLETTER *
[B]eautifully written, exhaustively documented, and compellingly argued. . . . Blakeway asks and answers a series of penetrating questions about the function of crown institutions during a formative period of the early modern Scottish state, and for this reason alone her book will appeal to a wide readership. * THE MEDIEVAL REVIEW *
This fine-grained study makes a significant contribution to an important topic. Highly recommended. * CHOICE *
Table of ContentsIntroduction Concepts of Regency Concepts of Regency in Practice Regency Finances Households and Courts Justice and Regency Regency Diplomacy Conclusion Appendices Bibliography
