Search results for ""author jonathan mcgovern""

What did the Romans do for us?Did King Arthur really exist?Who was Bloody Mary?Why did Great Britain go to war with Napoleon?Formed out of a union of warring Germanic kingdoms in the tenth century ad, England rose to become the most powerful nation in the world and the operations room of an empire spanning a quarter of the world's land surface.The Little History of England tells the great story of English history as simply as possible. This fast-paced and comprehensive narrative takes the reader on a journey from the beginning of the world to the present day. Historian Jonathan McGovern brings an insider's perspective into play, explaining the real significance behind the tumultuous history of this remarkable country.

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Sheriffs were among the most important local office-holders in early modern England. They were generalist officers of the king responsible for executing legal process, holding local courts, empanelling juries, making arrests, executing criminals, collecting royal revenue, holding parliamentary elections, and many other vital duties. Although sheriffs have a cameo role in virtually every book about early modern England, the precise nature of their work has remained something of a mystery. The Tudor Sheriff offers the first comprehensive analysis of the shrieval system between 1485 and 1603. It demonstrates that this system was not abandoned to decay in the Tudor period, but was effectively reformed to ensure its continued relevance. Jonathan McGovern shows that sheriffs were not in competition with other branches of local government, such as the Lords Lieutenant and justices of the peace, but rather cooperated effectively with them. Since the office of sheriff was closely related to every other branch of government, a study of the sheriff is also a study of English government at work.

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