Imperial Island: A History of Britain and Its Empire, 1660–1837

At its peak, no empire had ever been larger or more diverse. With power and influence stretching to the far reaches of the globe, Britannia not only ruled the waves but governed roughly a quarter of the world′s population.

Imperial Island: A History of Britain and its Empire, 1660–1837 traces Great Britain′s imperial path from the Stuart Restoration of 1660 to its emergence in the nineteenth century as a dominant global superpower. More than a century of fast–moving political events such as the American Revolution and Napoleonic wars are seamlessly interwoven with England and Scotland′s political, social, and economic history. Also discussed are the rapidly–evolving environmental factors, cultural issues, and gender relations taking place in Britain as it carved out its empire. The result is a comprehensive and sweeping account of Britain′s expansion and the transformative role that empire played throughout its global territories.

Organized into thematic chapters set within a clear, chronological framework, and supported by numerous illustrations and maps, Imperial Island is the ideal text for students, who need no prior knowledge of British history.

List of Illustrations.

List of Maps.

Preface.

A Note on Currency.

Frequently Used Abbreviations.

Part I: Nations, Lands, Peoples.

1 Nations and Kingdoms.

2 Landscapes in Motion.

3 Knowing One s Place.

Part II: Party Strife and Revolution, 1660 1689.

4 The Culture of Politics.

5 Preserving the Constitution.

6 A Disjointed Empire.

Part III: The Legacy of Revolution, 1689 1722.

7 The Fortunes of War, 1689 1710.

8 The Crisis of the Hanoverian Succession, 1710 1722.

9 Art, Science, and Politics.

Part IV: State and Empire, 1722 1760.

10 Whigs and Patriots.

11 Polite Society and Its Discontents.

12 An Empire Emerging.

Part V: The Fall of the First British Empire, 1760 1784.

13 The Patriot King, 1760 1770.

14 The American Crisis, 1770 1784.

15 The Wealth of a Nation.

Part VI: Britain Against Revolution, 1783 1815.

16 The Nation Preserved.

17 Remaking the Empire.

18 Enlightened Culture.

Part VII: A New Order Begins, 1815 1837.

19 The State Reformed.

20 A Class Society.

21 Imperial Portraits.

Conclusion.

Notes.

Bibliography.

Index.

Paul Kléber Monod holds the Barton Hepburn Chair in History at Middlebury College. He is the author of Jacobitism and the English People, 1688–1788 (1989); The Power of Kings: Monarchy and Religion in Europe, 1588–1714 (1999); and The Murder of Mr. Grebell: Madness and Civility in an English Town (2003).

"Paul Monod manages to pack in a very great deal and the style is easy, accessible and informative. This, then, is a book to recommend." ( The Journal of the Historical Society, 2010)

"This book brings together in one resource information that has previously been available only in small fragments widely distributed throughout the literature of different disciplines and, additionally, highlights the unifying concepts in a very diverse discipline." ( Doody′s, February 2010)

"The combination of completeness and conciseness with an attractive style is very difficult to master. This is an outstandingly good example of how it ought to be done. It is written in a relaxed, flowing prose, always accessible and often witty, which carries the reader effortlessly forward. ... A book that gives a strong and pleasing impression of a gifted teacher in full command of his subject." (The International History Review, December 2009)