The Government of Scotland 1560 - 1625

by Julian Goodare

In The Government of Scotland 1560 - 1625 Goodare shows how Scotland was governed during the transition from Europe's decentralized medieval realms to modern sovereign states. The expanding institutions of government - crown, parliament, privy council, local courts - are detailed, but the book is structured around an analysis of governmental processes. A new framework is offered for understanding the concept of 'centre and localities': centralization happened in the localities.

Various interest groups participated in government and influenced its decisions. The nobility, in particular, exercised influence at every level. There was also English influence, both before and after the union of crowns in 1603. It is argued that the crown's continuing involvement after 1603 shows the common idea of 'absentee monarchy' to be misconceived. Goodare also pays particular attention to the harsh impact of government in the Highlands - where the chiefs were not full members of 'Scottish' political society - and on the common people - who were also excluded from normal political participation.

360 pages, Hardcover

First published December 16, 2004

About the author

Julian Goodare is a Reader in History at the University of Edinburgh. He is the author of State and Society in Early Modern Scotland (1999) and The Government of Scotland, 1560 - 1625 (2004). His edited books include The Reign of James VI (2000) (co-edited with Michael Lynch) and Sixteenth-Century Scotland: Essays in Honour of Michael Lynch (2008) (co-edited with Alasdair A. MacDonald).