George Buchanan - Political Thought in Early Modern Britain and Europe

George Buchanan (1506-82) was the most distinguished Scottish humanist of the sixteenth century with an unparalleled contemporary reputation as a Latin poet, playwright, historian and political theorist. This volume represents the first attempt to explore the subsequent influence and importance of his broader interests and ideas. An international cast of scholars explore Buchanan's legacy as an historian and political theorist in the two centuries following his death, with particular emphasis on the reception of his remarkably radical views on popular sovereignty and tyrannicide.

List of contents

List of Abbreviations, List of Figures, Notes on Contributors, Preface, Introduction: George Buchanan: Influence, Legacy, Reputation, Part One: Buchanan in Reformation Britain, 1. From Buchanan to Blaeu: The Politics of Scottish Chorography, 1582–1654, 2. Performance, Print and Politics in George Buchanan’s Ane Detectioun of the duinges of Marie Quene of Scottes, 3. Spenser and Buchanan, 4. George Buchanan and the Patriot Cause, Part Two: Buchanan in Europe, 5. Tyrants and Translations: Dutch Interpretations of George Buchanan’s Political Thought, 6. Buchanan and the German Monarchomachs, 7. The Reception of Buchanan in Northern Europe in the Seventeenth Century, Part Three: Buchanan and Revolutionary Britain, 8. The Ciceronian Theory of Tyrannicide from Buchanan to Milton, 9. George Buchanan and the Scottish Covenanters, 10. Buchanan in Hell: Sir James Turner’s Civil War Royalism, 11. George Buchanan, English Whigs and Royalists, and the Canon of Political Theory, Part Four: Buchanan and the Enlig htenment, 12. Scotland’s Fabulous Past: Charles Mackie and George Buchanan, 13. Assassination Principles in Scottish Political Culture: Buchanan to Hogg, 14. George Buchanan and Revolution Principles, 1688–1788, Index

About the author

Dr Caroline Erskine, University of Aberdeen, UK, and Professor Roger A. Mason, University of St Andrews, UK

Summary

George Buchanan (1506-82) was the most distinguished Scottish humanist of the sixteenth century with an unparalleled contemporary reputation as a Latin poet, playwright, historian and political theorist. However, while his contemporary importance as the scourge of Mary Queen of Scots and advocate of popular rebellion has long been recognised, this volume represents the first attempt to explore the subsequent influence of his ideas and his contested reputation as a political ideologue and cultural icon. Featuring a wide-ranging selection of essays by an international cast of established and younger scholars, the volume explores Buchanan's legacy as an historian and political theorist in Britain and Europe in the two centuries following his death, with particular emphasis on the reception of his remarkably radical views on popular sovereignty and political assassination. Divided into four parts, the volume covers the immediate impact and reception of his writings in sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century Britain; the wider Northern European context in which his thought was influential; the engagement with his political ideas in the course of the seventeenth-century British constitutional struggles; and the influence of his ideas as well as the changing nature of his reputation through the eighteenth century and beyond. The introduction to the volume not only reviews the material in the body of the collection, but also reflects on the use and abuse of Buchanan's ideas in the early modern period and the methodological issues of influence and reputation raised by the contributors. Such a reassessment of Buchanan and his legacy is long overdue and this volume will be welcomed by all scholars with an interest in the political and cultural history of early modern Britain and Europe.

Additional text

'In sum, this volume has much to offer. Each essay is a compelling read, making the work a valuable reference tool for those scholars interested in specific moments of the reception of Buchanan’s political ideas - especially during the seventeenth century.' Renaissance Quarterly '... this is a volume that should be read by anyone with a serious interest in the political ideas of the early modern period and how they developed in what we will assume is the real world.' Parergon '[This] is a collection that is both stimulating and, as the subtitle promises, wide ranging in its scope... [a] rich and enjoyable volume.' Canadian Journal of History 'This is a very scholarly and effective collection, and has assembled a distinguished collection of contributors ... Anyone interested in the evolution of George Buchanan's resistance ideas, and their influence on modem political thought would be well advised to read it.' Archiv für Reformationsgeschichte

Product details

• Authors: Erskine, Caroline Erskine
• Assisted by: Roger A Mason (Editor), Roger A. Mason (Editor)
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.12.2017
• EAN: 9781138116900
• ISBN: 978-1-138-11690-0
• No. of pages: 342
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education