Overview

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.

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9780754662389

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Reviews

'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 fur Reformationsgeschichte

'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

Author Information

Dr Caroline Erskine, University of Aberdeen, UK, and Professor Roger A. Mason, University of St Andrews, UK Caroline Erskine, Roger A. Mason, Tricia A. McElroy, Andrew Hadfield, Arthur Williamson, Astrid Stilma, Robert von Friedeburg, Allan I. Macinnes, Martin Dzelzainis, John Coffey, Clare Jackson, Esther Mijers, Colin Kidd.

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