Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-59) was one of the foremost nineteenth-century historians in the Whig tradition, which saw history as a series of developments towards enlightenment and democracy. He believed that the 'Glorious Revolution' of 1688 had preserved England from the constitutional upheavals suffered by much of Europe in 1848. Using a wider range of sources, including popular literature, than was then usual, and written in an accessible, novelistic rather than academic style, this five-volume work proved hugely influential upon contemporary historians and phenomenally successful with the public, although it was not without its critics. The first two volumes, published in 1848, were by 1849 in their third edition, which is reissued here. Volume 1 examines the constitutional history of Britain up to the Restoration, Charles II's reign, fears of a return to an absolutist monarchy, and Whig attempts to exclude the Catholic James II from the succession.
- ISBN10 137493447X
- ISBN13 9781374934474
- Publish Date 25 May 2017 (first published 11 January 2008)
- Publish Status Unknown
- Imprint Pinnacle Press
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 616
- Language English