The British Isles: A History of Four Nations

380 Pages·2012·21.595 MB·English

by  Hugh Kearney

The British Isles
A History of Four Nations
Second edition
hugh kearney
cambridge university press
Cambridge,NewYork,Melbourne,Madrid,CapeTown,Singapore,Sa˜oPaulo,
Delhi, Mexico City
CambridgeUniversityPress
TheEdinburghBuilding,CambridgeCB28RU,UK
PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyCambridgeUniversityPress,NewYork
www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107623897
(cid:2)C CambridgeUniversityPress1989,2006
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithout
thewrittenpermissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished1989
Reprinted1993
Cantoedition1995
Reprinted1998,2000,2004
Secondedition2006
Third printing 2008
Canto Classics edition 2012
Printedand bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY
AcataloguerecordforthisisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
ISBN978-1-107-62389-7Paperback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyofURLs
forexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication,anddoesnot
guaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate.
For my wife, Kate
InthisOceantherehappentobetwoverylargeislandswhicharecalled
Britannic,AlbionandIerna,biggerthananywehavementioned.
Aristotle,DeMundoc.iv
Contents
Listofillustrations page viii
Listofmaps xi
Prefacetothefirstedition xiii
Prefacetothesecondedition xv
Map:theBritishIsles xviii
Introduction 1
1 TheCelticsocietiesoftheBritishIsles 13
2 TheimpactofRomeontheBritishIsles 27
3 Thepost-Romancenturies 41
4 TheVikingsandthefalloftheOldOrder 60
5 TheNormanandpost-Normanascendancy 92
6 Thedeclineofthepost-Normanempire 132
7 ThemakingofanEnglishempire 157
8 Theremakingofanempire 189
9 TheBritannicmeltingpot 219
10 Theriseofethnicpolitics 251
11 Betweenthewars 280
12 Withdrawalfromempire 294
13 Post-imperialBritain:post-nationalistIreland 304
Afterword 322
Selectedreadinglist 325
Index 341
vii
Illustrations
1. HorsetrappinginYorkshire.(cid:2)C TheTrusteesofThe
BritishMuseum page15
2. HorsetrappinginCo.Galway.(cid:2)C NationalMuseumof
Ireland 16
3. TraprainLawhill-fort.(cid:2)C RCAHMS(JohnDewar
Collection) 20
4. Hill-fortatMoel-y-Gaer.(cid:2)C CambridgeUniversity
CollectionofAirPhotographs 25
5. PortchesterCastle.(cid:2)C EnglishHeritagePhotoLibrary,
Photographer:JonathanBailey 31
6. Hadrian’sWall.(cid:2)C www.britainonview.com 33
7. Caerwent.(cid:2)C CambridgeUniversityCollectionofAir
Photographs 37
8. EmainMacha.(cid:2)C CrownCopyright/MOD.Reproduced
withthepermissionoftheControllerofHerMajesty’s
StationeryOffice 46
9. TheSuttonHooshipburial.(cid:2)C TheTrusteesofThe
BritishMuseum 51
10. TheArdaghChalice.(cid:2)C NationalMuseumofIreland 53
11. Dumbartonfort.(cid:2)C CambridgeUniversityCollectionof
AirPhotographs 55
12. CommemorationstonefromLindisfarne.(cid:2)C English
HeritagePhotoLibrary 63
13. TheCrossofCong.(cid:2)C NationalMuseumofIreland 70
14. VikingchessmenfromtheIsleofLewis.(cid:2)C TheTrustees
ofTheBritishMuseum 73
15. Odd’sCrossslabfromtheIsleofMan.(cid:2)C ManxNational
Heritage 83
16. ThetombofEdwardtheConfessor,WestminsterAbbey.
(cid:2)C DeanandChapterofWestminster 93
17. TheNormancathedralontheRockofCashel.
(cid:2)C CambridgeUniversityCollectionofAirPhotographs 96
viii
Listofillustrations ix
18. ThegreatmotteofUrr.(cid:2)C CambridgeUniversity
CollectionofAirPhotographs 112
19. ChepstowCastle.(cid:2)C CrownCopyright/MOD.
ReproducedwiththepermissionoftheControllerofHer
Majesty’sStationeryOffice 125
20. StGeorge’sChapel,Windsor.(cid:2)C Reproducedby
permissionoftheDeanandCanonsofWindsor 135
21. ThebattleofBannockburn.(cid:2)C BypermissionofThe
BritishLibrary/Add.47682 143
22. ThesealsofOwainGlyndwr.(cid:2)C NationalMuseumsand
GalleriesofWales 146
23. PortraitofHenryVIII.(cid:2)C NationalPortraitGallery,
London 160
24. Mary,QueenofScots(1541–87),monumentby
CorneliusandWilliamCure.(cid:2)C DeanandChapterof
Westminster 174
25. TheBibleinWelsh.BishopWilliamMorgan’sWelshBible
from1588.(cid:2)C BypermissionoftheNationalLibraryof
Wales 178
26. Slaveship.(cid:2)C NationalMuseumsLiverpool,Merseyside
MaritimeMuseum 191
27. StatueofRobertBurns(1759–96).(cid:2)C www.britain
onview.com 208
28. TheUnitedIrishmen1798,portraitofleaderHenryJoy
McCracken.(cid:2)C NMGNI2005.Photographreproduced
withthekindpermissionoftheTrusteesoftheNational
MuseumsandGalleriesofNorthernIreland 213
29. ThePalaceofWestminster.(cid:2)C www.britainonview.com 220
30. StatueofCaractacus.(cid:2)C GuildhallArtGallery,
CorporationofLondon 227
31. StatueofOliverCromwell(1599–1658).(cid:2)C www.britain
onview.com/DougMcKinlay 233
32. Belfastpostcard–‘NoHomeRule’.(cid:2)C NMGNI2005.
Photographreproducedwiththekindpermissionofthe
TrusteesoftheNationalMuseumsandGalleriesof
NorthernIreland 255
33. StormontandtheEdwardCarsonstatue.
(cid:2)C HarrisonsPhotos.com 261
34. EamonnDeValera(1882–1975).(cid:2)C D.H.Davison/The
IrishPictureLibrary 282
35. HungerMarch.(cid:2)C Reproducedbykindpermissionof
J.Batstone.Source:SouthWalesCoalfieldCollection,
SwanseaUniversity 291
x Listofillustrations
36. BobbySandsmural.(cid:2)C KelvinBoyesPhotography 298
37. TheBlackWatch.(cid:2)C www.britainonview.com 302
38. MuslimcommunitylifeinBritain.(cid:2)C GettyImages 306
39. ThenewParliamentBuildinginScotland.(cid:2)C Keith
Hunter/arcblue.com 310
40. MillenniumBuilding,Cardiff.(cid:2)C BillyStock/
PhotolibraryWales 317