Colin Kidd - ‘Subverting Scotland's Past: Scottish Whig Historians and the Creation of an Anglo-British Identity 1689–1830’

What does Sir John Fortescue’s phrase dominium politicum et regale mean, and how does it describe England’s monarchy?

a political and regal kingdom in describing England’s mixed monarchy

How did the English Reformation contribute to the development of a national English identity? (quote)

“However, it was the English Reformation…which galvanised English national consciousness”

How did the English Reformation contribute to the development of a national English identity?

• The English Reformation was not just a religious event but also a political and national transformation

• It reinvigorated the idea of England as a sovereign nation, independent from external control

• The Reformation was not just a religious shift; it also strengthened a distinct English identity

• The rejection of papal interference and the creation of an English Church (the Church of England) made people see themselves as part of a unique, self-sufficient nation

• The restoration of Protestantism marked a return of the ancient purity of the ecclesia anglica

Which 2 historians supported the idea of a pre-Roman, ancient English Christianity?

John Bale and John Foxe

What did Kidd say about the reformation?

“highly developed national consciousness had been raised as a result of the Reformation, but it had very deep and strong roots in medieval history”

When did Robert Bruce write his ‘Declaration of Arbroath’ ?

1320

What did Robert Bruce write in his ‘Declaration of Arbroath’ ?

“as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule”

Why was Robert Bruce’s ‘Declaration of Arbroath’ significant?

claimed by some modern scholars as the earliest European expression of a ‘nationalist theory of sovereignty

Which Protestant reformer supported the idea of union between Scotland and England?

John Knox

What did Kidd claim about Scottish Whiggs in 1689?

“Scottish whigs…possessed all the ideological ingredients out of which European intellectuals a century and a half later were to create nationalist movements”

What does the term ‘particularist ideologies’ refer to in the Scottish context?

ideas that emphasised Scotland’s unique identity, sovereignty, and traditions

Why did some Scots fear James I’s rule from London?

would undermine Scotland’s autonomy and cultural independence

What is an example of a particularist ideology

presbyterianism (a key part of Scottish religious identity) became a symbol of national resistance against attempts by the Stuart monarchy to impose Anglican practices

What were the 'Limitations'?

constitutional tool designed to curtail the king’s authority, ensuring he could not rule Scotland arbitrarily, radical attempt by Scots to maintain self-governance

What were the 'Limitations' mentioned in the Scottish context, and when were they most significantly applied?

The Covenanting Constitution of 1641

What was the Covenanting Constitution of 1641?

• Scottish Covenanters (who opposed Charles I’s religious policies) sought to limit royal power over Scotland

• REACTION to new religious policies Charles attempted to enforce on the Church of Scotland

• forced the Crown to conform to the Coventers’ ecclesiastical measures and limited the sovereignty of the Crown in Scotland

• This new right of the legislature was implemented in November 1641

After the Covenanting Constitution of 1641, when was the new right of legislature implemented?

Nov 1641

What triggered the riot in St Giles Cathedral in 1637?

a riotous reception was accorded, in St Giles cathedral to the first reading of the Service Book

When was the riot in St Giles Cathedral in 1637?

Sunday 23rd July 1637

What was the succession crisis?

After Queen Anne’s accession (1702), with her last surviving child, William, Duke of Gloucester, dead in 1700, Scotland feared that her successor might be chosen without Scottish consent

What was the Act of Security (1704), and what was it trying to safeguard?

asserted Scotland’s right to choose a different monarch unless guarantees were made for Scottish sovereignty

How did Scottish historians use historical martial success to shape national pride?

Contemporary historians “warned England of the failure of the great martial peoples of the past to conquer the Scots”

What events did Scotts reference as evidence of their great martial history?

The Scots people had also seen off the Scandinavian invaders and the Plantagenets while the peoples of England had succumbed to every passing invader - Romans, Saxons, Danes and Normans, etc

How did the reformation initially shape ideas around union?

Initially, the Reformation stimulated British unionism and a pan-European perspective on the struggle with the papal antichrist

Who was Queen Ann’s last surviving son?

William, Duke of Gloucester, dead in 1700