Noble Society in Scotland.: Wealth, Family and Culture from Reformation to Revolution

Abstract

"Even in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries it was conventional for humanist writers to regard the nobility which dominated early modern Scottish society and politics as violent, unlearned and backward - at best conservatively bound to archaic codes of behaviour; at worst, brutal, corrupt and anarchic. It is a view that was continued by Enlightenment successors and that prevails still. Keith Brown takes issue with this." "The author draws on extensive research in the rich archives of the Scottish noble houses to demonstrate that this view of the Scottish nobility is wrong. He shows that the nobility were as steeped in contemporary European debates and movements as they were rooted in local society. Far from holding back Scotland's economic and cultural development, nobles embraced economic change, seized financial opportunities, led the way in the pursuit of Renaissance ideals through their own learning and in the education of their children, and were partners in religious reform. Professor Brown makes extensive comparisons with noble societies elsewhere in Europe to reveal the differences and, above all, the similarities between the lives of Scottish nobles and their continental counterparts." "Written and illustrated with a wealth of contemporary incident and anecdote, the book presents an intimate and vivid picture of noble life in Scotland. It challenges and will change perceptions of early modern Scotland."--BOOK JACKET.

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