
The History of England from the Invasion of Julius Caesar to the Revolution of 1688, Volume 1A
by David Hume
'The History of England from the Invasion of Julius Caesar to the Revolution of 1688, Volume 1A' Summary
The work can perhaps be best discussed as four separate histories in the order in which he wrote them.
The History of Great Britain Part 1
The book begins auspiciously with James VI of Scotland peacefully assuming the title of first King of Great Britain. He immediately began a series of attempts to promote a Union between his two kingdoms, and found for this a staunch ally in Francis Bacon. These came to nothing, curiously more because of opposition in the English Parliament than in the Scottish one. On the whole, Hume portrays this complex king, who had grown up with the same predicament as Orestes, as a beneficent ruler keeping Britain at peace, notably by staying out of the Thirty Years' War.
However an epic of unintended consequences was unravelling. As the King was dying, his son's wooing of the Spanish Infanta turned into a jilting, and the two countries drifted into a war, spurred on by Protestant extremists in the House of Commons. Charles I's attempt following the Petition of Right (1628) to rule without a Parliament in England collapsed after he provoked the revolution of the National Covenant in Scotland (1638). Irish Catholics led by Felim O'Neill seized the opportunity to rebel (1641). Civil War broke out in England. The king was defeated, tried, and executed (1649). Thus Hume's first volume ends at the start of England's short-lived experiment with republicanism.
Of the book's reception, Hume wrote:
I was assailed by one cry of reproach, disapprobation, and even detestation; English, Scotch, and Irish, Whig and Tory, churchman and sectary, freethinker and religionist, patriot and courtier, united in their rage against the man, who had presumed to shed a generous tear for the fate of Charles I, and the Earl of Strafford.
Book Details
Author

David Hume
Scotland
David Hume was a Scottish Enlightenment philosopher, historian, economist, librarian and essayist, who is best known today for his highly influential system of philosophical empiricism, scepticism, an...
More on David HumeDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books

War and Peace, Book 13: 1812 by Leo Tolstoy
War and Peace is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published serially, then published in its entirety in 1869. It is regarded as one of...

The History of England, from the Accession of James II - (Volume 3, Chapter 12) by Thomas Babington Macaulay
The History of England from the Accession of James the Second (1848) is the full title of the five-volume work by Lord Macaulay (1800–1859) more gener...

The History of England, from the Accession of James II - (Volume 3, Chapter 15) by Thomas Babington Macaulay
The History of England from the Accession of James the Second (1848) is the full title of the five-volume work by Lord Macaulay (1800–1859) more gener...

The History of England, from the Accession of James II - (Volume 4, Chapter 19) by Thomas Babington Macaulay
The History of England from the Accession of James the Second (1848) is the full title of the five-volume work by Lord Macaulay (1800–1859) more gener...

Declaration of Rights by Stamp Act Congress
On June 8, 1765 James Otis, supported by the Massachusetts Assembly sent a letter to each colony calling for a general meeting of delegates. The meeti...

The History of England, from the Accession of James II - (Volume 2, Chapter 10) by Thomas Babington Macaulay
The History of England from the Accession of James the Second (1848) is the full title of the five-volume work by Lord Macaulay (1800–1859) more gener...

The History of England, from the Accession of James II - (Volume 3, Chapter 16) by Thomas Babington Macaulay
The History of England from the Accession of James the Second (1848) is the full title of the five-volume work by Lord Macaulay (1800–1859) more gener...

Chronicles of Canada Volume 13 - The United Empire Loyalists: A Chronicle of the Great Migration by W. Stewart Wallace
Volume 13 of The Chronicles of Canada Series. This volume sheds light on the often misunderstood Americans who chose to remain loyal to the Crown of E...

History of the United States, Vol. V by Charles A. Beard
Charles Beard was the most influential American historian of the early 20th century. He published hundreds of monographs, textbooks and interpretive s...

War and Peace, Book 16: First Epilogue 1813-1820 by Leo Tolstoy
War and Peace is an epic novel by Leo Tolstoy, first published from 1865 to 1869 in Russki Vestnik, which tells the story of Russian society during th...
Reviews for The History of England from the Invasion of Julius Caesar to the Revolution of 1688, Volume 1A
No reviews posted or approved, yet...