England in the 1690s

by Craig Rose

The 1690s is one of the most poorly understood decades in English history. This book presents a fresh interpretation of the period, reconstructing the reign of William III through the eyes and in the words of those who lived through it. Within the broad thematic structure, the author provides a narrative thread to guide readers new to the period. He employs a wide range of sources including popular ballads, correspondence, diaries, pamphlets, sermons, poems, memoirs, plays and parliamentary debates. Rose demonstrates that the 1690s, rather than marking the beginning of a placid 'long eighteenth century', was a decade deeply coloured by the experience and memory of the fractious seventeenth-century past. The author's approach not only gives a new flavour to the 1690s, it also reveals much about the impact of the Williamite revolution.