Monarchy

The Civilisation of Europe in the Renaissance by J R Hale (Perennial, November 2005)
Britain's leading Renaissance scholar paints a gigantic picture of the age, enlivened by a multiplicity of themes, people and ideas. In addition to in-depth coverage of the arts, he examines the dramatic changes in religion, politics, economics and global discoveries.
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Birth, Marriage and Death: Ritual, religion and the life-cycle in Tudor and Stuart England by David Cressy (Oxford University Press, 1999)
A picture of the classic rites of passage in Tudor and Stuart England, from childbirth and baptism through to courtship, weddings, and funerals.
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What the Tudors and Stuarts Did for Us by Adam Hart-Davies (Boxtree, 2003)
From the BBC series, this takes the reader on a journey through the discoveries and innovations of the 16th and 17th centuries. Great heroes stride through the pages, including Edmund Halley and Sir Francis Bacon, who died inventing the frozen chicken.
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The Making of the Tudor Dynasty by Ralph A Griffiths and Roger S Thomas (Sutton, 2005)
Based on both published and manuscript sources from Britain and France, this book provides a coherent and authoritative account of the ancestors of the Tudor royal family, from their beginnings in north Wales to Henry Tudor's victory at Bosworth Field in 1485.
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Tudor Monarchy by John Guy (Hodder Arnold, 1997)
Covers the broad themes of 'renaissance monarchy', personality and politics, and polity and government. A classic textbook, academic and very detailed.
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Religion and Culture in Renaissance England by Claire McEachern and Debora Shuger (Cambridge University Press, 1997)
These essays investigate the role of religion in shaping political, social, and literary forms, from the Reformation to the Civil Wars. The collection demonstrates the centrality of religion to 16th- and 17th-century England, and its influence on early modern constructions of gender, subjectivity and nationhood.
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The Stuart Age: A history of England 1603-1714 by Barry Coward (Longman, 2003)
A single-volume, thorough and readable account of England in the 17th century, ideal for the general reader.
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The Weaker Vessel: Woman's lot in the 17th century by Antonia Fraser (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2002)
Fraser brings to life the many and various women she has encountered in her considerable research: governesses, milkmaids, fishwives, nuns, defenders of castles, courtesans, countesses, witches and widows.
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England in Conflict, 1603-1660: Kingdom, community, Commonwealth by Derek Hirst (Hodder Arnold, 1999)
A sound textbook that covers intellectual, economic, social and political life in the first part of the 17th century.
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Unbridled Spirits: Women of the English Revolution 1640-1660 by Stevie Davies (Women's Press, 2000)
Davies resurrects forgotten texts and uncovers an array of women who insisted on their right to the written word, including: peace women who marched against the war; Leveller women who condemned oppressive legislators and abusive taxes; Fifth Monarchists who attacked the government; separatist women who founded dissenting churches; and radical Quakers who stood for gender and class equality.
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Restoration London: Everyday life in the 1660s by Liza Picard (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2001)
Making use of every possible contemporary source – diaries, memoirs, advice books, government papers, almanacs, even the Register of Patents – Picard presents an enthralling picture of how life in London was really lived after Charles II's restoration to the throne.
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