Culture and politics at the court of Charles II, 1660-1685 / Matthew Jenkinson.

A study of how representations and images of Charles II and his kingship were formed and presented by those in and around the court. The reconstitution of the royal court in 1660 brought with it the restoration of fears that had been associated with earlier Stuart courts: disorder, sexual liberty, p...

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Bibliographic Details
Online Access: Full Text (via Cambridge)
Main Author: Jenkinson, Matthew, 1982-
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Woodbridge ; Rochester, NY : Boydell Press, ©2010.
Series:Studies in early modern cultural, political and social history ; v. 9.
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Summary:A study of how representations and images of Charles II and his kingship were formed and presented by those in and around the court. The reconstitution of the royal court in 1660 brought with it the restoration of fears that had been associated with earlier Stuart courts: disorder, sexual liberty, popery and arbitrary government. This book - the first full examination of its subject - illustrates the ways in which court culture was informed by the heady politics of Britain between 1660 and 1685. In political theory and practice the decades that preceded and included Charles II's reign witnessed profound interrogation of British kingship. Individuals at the heart of royal government - court preachers, poets, playwrights, courtesans, diplomats, and politicians - were assertive participants in this scrutiny. This book looks beyond the prurient interest in the sexual antics of Restoration courtiers that has characterised previous works. It engages in a genuine and sophisticated attempt to show how the complex dynamics of Charles II's court culture ran beneath the surface of show and ceremony. Ultimately it shows that the attempts to stabilise and strengthen the Stuart monarchy after the Restoration of Charles II were undercut by the cultural materials emanating fromthe royal court itself. MATTHEW JENKINSON completed his PhD at Merton College, Oxford.
Physical Description:1 online resource (xv, 293 pages) : illustrations
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:9781846159077
1846159075
ISSN:1476-9107 ;
Source of Description, Etc. Note:Print version record.