What have maypoles, charivari processions, and stoolball matches to do with the English Civil War? A great deal, argues David Underdown. Using three western counties as a case-study, he shows that the war was neither a dispute confined to the elite nor a class struggle of the 'middling sort' against a discredited aristocracy. It was in fact the result of profound disagreements among people of all social levels about the moral basis of their communities; commoners as well as ruler held strong opinions about order and governance. But these opinions varied from place to place, and through a pioneering synthesis of social history and popular culture, Underdown relates political diversity to cultural diversity, and shows that local difference in popular allegiance in the Civil War coincided with regional contrast in the traditional festive culture. The book is thus an important reinterpretation of both the English Revolution and the relationship between society, politics, and culture in the seventeenth century.

About the Author
David Underdown is Professor of History at Yale University. His other publications include: Fire From Heaven: Life of an English Town in the Seventeenth Century (1992).

Reviews
the real strength of his study lies in its illuminating detail. In page after page he reveals the intimate, domestic behaviour of ordinary rural people. * TLS *



Book Information
ISBN 9780192851932
Author David Underdown
Format Paperback
Page Count 340
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Dimensions(mm) 197mm * 129mm * 23mm