"A fine political survey which shows due sensitivity to cultural, religious, and social contexts, as well as to the multi-ethnic character of Britain and Ireland throughout the period. Written for students by a sure-handed teacher of British History."

— John Cramsie, Union College

"It is an invaluable text for British history courses."

— Susan E. Brown, University of Prince Edward Island

"Professors Heyck and Lehmberg are to be congratulated, and thanked. Their three volumes constitute the best value in British history textbooks currently available. They are as up-to-date in their attention to the Celtic experience of British history as in that of the English. And the level of coverage they provide makes them equally serviceable as principal texts in introductory-level surveys or as supporting texts for upper-level courses."

— Simon Devereaux, University of Queensland

THE PEOPLES OF THE BRITISH ISLES: A New History

Volume I: .From Prehistoric Times to 1688

Second Edition

Stanford E. Lehmberg, Professor of Emeritus, University of Minnesota


In three concise volumes, The Peoples of the British Isles: A New History presents the history of all of the people of the British Isles — England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales — from prehistoric times to the present. Through the frameworks of cultural, intellectual, and social history, the authors examine the conflicts, contrasts, and commonalities among four different peoples and their cultures while recognizing that people of all social levels, women as well as men, deserve the attention of students of history.

Volume I covers British history from prehistoric times to 1688. Major themes include:

• Development of prehistoric, Roman, and Anglo-Saxon Britain
• Discussions of family structure, social classes, social legislation
• Medieval British society
• Role of women in history
• Political history of Britain under Stuart and Tudor leadership
• Intellectual and artistic history from 1485–1688

Features

• Compact, three-volume format convenient for survey courses in semester or quarter system; other books usually require two volumes from prehistory to 1688
• Clean, comprehensible presentation of a complicated history of over two thousand years
• Fair treatment to the Celtic countries of the British Isles and their interactions and conflicts with England
• Lively and good-humored prose (for example, in a discussion regarding the Celts' disinterest in converting the Anglo-Saxons: "it was bad enough to share England with them, and the thought of sharing eternal life in heaven must have been appalling," p. 27)
• Includes cultural history, examples of pertinent art (see Lindesfarne Gospels and Book of Kells pp. 46–47) and architecture (see Cathedrals and Gothic Architecture pp. 149–159)
• Suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter includes current scholarship
• Priced to sell

About the Author
Stanford E. Lehmberg, Professor of History Emeritus at University of Minnesota, has written numerous articles an eight books including The Reformation of Cathedrals: Cathedrals in English Society, 1485–1603. A former Fulbright Scholar and recipient of two Guggenheim Fellowships, he has also received a Distinguished Teacher Award from the University of Minnesota.

Contents
List of Illustrations
List of Maps

Preface

Part I Prehistoric, Roman, and Anglo-Saxon Britain
1 The Land and Peoples of Early Britain
2 The Anglo-Saxon Era, 410–1066

Part II Medieval Britain
3 The First Century of Feudalism, 1066–1189
4 The Age of the Barons, 1189–1327
5 The Later Middle Ages, 1327–1485
6 Medieval British Society, 1066–1485

Part III The Tudors and The Stuarts
7 The Earlier Tudors, 1485–1547
8 The Later Tudors, 1547–1603
9 The Celtic Lands and the Tudors
10 The Early Stuarts and the Civil War, 1603–1649
11 The Interregnum, Restoration, and Glorious Revolution, 1649–1688
12 Social and Intellectual History, 1485–1688

Epilogue: The British Isles in 1688
Appendix: Genealogical Tables
Index

2002, Paper, 336 Pages, ISBN 978-0-925065-54-4, Price $45.95