History Commons^™

The Interaction Of Domestic Politics And English Naval Operations During The Civil War And Interregnum, 1642-1660, Don P. Crowson

History Theses & Dissertations

The interaction of domestic politics and the English Navy during the Civil Wars and the following interregnum is analyzed. The period of interest is during the reign of Charles I (1646-1649); the Commonwealth (1649-1653), when the government functioned essentially as a republic; and the Protectorate, (1653-1660), when the executive function was performed first by Oliver Cromwell and then by his son, Richard Cromwell. A brief description of the immediate preceding years is included to establish the political climate of the time.

The major events with political implications are considered in detail. They are: (1) the struggle between Parliament and the …

Exploring Transient Identities: Deconstructing Depictions Of Gender And Imperial Ideology In The Oriental Travel Narratives Of Englishwomen, 1831-1915, Carrieanne Deloach

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Englishwomen who traveled to the "Orient" in the Victorian era constructed an identity that was British in its bravery, middle-class in its refinement, feminine in appearance and speech and Christian in its intolerance of Oriental heathenism. Studying Victorian female travel narratives that described journeys to the Orient provides an excellent opportunity to reexamine the diaphanous nature of the boundaries of the public/private sphere dichotomy; the relationship between travel, overt nationalism, and gendered constructions of identity, the link between geographic location and self-definition; the power dynamics inherent in information gathering, organization and production. Englishwomen projected gendered identities in their writings, which …

"With A Joint View To The Entertainment And Information Of Mankind:" The Development Of Eighteenth Century British Tourism, Sarah Caroline Wegener

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Tourism in its current form did not exist until the nineteenth century with the emergence of the railroads. However, crucial developments in mid-eighteenth century Great Britain started the process leading to modem tourism. Over the course of the eighteenth century, the concept behind tourism expanded and its motivations were transformed. Early eighteenth century tourism was associated with wealth and class. United in their various interests by a common desire, tourists sought experience to assist them in their future life. By the end of the century a shift had taken place, and tourism took on a new face. Though this form …

Court, Clients And Kingship: A Study Of Royal Executive Style During The Reign Of James I, Nick Jon Ziegler

History Theses & Dissertations

The thesis explores James Stuart's distinct style of kingship as a self-proclaimed absolute monarch whose writings, speeches and public image belied his intention to rule moderately for the welfare of his subjects. The king's reign is analyzed with regard to his ideas on monarchy and government, ecclesiastical policies, problems with clientage, relations with favourites and court culture. Both in Scotland and England, James' writings reveal his static approach to governing key institutions of church and state. The Jacobean court served as the locus of state political power as well as royal patronage, thus drawing many suitors for public offices and …

Queen In Peril : The Elizabethan Parliament Of 1584-85, James Vernon Madison

Master's Theses

In November 1584 Queen Elizabeth I summoned her fifth Parliament. Over twelve years had elapsed since Parliamentary elections had been conducted, which resulted in a young and inexperienced House of Commons in 1584. Normally Parliaments addressed the granting of a subsidy, local issues, and concerns of the realm. However, this Parliament's primary concerns were with the protection of Elizabeth and the safety of the realm. In the months preceding the Parliamentary session London began receiving signatures to the Bond of Association. This unique document implemented a unified front against any person or persons involved with the untimely death of Elizabeth. …

One Mistress And No Master: Elizabeth I And Her Use Of Public Personas To Gain And Maintain Power, Michael J. Davye

History Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the evolution of the personas that Elizabeth used to gain, hold, and wield power during her reign as Queen of England. These personas were most likely conscious constructs created to deal with the problems Elizabeth faced as ruler of England. She had been bastardized by her father, Henry VIII, and, therefore, was considered by many to have no legitimate claim to the throne. But this problem was almost insignificant in contrast to the problems she faced trying to assert her authority as a female monarch. Elizabeth realized the prevailing wisdom of the …

Royal Protectors, Explorers And Thieves : Pirates Of The Elizabethan Cold War, 1558-1685, Dodie Jones

Honors Theses

Within this paper, I intend to explain the significance of Elizabethan pirates as financial and defensive assets to Elizabethan England. Because the pirates existed as plunderers and thieves, outright state support of their ventures by Parliament and the Queen is difficult to determine. Evidence indicates, however, that Queen Elizabeth I developed relationships with specific pirates, chiefly Sir John Hawkins and Sir Francis Drake. Elizabeth entrusted Hawkins and Drake to employ cold war tactics against Spain and secure England's financial stability with stolen goods. Through state documents, primary accounts, biographies, and secondary sources, I aim to explain certain aspects of the …

Lord Lansdowne's Peace Letter And The Controversy It Caused, Mary Virginia Burton Cash

Master's Theses

This study analyzes the letter Lord Lansdowne published in the 29 November 1917 Daily Telegraph and the varied reactions to it. The letter and his Cabinet Memorandum, which preceded it by a year, give no evidence of the traitorous, cowardly, sick, or tired old man his detractors portrayed. The detractors naturally included his political opponents, but also Americans such as Theodore Roosevelt and William Jennings Bryan. Interestingly, most abuse came from those of his own party with whom he had served his country in a variety of offices. This thesis explores the mystery of how a statesman could, by the …

Anglo-Bulgarian Relations 1933-1941, Jason Sayers

Honors Theses

This paper explores the confusing relations between Great Britain and Bulgaria in the years 1933-1941. These years serve as the focus because 1933 is when Adolf Hitler became Chancellor in Germany and in 1941 Bulgaria entered World War II on the side of the Axis Powers. The newly rising threat of Germany, in the years after reconstruction from the First World War, is the backdrop against which these relations are set. This examination of the relations between Great Britain and Bulgaria shows why Britain failed to entice Bulgaria to join the Allied Powers, and why Bulgaria joined the Axis Powers.

Partnership Of Necessity: The Anglo-American Intelligence Relationship From 1921 To 1942, H. Douglas Brooks Iii

History Theses & Dissertations

Throughout the period between the two world wars, Great Britain and the United States were embroiled in an imperialistic rivalry focused heavily in East Asia. The strong sense of competition and mistrust between the navies of the two nations hindered the development of close cooperation as war became imminent in the late 1930s. This state of affairs encompassed every aspect of naval operations, including signal intelligence whose officials sought to forge a working relationship beneficial to both countries in the opening days of the Second world War. Old prejudices and outdated perceptions of national interest were difficult to overcome even …

Sturdy Rogues And Wanton Wenches : Response To Vagrancy And Development Of The Tudor Poor Laws, 1530-1597, Sonia T. Banerji

Honors Theses

Tudor England experienced crisis levels of poverty and unemployment which manifested in the form of widespread vagrancy during the sixteenth century. From 1530 to 1597 the central government, often with inspiration from local initiatives, enacted a series of laws which attempted to address the causes of the problems as perceived by the public, in an effort to quell popular fears and anxieties regarding vagrancy.

The focus of this paper is on the response of Tudor society to the problems of poverty and vagrancy. It studies the statutory distinctions drawn between various states of poverty and how these differences disposed society …

The Parliamentary Career Of Michael Thomas Sadler, 1829-1833, Simon P. Karginoff

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The thesis seeks to combine an historiographical reappraisal of Michael Thomas Sadler, 1780-1835, with an account of his political thought and actions during his parliamentary career, 1829-1833. Sadler was an Ultra-Tory, although he has also been called a Radical Tory. Central to Ultra-Tory philosophy was the defence of the Revolution Settlement, or Protestant Constitution. This thesis opens with an explanation as to why Sadler was chosen as a research subject. Section one gives a general background to Sadler. The thesis begins with a brief biographical sketch followed by a detailed historiographical assessment. Sadler’s basic philosophy is outlined and his opposition …

Political Interference In Military Operations During The Anglo-Zulu War Of 1879, Thomas Max Lansford

History Theses & Dissertations

This work examines the degree and effect of the reluctant cooperation of the British government and its colonial agencies with the British army during the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. While it is clear that there was no civilian conspiracy to interfere with the army, it is also clear that several of the policies of the government and its colonial agencies hindered army operations. The study is based on the War Office narrative of military operations, on Colonial and War Office correspondence, and on the memoirs and diaries of several participants.

British Foreign Policy And The Crimean War A Study In Uncoordinated Diplomacy, Ronald W. Kennedy

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This thesis is an examination of British Crimean War diplomacy. Under analysis is the pre-war era (1844-1853) and the war years (1854-1856). Intense diplomatic negotiations were in progress during most of the period immediately preceding and during the Crimean War. The diplomatic efforts to avoid war as well as negotiations to resolve the conflict were protracted and extremely complex.

This study is designed to examine British policy by focusing on what often characterized British efforts prior to, and during, the Crimean War: uncoordinated diplomacy. Although the British clearly wanted to avoid this war and to hasten its conclusion once fighting …

Literary Visions Of Edward Ii And Isabella Of France, Dana L. Sample

Institute for the Humanities Theses

The historical Edward II and Isabella of France do not always resemble the literary Edward and Isabella. Chronicles written after their deaths produced romances about their lives that to this day have colored historical scholarship. Other literature in the form of plays and novels have also been responsible for nurturing legends about Edward and Isabella. This thesis examines first the contemporary chronicles and government records in order to establish some facts about the ill-fated king and queen; then it analyzes the romances and the media that produced them, in an effort to test their reliability. Although some of the legends …

The Foreign Policy Of William Gladstone In The 1860s: The Limits Of Liberalism In Victorian England, Orlando W.G. Knauss

Honors Papers

William E. Gladstone was the rising star of the Liberal Party between 1859 and 1874. His domestic and foreign policy played a role in the two most important developments of this period in British History: the surge of liberalism and the loss of British influence in European affairs. Because he was the leading British statesman of the period, Gladstone's statesmanship is widely blamed by contemporaries and historians for Britain's decline in European affairs at the time of Otto von Bismarck's ascendancy. This study seeks to answer the question of whether Gladstone's statesmanship is to blame for Great Britain's dramatic slip …

Reform And Democracy: British And American Reactions To The French Revolution, 1789-1801, Martha Lingua Wheless

History Theses & Dissertations

The outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789 had a profound effect on the countries of the western world. In Great Britain and America initial reaction to the Revolution was overwhelmingly positive, but as the events in France became increasingly violent opinions began to diverge. This thesis examines the diverse popular reactions to the French Revolution in both Great Britain and America. The role played by the governments of these nations in shaping public opinion is considered, as are the effects of the populaces' reactions on the government's policies, which culminated in the suppression of the parliamentary reform movement in …

William Courtenay's England : An Aristocratic Bishop In The Fourteenth Century, Michael P. Gwaltney

Honors Theses

Despite religious controversy that threatened the church and

endangered the state, William Courtenay, as an aristocratic bishop,

succeeded in preserving the traditional structure of the medieval

English Church. During the second half of the fourtheenth century,

England sustained reversals abroad in the renewed war with France.

The military setbacks aggrevated the domestic unrest, which existed

under the uncertain leadership of senile Edward III and then young

Richard II. Church and state in medieval society were so closely

interwoven by means of a cohesive religion that "any substantial

alteration of the church system could have led to a revolution of a …

The Public Record Office: A Study Of The Creation Of The Office And The Construction Of Its Fireproof Repository, Kathryn A. Miller

History Theses & Dissertations

At the beginning of the nineteenth century Britain's public records were scattered among more than fifty depositories which were overcrowded, unorganized, neglected, and ill-suited to record preservation. The British government was not sympathetic to the condition or the importance of the records. How then did the British government become involved in creating the Public Record Office and building its first fireproof repository? This study takes the form of a chronology based extensively on the records of the Public Record Office, the Office of Works, and the British Sessional Papers.

Although the creation of the Public Record Office was part of …

Charles M. Davies (1828-1910): Cleric, Writer, Educator, Spiritualist, Thomas M. Costa

History Theses & Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Capital Punishment : Public Opinion And Abolition In Great Britain During The Twentieth Century, Carol A. Ransone

Master's Theses

Some form of capital punishment has been practiced for as long as there has been recorded history. Early laws were generally harsh and failed to consider the impact of crime on society. In 621 B.C. the Code of Dracon recorded the laws observed in Athens. The Code of Dracon revealed that almost all offences were punishable by death. Two centuries later a more humanitarian attitude was expressed in Greece. Plato believed in the segregation and reform of the criminal rather than his execution.

In England the death penalty for felony convictions was traced to the reign of Henry I. It …

Emancipation & Renewal: English Catholicism In The Nineteenth Century, Cheryl E. Yielding

History Theses & Dissertations

English Catholics faced great difficulties and divisions in the nineteenth century. The chief problems were obtaining civil rights and the right to provide their children with a religious education, prejudice, the restoration of the hierarchy for more efficient government, and the split between Ultramontanes and Liberals. The influx of Irish added to these problems.

This thesis is concerned only with the English Catholics and those Irish Catholics living in England. The "Irish Question" is not dealt with, as the Irish Catholics had different problems and needs than their English brethren. The major emphasis is the prejudice encountered by English Catholics …

The Evolution Of The Statute Of Uses And Its Effects On English Law, Timothy L. Martin

Honors Theses

The separation of the lay and ecclesiastical courts complicated the law of succession as they drew a distinction between real and personal property. Laws pertaining to land were molded by royal courts of common law and equity, whereas laws relevant to succession of chattels were based on Roman and canonical law as interpreted by the ecclesiastical courts.

The Legal Confrontations Between King James Of England And Chief Justice Sir Edward Coke, Howard B. Blackmon

Honors Theses

James I, during his reign as King of England, sought to extend the pwoer and authority of the English monarchy. Firmly believing in divine right absolute monarchy, he desired to subordinate the Parliament and the common law courts to the Crown. James encountered fierce opposition in his attempts to extend royal privileges and prerogatives. In the contest between James and the common law courts, Sir Edward Coke arose as the chief defender of the supremacy of common law and the independence of the common law courts.

The Effect Of The French Revolution On Charles James Fox And The Direction Of British Politics, 1789-1794, Robert Breckenridge Daughtrey

History Theses & Dissertations

The incidence of the French Revolution in 1789 had a disruptive effect on the Whig party. Prior to the Revolution, the Whig party had been a unified group of politicians under the spiritual and intellectual guidance of Charles James Fox. This thesis endeavors to examine how the French Revolution caused the collapse of the Whig party during the years 1789- 1794. The work is devoted specifically to a study of the role of Charles James Fox during this period of British political history. One finds that throughout the years 1789-1794 Fox worked unceasingly to preserve party unity. During this time, …

Royal Flying Corps Training And Casualties In 1916 And 1917 And Related Factors, Robert E. Rogge

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of The Norman Conquest On Anglo-Saxon Aristocracy, Cynthia L. Puryear

Honors Theses

In 1066, William the Conqueror successfully invaded England. He established himself as king and began to implement his policies for complete control over the subjugated territory. The Norman invasion did not involve a large influx of people: but, rather a conquest by a man who acquired the country for himself and distributed the land to his followers. The old English aristocracy, mainly composed of the king's thegns, virtually disappeared with the conquest and was replaced by a new aristocracy.

The near disappearance of the English aristocrats and their replacement by Normans holding land in return for military service was an …

The United States Great Britain And The Status Of Thailand (Siam), 1940-1946, Peter Goodwin

History Theses & Dissertations

This paper traces the changes in the attitudes and policies of the United States towards the Southeast Asian country of Thailand during the Second World War. From a position of indifference the United States assumed an active role in the emergence of Thailand as a sovereign nation at the conclusion of the war, encouraging pro-American factions and opposing a traditional power of the area, Great Britain.

The emphasis of the paper is on the different attitudes held by Britain and the United States and the efforts to reconcile them. The British expected recompense by the Thais for allying themselves with …

The Tudors And Their Parliaments, Mark W. Cummins

Honors Theses

Up to the reign of the Tudors and in some respects to the Stuarts, Parliament was controlled by the King. Under the Tudors, a change came about between these two "branches" of the English government. The Parliament, especially the Commons, began to assert their authority. They began to "flex their muscles" and the crown began to lose its dominance in Parliament.

This conflict between the crown and Parliament would result in the English Civil War and the establishment of constitutional monarchy in England.

The Norman Conquest In English Historical Thought, Ann Gutting Mercer

History Theses & Dissertations

Each chapter in British historiography has produced a diversity of opinion concerning the impact of the Norman Conquest (twelfth century contemporary, Tudor, Stuart, nineteenth century, twentieth century). The closer one comes to modern times the broader and more heated the controversies become. This paper discusses the appropriate works of the prominent historians from each major period. The question is asked: Was the Norman succession merely one event in the constitutional development of England or did it transform the English way of life?