Category: Diplomacy and International Relations

James I to Restoration, 17th Century history, Diplomacy and International Relations, Military history, Stuart

‘Matters far beyond their reach or capacity’: Parliament and foreign policy in 1621

As Parliament continues to debate Brexit, Dr Paul Hunneyball of the Lords 1604-29 section examines how the House of Commons first won the right to influence policy towards Europe… The scenario might seem familiar: a government deeply divided over the future direction of Britain’s relations with the rest of Europe; and an anxious Parliament, eager to have its say, but sucked into confrontation with the government … Continue reading ‘Matters far beyond their reach or capacity’: Parliament and foreign policy in 1621

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Social history, 17th Century history, Diplomacy and International Relations, Interregnum, James I to Restoration, Stuart

Becoming a citizen: naturalizations and denizations in the seventeenth century

In the context of discussion both of ‘the Windrush generation’ and the citizenship aspects of the Brexit negotiation, Dr Vivienne Larminie of the House of Commons 1640-1660 section and co-editor of the ‘James I to Restoration’ blog page, discusses the often difficult process of becoming an Englishman or Englishwoman in the seventeenth century. This blog is part of our new series considering immigration to England … Continue reading Becoming a citizen: naturalizations and denizations in the seventeenth century

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James I to Restoration, 17th Century history, Diplomacy and International Relations, Military history, Religious history, Social history, Stuart

Parliament, the French church and ‘illegal’ worship

Following the recent publication of her edited volume ‘Huguenot Networks’, Dr Vivienne Larminie, Senior Research Fellow in the Commons 1640-60 Section, discusses how the Huguenot French church in Westminster offered MPs and peers an opportunity to breach their own legislation during the civil wars and interregnum… Following the Reformation, the government, discipline, doctrine and worship of the Church of England were defined by parliamentary legislation.  … Continue reading Parliament, the French church and ‘illegal’ worship

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Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, Diplomacy and International Relations, Georgian, Parliamentary Life, Parties

Reporting George I’s parliaments: a Prussian diplomat’s view

In the latest blog from The Georgian Lords, Dr Charles Littleton continues his examination of foreign reporters of Parliamentary events – a theme that will also feature in our forthcoming coverage for Parliament Week. A recent entry in the History of Parliament’s blog series, emphasized the important role of Huguenots such as Paul Rapin de Thoyras and Abel Boyer in shaping our knowledge of the … Continue reading Reporting George I’s parliaments: a Prussian diplomat’s view

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Georgian, 18th Century history, Diplomacy and International Relations, Religious history, Social history

“A foreigner is therefore the most likely man to give an impartial account”?: French observers of the early eighteenth-century British Parliament

Published this week and edited by our own Dr Vivienne Larminie, Huguenot Networks, 1560–1780 The Interactions and Impact of a Protestant Minority in Europe includes new research on the Huguenot community and Parliament. In today’s blog, Dr Charles Littleton discusses the phenomenon of the Huguenot Parliamentary reporter… Three hundred years ago a short political pamphlet was published in London with a French title, Dissertation sur … Continue reading “A foreigner is therefore the most likely man to give an impartial account”?: French observers of the early eighteenth-century British Parliament

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Stuart, 17th Century history, Charles II, Diplomacy and International Relations, Military history

The Dismissal of Clarendon

350 years ago this month, the Lord Chancellor, Edward Hyde, earl of Clarendon, was dismissed following the disaster on the Medway. Our Director, Dr Paul Seaward, tells us more… On the evening of 30th August 1667 one of the two secretaries of state, Sir William Morrice, was sent by the King to the lord chancellor, Edward Hyde, earl of Clarendon in his grand, newly-completed palace … Continue reading The Dismissal of Clarendon

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Georgian Lords, 18th Century history, Diplomacy and International Relations, Georgian

A Turning Point? The Declaration of Independence and the House of Lords

The latest Georgian Lords blog by Dr Charles Littleton, Senior Research Fellow of the Lords 1715-90 Section, considers the origins and use of the two manuscript copies of the Declaration of Independence to be found in the United Kingdom. The Declaration of Independence has iconic status in the United States of America as one of the country’s foundation documents and the 4th of July, the … Continue reading A Turning Point? The Declaration of Independence and the House of Lords

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Stuart, 17th Century history, Charles II, Diplomacy and International Relations, Military history

Chatham and the failure of English Politics

350 years ago this week the British navy suffered a disaster after the Dutch Raid on the Medway. In this blog our Director, Dr Paul Seaward, discusses the parliamentary background to one of the worst defeats in British naval history…  On 12 June 1667, the leading ships of a Dutch fleet forced their way through the chain barring access to the Medway at Gillingham, and … Continue reading Chatham and the failure of English Politics

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Contemporary History, 20th century history, Anthony Eden, Diplomacy and International Relations, Military history, Modern, Oral history

Parliament and the Suez Crisis

Sixty years ago this week the Suez Crisis was in full swing and parliament was in uproar. Here we discuss the crisis through the eyes of the Commons… The Suez Crisis is now seen by historians as one of the defining moments of twentieth century British foreign policy. At the time, the divisions within the country were played out in the Commons chamber, as the … Continue reading Parliament and the Suez Crisis

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The Commons in the Wars of the Roses, 15th Century History, Diplomacy and International Relations, Henry V, Medieval, Military history

European diplomacy: the ‘double monarchy’ of England and France envisaged in the treaty of Troyes of 1420

Today, the new Prime Minister Theresa May makes her first diplomatic trip to meet her counterparts in Germany and France.  Here Dr Simon Payling, Senior Fellow of the Commons 1422-1504 section, blogs about parliament’s reaction to another major realignment in European relations, although in very different circumstances, Henry V’s attempt to unify the crowns of England and France in 1420… On 21 May 1420 Henry … Continue reading European diplomacy: the ‘double monarchy’ of England and France envisaged in the treaty of Troyes of 1420

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