The politics and culture of honour in Britain and Ireland, 1541-1641

About this book

"Through an exploration of the overlapping concepts of noble honour amongst English and Irish elites, this book provides a cultural analysis of 'British' high politics in the early modern period. Analysing English-and Irish-language sources, Brendan Kane argues that, during the period between the establishment of the Irish kingdom under the English crown in 1541 and the Irish rebellion of 1641, honour played a powerful role in determining the character of Anglo-Irish society, politics and cultural contact." "In this age, before the rise of the bureaucratic state, political power was intensely personal and largely the plaything of elites. And those elites were obsessed with honour. By exploring contemporary 'honour polities', this book brings a cultural perspective to our understanding of the character of English imperialism in Ireland and of the Irish responses to it. In so doing, it highlights understudied cultural aspects of the origins of the 'British' state."--Jacket.