2016/04/15 by Allan Kennedy · 3 citations
Arts and Humanities · #Scottish History and National Identity #Historical Studies of British Isles #Historical Art and Culture Studies #Absolute monarchy #Politics #Government (linguistics) #Monarchy #Value (mathematics) #Political economy #Ancient history #Political science #Economic history #History #Law #Sociology #Philosophy
paper · doi:10.3366/jshs.2016.0167
openalex publication_date 2016/04/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
The short and militarily inglorious rebellion launched in May 1685 by Archibald Campbell, 9 th earl of Argyll against the regime of James VII and II is often overlooked, partly on account of its rapid disintegration and partly because outside events – not least the much more famous Monmouth rebellion in south-eastern England – tend to draw attention away from it. Yet in ignoring the rising, historians risk missing its value as a tool for understanding the social and political dynamics of late-seventeenth-century Scotland. This article presents a reassessment of Argyll's rebellion from that perspective, demonstrating how the insurgency and the government counter-attack threw the ongoing processes of Highland/Lowland convergence into sharp relief, while also revealing the nature, and limitations, of Stuart pretensions towards monarchical ‘absolutism’.