British Scholar: Mason - Scots and Britons: Scottish Political Thought and the Union of 1603

Scots and Britons: Scottish Political Thought and the Union of 1603
Edited by Roger A. Mason (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006), 340 pages

Reviewed by: Michelle "Mikki" Brock, University of Texas at Austin

Originally published in 1994 and released in paperback in 2006, Scots and Britons showcases the
standout contributions from the Folger Institute’s seminar on Scottish political thought and the union of
1603, held in 1990. This volume of essays concerns itself primarily with developments in Scottish political
thought from 1560-1650, with the union of 1603 serving as the focal point for the study. As editor and
contributor Roger A. Mason states in his valuable introduction, the purpose of this volume “is to explore
the distinctive nature of Scottish political thought and culture as well as to examine the impact of the union
of the crowns upon them”. These essays, all of which make a substantial contribution to the collection, are
broken into four distinctive sections. While containing great variety in scope and topic, together they
comprise a coherent picture of the Scottish political experience in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth
centuries.

The chapters in part one focus on the political motivations and reactions to the union of the crowns,
beginning with Jenny Wormald’s astute assessment of the uneasiness felt by both Scotland and England
about the union, culled from a wide range of pamphlets, songs, and political tracts and speeches. Maurice
Lee Jr. follows with a discussion of the anxiety about union in the wider European context of the “general
crisis” theories. He argues that no “general crisis” occurred in Scotland or in Europe as a whole, but what
transpired in the early modern period was the triumph of the bureaucratic and centralized modern state
over the previously dominating principle of Christendom. Part one concludes with Keith Brown’s particularly
engrossing essay on the Stewart monarchs’ failure to present their crown as representing the unification
and equality of their multiple kingdoms. Through his analysis of their monarchical titles, coronation
ceremonies, depictions in coinage and portraiture, Brown illustrates the increasing supremacy of England
over the Stewarts’ other kingdoms.

Centered on the role of George Buchanan in Scottish political thought, part two explores his relation to
James VI and the responses elicited from his religious and political critics. Rebecca Bushnell begins by
contrasting the political thoughts and tendencies of Buchanan and James VI through subtle analysis of
their humanist writings. She distinguishes Buchanan’s ardor for classical languages and tradition with
James’ preference for innovations and the vernacular, one of the many disagreements in their hostile
relationship. Editor Roger Mason pursues the ramifications of the opposing viewpoints of James VI and
Buchanan on the nature of monarchy, while placing James’ political reactions to Buchanan’s polemical
writings on kingship within the context of the overarching crown versus kirk conflict. Analyzing critical
responses to Buchanan elicited from Scotsmen Adam Blackwood, Ninian Winzet, and William Barclay, J.H.
Burns concludes that while they defended the absolutist position of the monarchy, none suggested that
regal power should be accepted unconditionally.

The essays in part three examine the development and articulation of a Scottish political identity under the
threat of the Tudors and the impending union with England under the Stewarts. Contributing another
strong essay, Mason argues that despite the shared Protestantism of England and Scotland, the Scots
remained suspicious of the union with England, due to centuries of English attempts to dominate their
northern neighbors. Arthur Williamson turns to Scottish intellectual life, discussing differing interpretations
of the union by Edinburgh mathematicians and astrologers, who looked to a “magico-apocalyptic” future to
conceptualize and discuss the idea of Great Britain. Exploring the Scottish legal profession, Brian Levack
assesses how conceptions of the law influenced Scottish political thought concerning the union of the
crowns, and the ways in which lawyers such as Thomas Craig and John Russell interpreted the law as
authenticating James’ actions.

The fourth and final section of this volume opens with Edward Cowan’s discussion of influences on the
political ideas of Archibald Campbell, a challenging topic considering the paucity of political tracts or
statements made by the Earle of Argyll. John Ford follows with a thorough essay on Samuel Rutherford’s
theories on the origins of government, explaining why Presbyterian political thought became more
accepting of the monarchy as it grew increasingly scholastic in nature. Scots and Britons concludes with a
thought provoking postscript by J.G.A Pocock, who points out the importance of including the Scottish
political perspective in British history, and summarizes the implications and questions raised by this
volume. Overall, the contributions in Scots and Britons illuminate the often overlooked Scottish perspective
on the union of the crowns. The reader will finish this important collection with a greater sense of the
struggle that is inherent to maintaining a dual identity in the face of major political change, particularly
when that change is accepted with a sense of wary resistance.

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