An appreciation of the development and evolution of the United Kingdom constitution is vital in order to understand the existing nature of the constitution, proposals for reform and the many complex challenges it faces. Ann Lyon presents a vivid overview of fourteen hundred years of English legal history taking us on a rich journey from a feudal society to the fractured Union of the present day. Drawing on key constitutional themes, Constitutional History of the United Kingdom provides insight and context to modern constitutional problems.
This second edition has been revised and updated to bring coverage up to the present day, including parliamentary reform; the Scottish referendum on independence and further drives for enhanced devolution; the effect of EU membership on the UK Constitution; and the impact of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998.
Constitutional History of the United Kingdom offers an accessible and highly valuable overview for students with little or no prior knowledge of British history.
1. The Development of English Law and Government prior to the Norman Conquest 2. The Norman Conquest and After: 1066-1189 3. Magna Carta and its Genesis 1189-1216 4. The Birth of Parliament: The Reign of Henry III 1216-72 5. The Reign of Edward I 6. A King Dethroned: Edward II 1307-27 7. Edward III 1327-77 8. Sad Stories of the Death of Kings: Richard II 9. The 15th Century 10. Government and Royal Justice in the Later Middle Ages 11. The Early Tudors 1485-1547 12. The Children of Henry VII 13. The Genesis of Civil War 1603-42 14. Civil War and Commonwealth 1642-60 15. Restoration and Revolution 1660-89 16. The Revolution Entrenched 1689-1707 17. The Early 18th Century 18. The Later 18th Century 19. The Reform Era 20. An Increasing Role for Government 21. The Later 19th Century 22. Queen Victoria and the Emergence of Constitutional Monarchy 23. Two Constitutional Crises: 1906-14 24. Representation of the people since 1900 25. The Emergence of Modern Monarchy: The 20th Century 26. Britain and Europe: The European Community 27. Devolution 28. The European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act
