The Age of Faction: Court Politics, 1660-1702 (New Frontiers in History)

Monarchical government in the later 17th century was a political fact of life and remains central to understanding the period. The subject of this book is the court of the later Stuart kings in the period 1660-1702. Its purpose is to provide an introduction to some of the emergent themes of court politics, culture and society. It does this in two ways by analyzing the ritual side of court government in its structural, political and cultural guises. The book also explores the processes of power at court through the client-patron system, factional conflict and the role of women at court.