Governing England

Governing England examines the state of England's governance, identity and relationship with the other nations of the UK. It brings together academic experts on constitutional change, territorial politics, nationalism, political parties, public opinion, and local government both to explain thecurrent place of England within a changing United Kingdom, and to consider how the "English constitution" is likely to develop over the coming years.At a time when questions of territory and identity have grown increasingly politicised, Governing England offers a deeper academic analysis of how England and Englishness are changing. The central questions it addresses are whether, why, and with what consequences there has been a disentangling ofEngland from Britain within the institutions of the UK state, and of Englishness from Britishness at the level of culture and national identity.This volume includes competing interpretations of what has changed in terms of English nationhood.

A detailed comparative study of how kings governed late-medieval France and England, analysing the multiple mechanisms of royal power.

The is a full-length analysis of the machinery and men of government under Henry I, which looks in much greater detail than is possible for other contemporary states at the way government worked and at the careers of royal servants. Royal government in England in the early twelfth-century was developing fast under political and military pressures. At the centre, above all during the king's long absences in Normandy, new ways of supervision were found, especially in the financial field. Government also provided distinct opportunities in administration, and for the first time it is possible to identify a number of men who were effectively professional administrators. The book will therefore become essential reading on the reign of Henry I and on the general development of English government in the twelfth century.