ISBN-13: 9780415093682 / Angielski / Miękka / 1993 / 334 str.
ISBN-13: 9780415093682 / Angielski / Miękka / 1993 / 334 str.
Private alliances and exchange of favours permeated political, social, economic, and artistic life in early modern Europe. These informal patronage relationships, which helped construct ties between monarchs and political elites, were especially strong in early Stuart England. As court patronage grew, so did opportunities for betrayal and corruption. But was early Stuart government really more corrupt than Tudor government? Were the structures of governance becoming unworkable, or were they badly managed by the Stuarts? Did corruption aid modernization? In this study, Linda Levy Peck tackles these and other questions about the patronage that structured early modern society. She analyzes the language and common metaphors of patronage as well as the structures and networks that made patronage function. She then applies this analysis to studies of factions, favourites, naval venality, impeachment, monopolies, and more. Finally, the author argues that the increase in royal bounty in the early 17th century redefined the corrupt practices that characterized early modern administration.