Islam is not the only religion that has sought political power, or believed that it should be possible to create a theocracy. In the seventeenth century, Christians in the British Isles and North America attempted to follow the examples of sixteenth-century European radicals, while attempting to learn from their mistakes. This occured first in Scotland, and then during the upheavals of the Civil Wars, culminating in Oliver Cromwell attempting to impose just such a rule "of the saints" across the whole country. On the other side of the Atlantic the Mayflower "Pilgrims" and other "godly"...

The popular image of the Vikings is of tall red-headed men, raping and pillaging their way around the coast of Europe, stopping only to ransack monasteries and burn longships. But the violent Vikings of the 8th century became the pious Christians of the 11th century, who gave gold crosses to Christian churches and in whose areas of rule pagan idols were destroyed and churches were built. So how did this radical transformation happen, and why? What difference did it make to the Vikings, and to those around them, and what is their legacy today? This book takes a `global' look at this key...