England’sIslandsinaSeaofTroublesexaminesthejurisdictionaldisputesandculturalcomplexitiesinEngland’srelationshipwithitsislandfringefromTudortimestotheeighteenthcentury,andtracesislandprivilegesandanomaliestothepresent.Ittellsadramaticstoryofsiegesandbattles,piratesandshipwrecks,prisonersandprophets,askingsandcommonersnegotiatedthepolitical,military,religious,andadministrativedemandsoftheearlymodernstate.TheChannelIslands,theIsleofWight,theIslesofScilly,theIsleofMan,Lundy,HolyIslandandothersemergeasimportantoffshoreoutpoststhatlongremainedstrange,separate,andperverselyindependent.England’sislandsweredifficulttogovern,andwerepronetoneglect,yettheirstrategicvaluefaroutweighedtheirsize.Thoughvulnerabletoforeignthreats,theirharboursandcastlesservedasforwardbasesofEnglishpower.Incivilwartheyweredividedandcontested,foughtoverandoccupied.JerseyandtheIslesofScillyservedasrefugesforroyalistsontherun.CharlesIwasheldontheIsleofWight.Externalauthoritywassometimeslightoftouch,asEnglishgovernmentsusedtheislandsasfortresses,commercialassets,andpoliticalprisons.Londonwasoftenpuzzledbythelinguisticdifferences,tangledhistories,andspecialclaimsofislandcommunities.Thoughincreasinglyintegratedwithintherealm,theislandsmaintainedchallengingpeculiaritiesanddistinctivecharacteristics.Drawingonawiderangeofsources,andtheinsightsofmaritime,military,andlegalscholarship,thisisanoriginalcontributiontosocial,cultural,andconstitutionalhistory.
