John Maitland, Duke of Lauderdale, was one of the most influential politicians at the time of the Covenanters. This biography gives a detailed account of his life, and how it impinged on the Covenanters.

---

Product Description

John Maitland was the most significant Scottish politician of the late Stewart age and a man of considerable learning and pronounced ability. When still in his twenties he was chosen to represent the Church of Scotland as a lay member of the Westminster Assembly, a body set up to consider the question of reform in the English Church; he was a leading member of the Committee of both Kingdoms (the prototype for cabinet government in the United Kingdom) and was responsible for negotiating the Treaty of Carisbrooke, an agreement between Charles I and the Scots designed to save the king and the nation from political extremism. In later life, he was Secretary of State for Scotland, High Commissioner to the Scottish Parliament and a member of Charles II's 'Cabal'. His influence on both Scottish and English politics was immense, yet he is oddly a difficult figure to define. He seemed a Tory who was at heart a Whig, and a Whig who was in appearance a Tory, if these terms can be used for a man who was neither Whig nor Tory. Above all he was a Covenanter who was also a royalist, and a royalist who never quite ceased to be a Covenanter. This ambiguity has been borne out by historical analyses of his political role, which have swerved between astonishing extremes. This fresh and compelling biography paints a fascinating picture of this extraordinary man and provides a lucid analysis of Britain's political life in the late seventeenth century.

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1028263 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

About the Author
Raymond Campbell Paterson was born in Glasgow and educated at Stirling University. He is currently a freelance historian based in Edinburgh.