The Age of Faction : Court Politics, 1660-1702

Monarchical government in the later 17th century was a political fact of life and remains central to an understanding of the period.

The subject of this book is the court of the later Stuart kings in the period 1660-1702.

Its purpose is to provide an introduction to some of the emergent themes of court politics, culture and society.

Marshall achieves this by analyzing the ritual side of court government in its structural, political and cultural guises. The book also explores the processes of power at court through the client-patron system, factional conflict and the role of women at court.

Additionally it examines some of the evidence for the court's cultural style.

Lastly Marshall provides a context for these matters by examining historical events in the reigns of Charles II, James II and William III and providing some contemporary documentation which qualifies and contextualizes the whole.