The Nerves of the State Taxation and the Financing of the English State 1558-1714

The period from 1558 to 1714 saw a marked change in the scale of taxation and its significance to the structure of public finances. Although the central significance of taxation and finances has been widely acknowledged in accounts of the political history of the early modern period, this study deals with the issue thematically over a broad period. The chronological span of the study allows a full outline of an important transformation of the financial structure of the English state, providing a new context in which to understand familiar and important issues.