The Duke of Queensberry and the Union of Scotland and England: James Douglas and the Act of Union of 1707

This book is the only biography of the "Union Duke". It fully explores the principles and political life of Queensberry and the reasons for the Act of Union of 1707. It also addresses the issues of possible war between England and Scotland, the threat to the Hanoverian succession, and the constitutional and political battles fought out in the Scottish and English parliaments in 1695-1707. More importantly, this book is unique in that the research is based on the extensive archives at Drumlanrig castle (the home of the present Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry) to which no other historian of the Union has had recent access. The Duke of Queensberry and the Union of Scotland and England challenges the current historiography of the Union and provides a unique insight into the mind of Queensberry and other Scottish and English politicians with respect to the Union of 1707. This is an essential reference for all collections in European history as no other work on this subject deals with the development of Queensberry's political ideas and is based on the extensive primary sources available at Drumlanrig castle.