Sovereign of the Isles: How the British Isles Were Won by the Crown

(Hardback)

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Description

This is the story of how the territory of the British nation was won and parts of it were lost. It was the English who by conquest, treaty and ruthless colonisation won sovereignty over what are known as the British Islands the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. It was Englands aggressive predations which led to the formation of the uneasy union with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, perhaps explaining the commonplace confusion between English and British. The looser federal relationship with the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands perhaps explains why they are happier with their lot.

Reviews

"Pundits . . . should read Iain Milligan's highly enjoyableSovereign of the Isles, which explains how we came to be a United Kingdom in the first place and how it evolved to its present, increasingly disunited, state." * Daily Telegraph (UK) *
"This timely, engrossing chronicle of conquest, treaty and colonisation pieces together, with excellent accompanying illustrations, the story of how the English won sovereignty over the British Isles." * Country Life (UK) *
"If youve ever wondered how the English ultimately won sovereignty of the British Isles then this book, which describes the uneasy union, is a good starting point. . . . For centuries England saw themselves as overlords of Scotland and in this book, Milligan describes the tactics and treaties employed by the English to gain power and bring the four countries under one Crown." * Scotland Magazine (UK) *

Author Bio

Iain Milligan was privately educated and read law at Cambridge. He practised throughout his professional life at the Bar, taking silk in 1991 and retiring recently. He is married with three children and an ever-growing number of grandchildren. He divides his time between his home in London, a farm in Scotland and a chalet in the Alps. He is passionate about trees (thousands of which he has nurtured over the years), walking (particularly in the Alps) and his books, of which he is an avid reader.