Author: Callan Hass

Dr. Sam White was the assistant professor of environmental history at Oberlin College before moving to the history department at Ohio State University. His research comprises of how we can use natural and human records to reconstruct past environments and human reactions to them. His primary focus is the Little Ice Age, publishing two works on the subject. His first book, The Climate of Rebellion in the Early Modern Ottoman Empire, was published in 2011 and focuses on the impacts of the Little Ice Age on the Middle East. His second book,titled A Cold Welcome: The Little Ice Age and Europe’s Encounter with North America, was published in 2017 and discusses the experience of English, Spanish, and French colonists and they attempted to establish footholds in the New World. A Cold Welcome is a groundbreaking work as one of the first publications to examine the Little Ice Age‘s influence in the colonization of the Americas. Dr. White, through this book, argues that the reason Europeans had so much difficulty establishing footholds in the New World was due to the brutal seasons caused by climactic shifts created by the Little Ice Age.

A Cold Welcome is comprised of ten chapters, each designated to colonization efforts of different geographic regions by different European nations. Chapter one discusses European preconceptions of climate based on their home nations and religious beliefs. Many people believed that shifts in weather was brought on by their sins rather than climate change. Chapter two discusses the attempt made by Spanish aristocrats to conquer Florida. Dr. White explains that their attempts were futile and foiled by the terrain and weather as many settlements did not last. Chapter three discusses France‘s attempt to settle in Florida. The French run into the same issues as the Spanish and England emerges as a competitor. Though England is undermined by religious strife, they establish the Roanoke colony in 1587. This colony eventually disappears, most likely due to drought and starvation brought on by climate change. Additionally, Dr. White explains within this chapter the issues of lack of stable funds and lack of emphasis on permanence that colonies faced during this time.  Chapter four examines the discovery of silver in South America by the Spanish and the Inflation it creates back in Europe. This discovery forces other European nations to look to the New World for lucrative resources and food supplies.  Chapter five discusses the establishment of Jamestown and the role of John Smith in its survival as well as reconnaissance expeditions made by the French, English, and Russians of the Canadian coasts in search of the Northwest Passage. Chapter six discusses Jamestown in further depth and the challenges faced by colonists that reinforced codependency with the Powhatan peoples. Chapter seven discusses English attempts at settling the New England region. Dr. White also utilizes this chapter to discuss the study of tree rings, ice cores, and lake sediment as effective forms of measuring climate change over time. Chapter eight discusses the Spanish conquest of New Mexico and how the Little Ice Age effected desert regions. Chapter nine discusses European exploration of the eastern Canadian coastline and development of the region as a fishing staple. Chapter ten discusses struggles back in England to recruit colonists and Jamestown‘s starving time.

Dr. White utilizes a vast array of primary sources to gain firsthand insight into human experiences during such a unique phenomenon: intelligence documents, journals, diaries, ship or captain‘s logs, personal correspondence, medical records, sermons, government documents, and pamphlets. These were woven into the work seamlessly to present information in a captivating manner. This is the greatest strength of the work. Instead of feeling like a scientific read, the book itself felt more like an intimate story of desperation and human perseverance. A Cold Welcome could easily be read by any curious reader or academic alike

Accidents and Violent Death in Early Modern London by Dr. Craig Spence was published in 2016 by Boydell & Brewer. Dr. Spence is a former professor of History and Archaeology at Bishop Grosseteste University. His expertise and interests include early modern urban and cultural history with a focus on the patterns and interpretation of accidents. This is exemplified in Accidents and Violent Death as the book discusses murder, suicide, and fatal accidents experienced in urban London between the mid-seventeenth and mid-eighteenth centuries. This study is unique as it is a subject often overlooked by Early Modern historians. Dr. Spence argues that these deaths are telling of life in general as well as social and cultural norms of the time. Through the examination of quantitative and qualitative data, Dr. Spence was able to thrust the reader into a world of danger and ground them in the realities of urban living during the Early Modern period.

Dr. Spence discusses a brief historiography of accidents and violent deaths within the introduction of his book and defines accidents as dependent on environment, period, and place (1). He also discusses the shift of public perception of accidents from that of the wrath if God to threats to be managed. This shift was characteristic of the scientific revolution and the enlightenment as society gravitated to a more secular understanding of the world. After this shift, threats were mitigated through technological and fiscal solutions rather than atonement for sins and religious superstition (8). Also within his introduction, Dr. Spence breaks down the book structure into three sections. The first section, comprising of chapters one and two, discusses demographics and metropolitan record keeping of the analysis of death. Section two, consisting of chapters three through six, focuses on the most common types of violent death during the era. And section three, consisting of chapters seven through nine, discuss the dissemination of these records and public response as well as medical efforts.

Chapter one discusses sudden violent death in London, listing homicide, suicide, and fatal accidents as the main categories (26). This chapter also examines the city’s demographics and infrastructure as contributing factors to the record data, stating that this was a period of urban development and influx of young people, both leading to more accidents (24). Chapter two discusses the act of record keeping, the procedures around examination of the body, and the charges placed in correlation with findings. Chapter three discusses death by burning and drowning. Death by fire was a domestic fear as women and children were increasingly susceptible due to the use of candles, lamps, and hearths within the home (66). Drowning was a prevalent danger in maritime professions as well as civilian travel expeditions. Drowning was so common that it was, for a time, considered an inevitable demise for maritime professionals (94). Chapter four examines the urban phenomenon of fatal falls, vehicular accidents, machinery hazards, and animal related deaths that claimed the lives of many on city streets, labeling these as “everyday urban accidents.” Chapter five discusses more rare and exceptional deaths caused by explosions, asphyxiation, poisoning, crowd-crushing, and weapon misfires (148). Chapter six discusses time, drawing distinct trends that correlate with population density, warfare, economic strife, and other large scale events with the causes and frequency of violent deaths (164). Chapter seven discusses the development of occupational medicine and the role of the parish when presented with a violent accident. Chapter eight examines the attempt to mitigate accidents through company management and government regulation in order to control negligent behavior in the workplace (206). Chapter nine discusses the print culture responsible for sharing the narrative of events and reiterating the fact that these events were an undeniable part of urban life (242).

Dr. Spence utilizes various primary sources as the foundations of his study. These sources include ballads, books, maps, corporate documents, personal correspondence, diaries and journals, legal statements and statutes, newspapers, pamphlets, manuscripts, prints, burial registers, and the Bills of Mortality. Dr. Spence has a deep interest in print culture and the Bills of Mortality is arguably his most valued source for this work. The Bills were a weekly publication of death records primarily used to track plague outbreaks in Early Modern London. These publications, however, provide quantitative data that gives insight into the dangers of living in London. Dr. Spence also utilizes various secondary sources from peers within the field to bolster his analysis of primary sources.

Lady Ranelagh is a year old publication by Dr. Michelle DiMeo about the life and contributions of Katherine Jones, Lady Ranelagh. Dr. DiMeo, a historian of science, is the Arnold Thackray Director of the Othmer Library. She has a PhD in History and English from the University of Warwick and a certificate in curation and management of digital assets from the University of Maryland. She has particular interest in alchemy, ethics, and networking. These interests are front and center within Lady Ranelagh as Dr. DiMeo investigates Ranelagh’s unique role within her society and her relationship to her brother, Robert Boyle. Robert Boyle would eventually be recognized as the father of modern chemistry and a pioneer of the scientific method. His study of ethics in science is attributed to the guidance of Ranelagh as a moral authority. Much of his experiments and research was conducted at Ranelagh’s house in a private laboratory. Robert Boyle’s work overshadowed his sisters due to gender norms, hence the significant delay in revelation of her contributions by historians such as Dr. DiMeo.

The overall argument of Dr. DiMeo’s book is that Ranelagh heavily influenced not only her brother’s, but multiple significant intellectuals’ as well as political players’ social and political opinions while contributing to scientific advancements in chemistry, horticulture, and medicine during the Scientific Revolution (62). The book is broken up into seven chapters, each coinciding with different periods in Ranelagh’s life. The first chapter examines Ranelagh’s birth and upbringing in Ireland. Her childhood was characterized by her family’s position of nobility and wealth in Ulster and her father’s strong Protestant beliefs. After the death of her mother, she stepped into the role of a surrogate parent in order to assist with raising her younger siblings, particularly her brother, Robert Boyle. Ranelagh eventually marries Arthur Jones, heir to the First Viscount Ranelagh. The marriage is strained, but produces several children. After the outbreak of religious rebellion in Ireland and the English Civil Wars, Ranelagh leaves her husband and children and moves to London in favor of a more simple and independent lifestyle. Chapter two discusses her entry into the Hartlib circle and the progressive recognition of her as a woman of piety and virtue as well as an intellectual. Here we see the shift in Ranelagh’s political ideology as her support of Charles I waned in favor of her growing support for Parliament. Chapter three shows the intellectual shift in Ranelagh’s studies toward medicine and the intersection of natural philosophy and ethics. She learns Hebrew in order to better study religious texts and gains religious agency as a translator and scholar. She assists in advocating for the allowance of Jews back into England. Ranelagh also returns to Ireland during this time to reclaim the Boyle family estates. Chapter four examines the three subsequent years she spends in Ireland and her intellectual networking in the 1650s. Chapter five focuses on her life during the Stuart restoration and her interpretation of plague, fire, and the Anglo-Dutch War as divine products of Gods wrath. She also advocates for the toleration of nonconformists, like herself. Chapter six examines Ranelagh’s medical practice as she treats high profile patients, including the future king James II. Chapter seven examines Ranelagh’s final 23 years where Robert Boyle permanently moves in with her and the two continue their studies together.

Dr. DiMeo states within her introduction that finding primary sources by or about Ranelagh proved difficult during her research and had to resort to piecing together tidbits from the works of Ranelagh’s peers and family. Dr. DiMeo utilizes personal correspondence, manuscripts, medicinal recipes, official documents, religious records, and various scientific publications as primary sources. Her secondary sources consist of works by her peers that bolster her argument and show the progression of recognition of Ranelagh’s contributions. Judging by the diction and complexity of the book, Dr. DiMeo’s intended audience is any interested reader. The book is a quick and easy read that captivates the audience with relatable details and various intimate twists and turns. The only weakness of the work is the lack our sources from Ranelagh herself, which is acknowledged by Dr. DiMeo.

For further information on Dr. DiMeo: https://www.sciencehistory.org/profile/michelle-dimeo

The British Civil Wars at Sea was written by Dr. Richard Blakemore and Dr. Elaine Murphy in 2018. Dr. Blakemore is a professor of the social history of sailors and the Atlantic world at the University of Reading. He has a deep interest in maritime studies and Early Modern European dichotomies of power and politics. Dr. Murphy is a professor of maritime and naval history at the university of Plymouth. She also has written works about the Irish civil war at sea. Dr. Blakemore and Dr. Murphy both combine their expertise and passion for maritime history to create this work, emphasizing the often overlooked role of Naval warfare in the British Civil Wars. Within their introduction, Blakemore and Murphy delineate their objectives: to provide an overview of the British Civil Wars at sea, assess the influence of maritime activity on the course of the wars, and to understand the consequences (11).

The book consists of seven chapters with each chapter examining a different aspect of the aforementioned objectives. Chapter one, titled “The Nature of Warfare at Sea,” immerses the reader in maritime standards of procedure in regards to prize law and sovereignty, piracy and privateering, technological advancements, and naval tactics. The regulations at sea were heavily influenced by the interests of individual governments and seafarers, resulting in lack of consistency and inter-imperial tensions (18). Piracy remained a threat and a weapon between nations, targeting merchant and naval vessels alike as both were components of maritime martial power (13). Technological development resulted in faster and stronger vessels that heightened the competition between imperial nations for maritime prestige, legitimacy, and sovereignty (21). Chapter two, titled “The Outbreak of War,” examines the eruption of civil war in England, Ireland, and Scotland in 1638. Dr. Blakemore and Dr. Murphy highlight Charles I’s role as an uncompromising and authoritarian ruler and the peoples fear of a tyrannical ruler (36). Charles’s failure to heed Parliament and appeal to his subjects resulted in rebellion. Charles begins to lose grip on his command over the Royal Navy as Parliament gains full influence (57). Chapter three, titled “the War at Sea,” and Chapter four, titled “Parliament’s Navy,” discusses Parliament’s rise as a Naval power and defeat of royalist forces at the end of the first civil war. This placed Parliament as defender of the realm and defender against foreign invasion and maritime threats (86). Chapter four also explains how Parliament utilized preexisting networks to mobilize maritime forces such as the Trinity House (107). Chapter five examines how Royalist, Confederate, and Scottish naval efforts “experienced fluctuations in strength, an over-reliance on merchantmen or privately owned warships, shortage of facilities ashore, and a lack of centralized control and administration” (108). Chapter six, titled “Revolution,” discusses the fractures formed in Parliament after the first civil war as they attempt to govern a scarred and battered nation. Uprisings broke out in response to heavy taxes and harvest failures (152). These uprisings mark the outbreak of the second civil war with the execution of Charles I. After Charles’s execution, the Rump Parliament goes into effect and purges dissenters from positions of power (153). Chapter seven examines the response of other European monarchies to the regicide of Charles I. Many European powers severed trade relations and refused to recognize the newly formed Commonwealth out of horror (154). The Commonwealth uses this as a reason for strengthening the British Navy as the frontline defense against invasion as well as a tool utilized in conquering Scotland and Ireland (154). During this new era of British history, England became a “fiscal naval state:” focused on naval industry and infrastructure, the professionalization of sailors, and the expansion of British territory alongside globalization (177).

Dr. Blakemore and Dr. Murphy’s main argument is that the British Civil war had a crucial and previously unexamined naval component that led to the British domination of maritime power during the Colonial Era. Dr. Blakemore and Dr. Murphy use a vast array of sources beyond scholarly works by their peers to back their argument. Some primary sources include pamphlets, captain’s logs, letters of correspondence, government documents, addresses to parliament, and journal entries. Their use of sources and groundbreaking findings are major strengths of the work. The books structure is also incredibly straightforward and ensures an understanding of each section through the conclusion paragraph at the end of each chapter. The only real weaknesses of the work is that many of the sources are parliamentary records, leading to the threat of a biased interpretation, and the material in the body of the chapter. I felt as though this book could easily be condensed into an article rather than a full book. Much of the body of the chapter consists of extremely detailed naval battles and the introduction of various characters within each conflict. I did not find this material incredibly relevant to the main argument and considered it more of fluff material that would be of interest to a naval historian.

Reference for Information on authors:

Book Details

The Murder of King James I by Alastair Bellany and Thomas Cogswell was published in 2015 for an academic audience interested in the political and print culture of Early Modern England. Bellany is a professor of 16th and 17th century British culture and politics at Rutgers University. Cogswell is a professor of early modern British history at Washington University who is known for his love of law and order. Bellany and Cogswell combined their interests and specialties to discuss the development of the rift between parliament and the Stuart kings of England leading up to the English Civil war through the lens of political unrest created by the death of James I. Through their book, Bellany and Cogswell argue that the alleged murder of King James I acted as a springboard for the impending regicide of King Charles I due to the nature of the alleged murder, evidence presented, and the suspects involved (413). Bellany and Cogswell emphasize the impact of print culture and values on the trial proceedings and public reception of political action. The book utilizes various primary sources such as court records, personal correspondence, pamphlets, portrait prints, poems, and other printed materials alongside secondary source publications from scholarly peers in order to construct their argument with tangible evidence. Photocopies of these primary sources often appear within the text in order to immerse the reader into the investigation and examination of “why and how contemporaries claimed or believed that the king was poisoned” as well as the nature and consequences of those beliefs (xxx).

Within the introduction, Bellany and Cogswell break the book down into six sections that follow a relatively linear timeline along with a theme. Each section also has a prologue that introduces the characters discussed and provides contextual information relevant the the theme. The first section, titled “The Authorized Version, 1625,” consists of chapters one and two, which discuss the death and burial of James I. The prologue of this section is large enough to be considered it’s own chapter, unlike the rest, and sets the stage for the rest of the book. The prologue focuses on the political strains of James I’s late reign and the relationship he had with his son and the Duke of Buckingham.  Buckingham was unusually close to James I and was gaining more political influence at court as a result. Chapter one examines James’s final days after he falls ill with a severe fever and his “good” death (26). His attending physicians conduct an autopsy and file a report chalking his death up to natural causes due to James’s chronic illnesses and poor lifestyle choices (35). This report later becomes controversial in later chapters. Chapter two discusses funerary arrangements and the transfer of power to Charles I. Section two, titled “Making the Secret History, 1625-26,”consists of chapters three through seven. The theme of this section is the introduction of criminal scandal with the publication of a secret history of James l’s final days and death. The tumultuous rumor of a plaster and potion administered to James by Buckingham, leading to his death surfaces as Buckingham attempts to gain favor and influence over Charles I. Here, we are introduced to George Eglisham, a philosopher physician, who publishes The Forerunner, a pamphlet that illustrates the rumor and is dispersed through Europe, naming the Duke of Buckingham as the suspect guilty of poisoning James I and poisoning other nobles at court. This pamphlet was utilized as propaganda for stirring civil unrest in England to distract from war with Spain (153). Section three, titled “Impeaching Buckingham, 1626,” consists of chapters eight through twelve and discusses the court proceedings and formal investigation of the allegations against the Duke of Buckingham. We can see cracks begin to form between the monarchy and Parliament within this section as Charles fails to reprimand Buckingham and instead dissolves Parliament, thus protecting Buckingham from conviction and creating further political unrest (265). Charles, as a result of his actions, becomes implicated in the murder of his father (248). Section four, titled “The Poisonous Favorite, 1626-28,” consists of chapters thirteen through sixteen and further examines these implications through the testimonial of Thomas of Canterbury as the role of print media in the foundation of evidence. Due to Charles impeding upon Parliamentary action in the trial of Buckingham, the duke is murdered by John Felton (339). Section five, titled “Strange Apparitions, 1629-49,” consists of chapters seventeen through twenty-one and Section Six, titled “Speaking Reproachfully of the Dead, 1649-63,” consists of chapters twenty-two through twenty-six. Both of these sections discuss the resurfacing of Eglisham’s secret history prior to the outbreak of civil war with a shift of focus from Buckingham’s role in the murder to Charles’s role. Charles is placed on trial and executed for tyranny, murder, conspiracy, and injustice (418).

The strengths of this work lie in the abundance of source material and thoroughness of research done to formulate the argument. Cogswell and Bellany present a wealth of knowledge and do an excellent job of utilizing sources to back up claims and piece together a greater picture of revolution beyond the trial. In contrast, the weaknesses of this work include the organization and feeling of being overwhelmed with details and the daunting length of the book. The sectioning off of chapters by theme and years leads the reader to believe that the book would follow a linear timeline, yet in later chapters the timeline jumps around and grows frustratingly fuzzy at times. Cogswell and Ballany also include copious amounts of details that distract from the arguments made. Perhaps with further editing the sheer length of the book could be cut down to a more approachable size that could easily entice interested readers, some even being outside of an academic audience.