The British Confederate: Archibald Campbell, Marquess of Argyll, c.1607-1661

The interplay of roles of the Marquess of Argyll—as clan chief, Scottish magnate, and influential British statesman—make him a worthy counterpoint to Oliver Cromwell. This well-researched history reviews Argyll’s formative influence in shaping British frontier policy from 1607 through 1638 and his radical, financially creative, and highly partial leadership of the Covenanting Movement in Scotland, 1638–1645. Reappraising his trial and execution as a scapegoat for reputedly collaborating with Cromwell and the regicides who executed Charles I in the 1650s, this record rehabilitates Argyll’s reputation as a Covenanting hero rather than a Covenanting villain. It will appeal to those interested in clanship, civil war, and British state formation.