History of England, from the Accession of James II - (Volume 1, Chapter 05)

The year is 1685. James II has taken the throne, and England holds its breath. Two exiled nobles, each with a claim to the crown, prepare to strike from Holland. This chapter of Macaulay's masterpiece traces both rebellions in devastating detail: the Earl of Argyll's ill-fated rising in Scotland, and the more famous Monmouth Rebellion in England. Argyll returns with money and weapons but lacks the one thing that matters: the ability to lead. His force dissolves into confusion before it ever faces the royal army. Monmouth fares better initially, landing at Lyme with a handful of men and declaring himself king, but the rebellion crumbles at Sedgemoor. What follows is the Bloody Assizes, and Judge Jeffreys riding circuit through the west of England, hanging men by the hundreds and transporting thousands more to the Caribbean. Macaulay writes history as the finest drama, and this chapter captures a hinge moment in English history: the last fling of armed Protestant resistance before the Glorious Revolution of 1688 transformed the nation forever.