The opening episode introduces the political and religious tensions in Charles I's three kingdoms — England, Scotland, and Ireland — that would erupt into the English Civil War.
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Highlights
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Religious and political authority are inseparable in pre-modern states
Duncan shows how Charles I's attempt to impose Anglican liturgy on Presbyterian Scotland triggered a chain of crises. In the 17th century, religious policy WAS political policy.
Revolutions begin when the state's legitimacy is questioned, not when it loses military power
Duncan argues that the English Civil War didn't begin because Charles was militarily weak — he lost because his claim to legitimate authority was challenged and found wanting.