This illuminating book looks beyond the capital and political elites to examine religious and political change in communities across Scotland during a transformative period of the nation's history. Providing a clear narrative of the period, the book draws on a wide range of sources to examine the relationship between central power and the Scottish localities, and to provide a thematic analysis of political and religious developments. James VII was a radically experimental ruler, who granted unprecedented religious toleration and intervened systematically in urban government. Here the sovereign's reign is examined in the context of British and European developments, and in the light of current historical debates.