The years 1650-1850 saw the creation of the United Kingdom and its emergence as a world power. According to much recent literature—especially Linda Colley's Britons—Protestantism was central to this process, giving the British a sense of uniqueness, unity and imperial destiny. This collection of essays examines and challenges this religious contribution to "Britishness" and suggests radical new ways to understand the "British problem" and British and Irish development during the "long eighteenth century."