This pioneering exploration of the phenomenon of the composite state in eighteenth-century Europe employs a comparative approach to sustain the case for the inclusion of Ireland within this interpretive framework. Written by acknowledged experts, the collection uniquely combines the findings of new research on Ireland with broader syntheses of some of the major composite states of Europe. Chapters on Irish legislation relating to the confessional state, public finance, internal security and social and economic `improvement' are complemented by accounts of representative institutions in France, Hungary and Poland-Lithuania. A reflective introduction and conclusion set the collection in the wider historical and interpretive context. The volume thus amplifies our understanding of the nature of the European composite state and the deliberations of the Irish parliament. --Book Jacket.