The late sixteenth century saw a redrawing of the borders of north-west Europe. Wales and Brittany entered into unions with neighboring countries England and France. Nice uses Brittany and Wales' responses to unification to write a comparative history of national identity during the early modern period. The Estates of Brittany and the Council in the Marches of Wales sponsored works of sacred historiography which manipulated history to defend their jurisdictions and legitimize their legal claims over the land. Nice argues that the sacred histories of each country fostered contrasting national identities, one differentialist and the other assimilationist. This distinction, which uses terms characteristic of twentieth-century nationalism, demonstrates that the original function of national identities must be considered in order to appreciate their historical specificity and mutability.

"'Nice's study poses some worthwhile questions and presents new material. It is based on solid research, provides an interesting new perspective on national identity and sacred history in Wales and Brittany, and, more broadly, England and France.'"