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Product Description
A Companion to Tudor Britain provides an authoritative overview of historical debates about this period, focusing on the whole British Isles.

• An authoritative overview of scholarly debates about Tudor Britain
• Focuses on the whole British Isles, exploring what was common and what was distinct to its four constituent elements
• Emphasises big cultural, social, intellectual, religious and economic themes
• Describes differing political and personal experiences of the time
• Discusses unusual subjects, such as the sense of the past amongst British constituent identities, the relationship of cultural forms to social and political issues, and the role of scientific inquiry
• Bibliographies point readers to further sources of information

Product Description
The Later Tudors, the second volume to be published in Oxford's authoritative series The New Oxford History of England, tells the story of England between the accession of Edward VI and the death of Elizabeth I. The second half of the sixteenth century was a period of intense conflict between the nations of Europe, and between competing Catholic and Protestant beliefs. These struggles produced acute anxiety in England, but the nation was saved from the disasters that befell her neighbors and, by the end of Elizabeth's reign, achieved a remarkable sense of political and religious identity.

In this masterly and comprehensive study, Penry Williams explains how this process came about. He begins by weaving together the political, religious, and economic history of the nation, setting out the workings and development of the English state. Later chapters establish the broader perspective, with a thorough analysis of English society, family relations, and culture, focusing on the ways in which art and literature were used to uphold--and sometimes to subvert--the social and political order. The final chapter looks to Europe and across the seas at England's part in the shaping of the New World. ... Read more

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The Glorious Revolution of 1688-9 was a decisive moment in England's history; an invading Dutch army forced James II to flee France, and his son-in-law and daughter, William and Mary, were crowned as joint sovereigns. The wider consequences were no less startling: war in Ireland, union with Scotland, Jacobite intrigue, deep involvement in two major European wars, Britain's emergence as a great power, a 'financial revolution', greater religious toleration, a riven Church, and the rapid growth of parliamentary government.

Such changes were only part of the transformation of English society at the time. A torrent of new ideas from such figures as Newton, Defoe, and Addison, spread through newspapers, periodicals, and coffee-houses, provided new views and values that some embraced and others loathed. England's horizons were also growing, especially in the Caribbean and American colonies. For many, however, the benefits were uncertain: the slave trade flourished, inequality widened, and the poor and 'disorderly' were increasingly subject to strictures and statutes. If it was an age of prospects it was also one of anxieties.

This new text provides a truly general overview of England between the Glorious Revolution and the death of George I and Newton. Part of the New Oxford History of England series, it is a wide ranging survey that combines the rich secondary literature with extensive primary research. It looks at politics, religion, economy, society, and culture and seeks to place England in its British, European, and world contexts. It includes an annotated bibliography and will prove invaluable to a wide range of students of the period. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Table of Contents
Table of Contents
England after the Glorious Revolution

The Glorious Revolution and the Revolution Constitution

The Facts of Life

A Bloody Progress

The Political World of William III

Wars of Words and the Battle of the Books

Faith and Fervour

England, Britain, Empire

The Political World of Queen Anne

Profits, Progress and Projects

The Wealth of the Country

The Political World of George I

Urban and Urbane

An Ordered Society

Epilogue

Chronology

Bibliography

Index

Very readable and comprehensive
A very well- rounded introduction to a period of British history that should be better known. The author strikes a good balance between the political narrative and his coverage of the social, economic, cultural, and military developments of the age. This book should be accessible to anyone with a serious interest in this period in European history.

A Great Power Emerges
Writes Professor Roger Hainsworth, formerly of Adelaide University, South Australia:Students of English history will welcome this new volume in the New Oxford History of England series.1689-1727 is a very significant period for the history of the British people and indeed it proved important to many European people also for this reason: during it Britain became a great power and in the process the growing hegemony of France over western Europe was first confronted, fought against and finally halted. More of this later. Dr. Hoppit, although his eye is undimmed by romantic illusions about past eras, has a positive tale to tell. He writes that in late seventeen and early eighteenth century England "political discord was contained and then undermined. Warfare was endured and survived. Britain's empire was extended and its value increased. Population began slowly to grow. Many towns flourished. Agriculture, industry and commerce all showed signs of expansion .... society was not stagnant, it was on the move." This favourable assessment might have astonished contemporaries both at home and abroad. They still perceived England as politically unstable, riven by party ("faction"), and menaced by the apparently unbridgeable dynastic dispute between the Jacobite supporters of the exiled James II and then of his son (the Old Pretender) and the Whig and Orange Tory supporters of William III, Anne and the Protestant Succession (the Hanoverians). Meanwhile the British state was menaced by growing poor rates, menacing numbers of unemployed, seemingly endless foreign wars, and a growing mountain of debt: all presided over by a government which appeared more powerful and uncheckable every year and was backed by that worst of all English nightmares: a permanent army. Dr. Hoppit explores these fears and traumas incisively and expertly and makes it clearer than it perhaps has ever been made before why the positive developments prevailed and the worst fears ebbed away. The fundamental problem for historians of the period is to explain how England become a great power during the reigns of William III and Anne. Cromwell's disciplined army and a powerful navy had made England a great power fleetingly during the 1650s. However, there was no way to finance these prodigies on a long term basis. The restored Charles II almost went broke disbanding these extravagant instruments of power. England's resurgence in the two decades following the Glorious Revolution of 1689 astonished foreign observers who had believed, reasonably enough, that England's small population doomed it to the side-lines of European politics. In a long contest between Britain and France surely there could be only one result? England with Wales had only about 5.25 million in 1700. Scotland had 1.23 million and Ireland about 2 million. France, the most populous country in Europe (including Russia) had 22 million. These bare statistics proved deceptive. Although eighty per cent of England's population were rural dwellers, almost thirty per cent of the population were engaged in some form of industry. Manchester was then only a large village but Defoe estimated it provided "outside" employment to 40,000 weavers and allied trades. In fact England was the most urbanised country in Europe and if this was partly because ten per cent of the people lived in London her urbanisation was to increase hugely during the eighteenth century while London's population stagnated. Industrial strength and a powerful navy were gradually joined by a formidable army. During Anne's reign it would be led by one of history's greatest commanders who was also a remarkable diplomat and builder of alliances: the Duke of Marlborough. The financial problems of the mid seventeenth century were resolved by taxation passed freely if grumpily by the House of Commons which had now become a permanent institution of state rather than an irregular occurrence. The taxes funded that unusual novelty the National Debt which was partly managed by an enlarged Treasury assisted by an inspired creation, the Bank of England. The two great European wars of the period weakened the Continental powers, especially France, but left Britain stronger than when she entered them. Many speculated about this paradox but no great power seemed able to copy the method even supposing they understood it. All these matters receive due attention in this volume. So also does a range of other important topics: the remarkable growth of parliamentary government which in time would make possible the political peace of Sir Robert Walpole's long prime ministership during the 1720s; the decline into impotence of the Jacobites; the astonishing efflorescence of a print culture of books, newspapers and pamphlets; the slow decline of the Anglican hegemony in the face of stubborn Dissenters and ideas of religious tolerance; the extraordinarily rich burst of public and private building ranging fromWren's St Paul's to Vanbrugh and Hawksmoor's masterpieces (Castle Howard and Blenheim the best known of many); and the steady advance of pragmatic, experimental science. This last owed much to one man and in a fine passage Hoppit writes that the year his period ends is better defined not by the death of George I but by the death aged 84 of one of his subjects. Interred like a prince in Westminster Abbey with the Lord Chancellor, two dukes and three earls among his pall-bearers, he was Sir Isaac Newton. That indeed was the end of an era. This is a worthy addition to a very collectable series. There are the minor flaws often found when the author has to shoehorn a complex discourse into a confined space. Stylistic faults occasionally jar and infelicities of sentence structure ("there were those (such as Locke had done) who strongly argued ...") often require the reader to turn back to disentangle the sense. However, Dr. Hoppit's text is informative, interesting, thought-provoking and engrossing. He has explored the diverse facets of his subject with care and sensitivity to their nuances. All students of this significant period will be in his debt for decades to come. Had it been put in my hands when I was studying this period as an undergraduate I would have gnawed on it like a famished wolf. ... Read more

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This unique resource describes and evaluates ten of the most important events in British history between the Norman Conquest of 1066 and the Glorious Revolution of 1689 and its aftermath. A full chapter is devoted to each event, and each chapter includes an introduction presenting factual information in a clear, chronological order. ... Read more

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Here, six prominent Tudor historians reconsider the widely held view that the 1530s witnessed a "revolution" in government and administration.This revisionist work not only offers a radical critique of established orthodoxy, but also presents important new interpretations of the history of the royal household, the council, parliament, and financial administration in the 15th and 16th centuries. Contributors to the volume areJ. D. Alsop, Christopher Coleman, J. A. Guy, Dale Hoak, David Starkey, and Jennifer Loach. ... Read more

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An illustrated miniature book focusing on Tudor Britain's bountiful rural, architectural and horticultural heritage. Illustrations and explanatory captions capture the best of traditional Britain. ... Read more

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Making available a selection of some of the most significant recent work on the Tudor Monarchy, this Reader gives a good sense of the issues that have preoccupied historians and of the ways in which the traditional concerns of power and politics have been enlarged by growing attention to less conventional facets of the subject: to the wider agenda of Renaissance statecraft and the phenomenon of female rule, for instance, or to the interdependence of Court and localities and the significance of frontiers and borderlands in the shaping of Tudor political culture. Particular attention is given to recent seminal contributions that have shifted the traditional focus, but the debates in the field that continue to fascinate historians and students are well represented. With full introductory sections by John Guy, the volume looks in turn at the broad themes of "Renaissance Monarchy"; personality and politics; and polity and government. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good survey of recent scholarship
This collection of readings brings together fifteen "benchmark" essays -- those that have been formative in recent Tudor scholarship -- by a number of key authors in the field. The three sections consider the nature of monarchy in the Renaissance, the role of personality in royal politics, and the exercise of power outside the immediate court. Of particular interest to us are David Starkey's "Representation through Intimacy: A Study in the Symbolism of Monarchy. . . ," Steven Gunn's "The Courtiers of Henry VII," Simon Adams's "Favourites and Factions at the Elizabeth Court," and Margaret Condon's "Ruling Elites in the Reign of Henry VII." The style varies from merely academic to densely so, butthey should accessible to upper-division students.

useful and fascinating collection of obscure essays
This book, edited by the great giant of early modern history, John Guy, provides an accessible collection of various essays by respected historians which have recently appeared in more obscure parts of the academic press.

These essays demonstrate the extent to which this period of history is still dominated by Geoffery Elton, who was tutor to two contributors, Guy and David Starkey, at Cambridge.Both historians' currnet writings are a reaction against the ideas of their former tutor, although both also acknowledge their great debt to and respect for him.Starkey is the more populist historian, with his stories about the activities of Henry VIII's bedchamber, but his, to say the least, unique insight is also valuable in that it makes one consider again the function of the early modern court.In his mind these historical figures are very real people, and this is communicated through his writing.John Guy, if less flamboyant, is also fascinating.

I found this ! ! book especially enlightening on the importance of Tudor iconography, especially Elizabeth's use of Yorkist symbols.

As an economic way of reading various opinions on various subjects, this is an invaluable resource for any serious student.

Incidentally, I was not paid or asked by anyone to write this-it is true! ... Read more

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A social elite enjoyed a period of brilliance at Court, in the arts, literature and music. But what was happening to the rest who still lived and worked on the land? The author shows how inflation, poverty and the increase in population and changes in material life, affected the ordinary people. ... Read more

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The most up-to-date and clearly written single-volume on the history of Tudor and Stuart Britain.

• Detailed coverage of the entire period
• Expanded sections on Ireland and Scotland
• Expanded sections on social and economic topics, especially the treatment of the poor and the role of women in early modern England
• Extensive further reading lists provide students with a roadmap for further study

Customer Reviews (1)

Engaging and perceptive
This is history the way it should be written. Clear and engaging narrative prose delivered with sound judgment and insight. This is essentially a text book, but one that makes me wish that I had been given such texts when I was in school. Although the book was obviously written for the layman and student, it is just as obviously a work by a scholar who knows his subject area inside out, and delights in getting it right. ... Read more

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This fascinating portrait of an often isolated dynasty and their struggles for survival in a dangerous and volatile age vividly brings to life the people behind the battles - monarchs, statesmen, courtiers, seadogs - and the ships, weapons and tactics that determined whether they lived or died. It also explores the beginnings of spin in an age that became famous for its royal propaganda, from portraits and proclamations to magnificent ships and diplomatic displays

When Henry VII seized the throne after the battle of Bosworth, his crown was far from secure. Yet for more than a hundred years his descendents ruled in England, surviving religious turmoil, rebellion, foreign armadas, diplomatic crises and losses overseas. Some of them went reluctantly to war whilst others embraced its potential, yet all relied upon military success for their own reflected power and prestige.

The Fighting Tudors explores this extraordinary dynasty s strategies for survival, and shows how military action to defend the throne became a sophisticated propaganda tool, It traces the great battles of Tudor reigns, from campaigns in France and Scotland to the crises of the Armada, and reveals their public and private impact upon individual monarchs - Henry VII, the sea king who pledged to bring peace to his ravaged country; Henry VIII, who loved traditional jousting yet commissioned cutting-edge ships for his standing navy; Mary, whose loss of Calais compounded the disappointments of her reign; and Elizabeth, whose dramatic speech at Tilbury became a defining moment of her reign. Ambitious courtiers and military commanders mingle with volatile monarchs and the great seafarers - Drake, Hawkins, Raleigh and Frobisher - who through exploration, plunder and courageous defence finally brought England dominance on the seas. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Makes History Interesting


The Fighting Tudors by David Loades For those readers that have an interest in English history and particularly the glorious period of the Tudor reign, David Loades' book The Fighting Tudors is a very interesting and different approach to an aspect of the Tudors that possibly defined not only their reigns but also the future of what became the British Empire. Loades takes each King and Queen of the Tudor dynasty and focuses on their approaches to military action and how it was used as a political tool to survive and to build a kingdom that carries an image which through the future centuries has fascinated people around the world. Beginning with Henry VII's victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field, Loades gives the reader insight into the behind the scenes evolution of Henry's early approach to the military defense of England in his wanting to build a Navy. As you move through the book, you become aware of the importance of these early steps in the military preparedness of Henry VII as they influence each of his Tudor successors through Elizabeth I and the relevance of the English Navy in light of how important this would be to building an Empire with the beginning of the Age of Discovery in the new world and the rise of power of Spain with its Aramada. Loades brings out how the approach to military action by the Tudors began to change the European perception of the English being somewhat barbarian, as Loades points out about Henry VIII's Field of Gold encounter with the French king, saying: "Two ancient enemies had been brought together in peaceful competition rather than in war, and Henry's image had been greatly enhanced. The general impression that the English were a collection of barbarians had been definitively dispelled." The insight into the short reign of the child king Edward VI is another aspect of this book that is not found in most history books of this period. All these accounts lead to the discussion of the reign of Elizabeth I, which takes up almost half of the book and is showing the culmination of the Tudor approach to military action and its effective use in both the political and image making context. Political leaders around the world today in these very image driven times could profit from a reading of this book. For me the book could not be read without the thought of how important these reigns were in setting the stage for such creative figures in the history of Britain as Sir Walter Ralegh, Shakespeare and Sir Thomas More. Not only is the book a very interesting and provocative read, but it is also well written and easy to comprehend. ... Read more

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The second edition of the standard survey of Ireland from the late medieval period to the Tudor conquest. Offering a critique of traditional perspectives on the making of modern Ireland. Includes two new chapters on the Lancastrian collapse and the Gaelic response to Tudor expansion. In the LONGMAN HISTORY OF IRELAND series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Difficult but useful
I've been using Ellis' book in some recent research into the fiscal history of the Irish Lordship.I'm afraid I agree more with the first reviewer -- remember, the popularity of a book often varies inversely with its quality.Yes, the book contains a great deal of useful information, but it is confusingly arranged.Dr. Ellis gets a few facts wrong, although it doesn't seem too critical except when he attributes certain actions of Richard III to Henry VII.Overall, however, the reader had better already have a working knowledge of the subject before using this book.A large number of assumptions are made concerning the identity of individuals;Ellis seems to take for granted the reader already knows who they are.For a foreigner such as myself reading this book, these lacunae make for irritating diversions from the flow of the narrative.No, it is not a book for beginners, nor an adequate introduction.What the second reviewer hints, however, is correct also -- there isn't much else in the way of material from which to choose, and this book does a better job than most.

re. your review from a reader in Ireland
Has your reviewer actually seen the book?It has a colour picture of Cahir castle, Co. Tipperary on the dust jacket.It includes seven maps, three tables, a glossary of terms, and a guide to further reading.It is a revised version of the standard work on the subject used in universities in Ireland and Britain since the publication of the original work, TUDOR IRELAND, in 1985.The reason for this new edition was precisely the popularity and continuing sales of the original.Perhaps your reader wanted a more romantic, simplistic view of Ireland's past.

Tudor Ireland.
Ellis' book is too complex and extremely difficult to read. It certainly is not a good starting point for reading up on the Tudor History of Ireland. It contains absolutely no pictures or illustrations of any kind re-emphasing its difficulty. ... Read more

Product Description
This A-to-Z encyclopedia provides students and nonspecialists with concise, accurate, and engaging definitions and descriptions of important people and terms relating to Early Tudor England. Covering the period from 1485 to 1558, the reigns of Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary I, the book contains nearly 400 cross-referenced entries. Entries feature key events, movements, groups, treaties, publications, important people, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Offering precise and concise definitions and descriptions
Compiled and organized by historian, academician, and author John A. Wagner Bosworth Field To Bloody Mary: An Encyclopedia Of The Early Tudors is a 600-page encyclopedia offering precise and concise definitions and descriptions of the significant men and women of Early Tudor England. Also providing informative definitions of Tudor England terminology, Bosworth Field To Bloody Mary spans the period of 1485 to 1558 and encompasses the reigns of Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary I. Featuring almost 400 cross-referenced entries, students are provided with information about key events, movements, groups, treaties, publications, and more. Enhanced with maps, genealogical charts, bibliography, a subject list, a listing of Tudor-themed historical novels, an annotated listing of Tudor websites, Bosworth Field To Bloody Mary is a strongly recommended and core addition to personal, academic, and community library British History collections.
... Read more