History – 490 pages – my copy (paperback; 1991) on loan from University of Plymouth library, during August 2011
- 3 nods out of 5 -
Name England’s most illustrious monarchs of the past. No doubt two of the first on your lips are Henry VIII and Elizabeth, a king and queen of Tudor stock. Henry slept with, divorced and beheaded wives as if they were going out of style, all whilst picking a fight with the pope and spearheading a religious revolution. Elizabeth, his daughter, became the first successful female monarch of this isle, keeping her subjects in check with her tongue, whilst overseeing the defeat of the invading Spanish Armada (a feat continually celebrated over four hundred years today). With two such heavyweights, it is clear to see the Tudor age is not one to be sniffed or trifled with.
In recent decades the Tudors have been in print, on the television and up on the big screen, in various incarnations. The author of this book – England Under The Tudors – researched and wrote in a different time, away from the glamour, sex and violence; to bring this period to the masses of the immediate post-war period.
Elton takes us from the birth of the Tudor dynasty, from the Battle of Bosworth field in 1485 when Henry Tudor became king, to the end when his grand-daughter – Elizabeth – died in 1603. In-between the reader is treated to insight after insight to this period, including the break with Rome, the conflict of religion during ‘the mid-Tudor crisis’, as well as the Armada invasion of 1588. Great characters are placed under the microscope, such as Thomas Wolsey (‘the Great Cardinal’); the philosopher Thomas More; Thomas Cromwell - Henry’s instrument in doing away with Catholicism; as well as all those colourful names during the reign of Elizabeth: Dudley, Cecil, Essex and Raleigh.
But more than the popular history, Elton takes us through much historical debate, as well as concentrating on the ‘price revolution’ (when inflation soared) and the raging religious arguments. The typical truth-searching historian, Elton revises his arguments in later editions, in the 1970s and 1990s. In recent decades this period has gained even greater popularity and historical concentration: as seen in the narrative highlights from Weir and Starkey, as well as the dubious incarnations on the screen (The Tudors, anyone? Thought not!).
Despite an influx of new books and authors, Elton’s history remains readable and enjoyable. Although time will see such views superseded, the future decades will not detract from Elton’s writing style, his cutting comments and will to speak out on the major issues. Such a historian is needed for such an interesting age, to bring the Tudors to life for the modern generations; in this, Mr Elton has surely succeeded.
Buy it here on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/England-Under-Tudors-G-R-Elton/dp/041506533X
