Product Description

Although for generations the Reformation was regarded as a major turning point in European history, in recent years its significance has been downgraded. But in this book Professor Collinson sets out to restore a sense of the Reformation as a momentous historical event. He brilliantly explores the complexities and corruption of the late-medieval Catholic Church - and the Europe-wide reform movement which produced Lutherans, Calvinists, Huguenots, Presbyterians and the Church of England, and which profoundly shaped the identity of the emerging nation-states of Europe.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #279146 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

About the Author
Patrick Collinson is Emeritus Professor of History at Cambridge University, where he was Regius Professor of Modern History between 1988 and 1996. He lives in Derbyshire.

Customer Reviews

A time of great change...
As author Patrick Collinson writes, this is a book about Western Europe - a period in Western Europe's development that, when drawn on a map, rather interestingly parallels the shape and development of the European Union community. Collinson gives attention at the start to the area of Christendom beyond the Western Church, but makes the point that the evolutionary/revolutionary pattern in the greater Orthodox world is far different from the West, and that it never experienced the kind of events that the Reformation and Counter-Reformation caused in the West.

The Reformation was not a one-time event, but an ongoing process over many centuries. The timeline Collinson provides at the start begins at 1378, the start of the Great Schism, the era of popes and antipopes, which provided some fertile ground for later Reformation in fact if not in theology and ecclesiology. This is of course 150 years prior to Martin Luther's grand pronouncements, followed quickly by John Calvin and others. Collinson's time frame continues up to the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in Britain, which finally established the Protestant rule in Britain.

Collinson's explorations show interesting sides to this tumultuous period of history. Luther's conversion story, often retold by Luther himself, changes periodically into not-always-consistent versions. This is part of the tension Collinson describes, the tension between Reformation as a process and Reformation as an historical event. Collinson also develops the idea of Reformation as something not necessarily tremendously radical - Martin Luther, according to many historians quoted by Collinson, can be seen as a medieval rather than a modern man - he `...offered new answers to old questions. He asked no new ones.'

Thus, Collinson speaks of the late medieval church and its Reformation - this was something internal rather than external to the church, however much later history may want to see it in terms of external sources and forces. Collinson explores issues of language and literacy (remembering the kind of revolution that inventions such as the Gutenberg Press made available), and looks at alternate patterns the Reformation followed under different leaders and in different locations. Collinson highlights the English Reformation as a particularly special case - `exceptional in the extent to which it was contested, both at the time and ever since.' Part of the difficulties in the Anglican communion today can be directly traced to the issues and problems of authority and ecclesiology that were present during this early period. Some of the more interesting chapters include his discussion of Politics, the development of early sensibilities that later would lead to the idea of the nation-state, and Art, which includes the likes of George Herbert, Albrecht Durer, Hans Holbein, Thomas Tallis and William Byrd.

Collinson explores people, places, events, trends - he does not concentrate on one particular historical investigation, but develops various strands overall. Collinson's final chapters traces different developments after the Reformation/Counter-Reformation period, showing how strands reached into Enlightenment, Scientific Revolution and other ages, but stops short of making definitive pronouncements about the cause and effect.

Collinson's text is lively, accessible, and interesting. It carries the movement of history well with a good amount of detail without being excessive in labouring minor points. He has a useful index and section on further readings for each chapter/subject.

A great find!

Short but oh, so sweet!
Collinson's is the best one volume entry level guide to the reformation that there is. It fairly speeds along, and Collinson is a knowledgeable, entertaining companion on the ride. He manages to take a complex subject, make it readable and enjoyable, and does it in a fraction of the page count certain other historians would rack up, and with infinitely more style and aplomb.

This is a great book, whether your using it for undergrad background or simply reading it for pleasure.

Good but not for AS History revision
I found this book a very good read. I only read it as i thought it wouldhelp me in my AS level history course. Although it does give youbackground reading of everything you need to know for AS European history,it is not the ideal book to use as revision.