Product Description

The Tudor age was a tumultuous one – a time of the Reformation, conspiracies, uprisings and rebellions.

The Tudor Rebellions gives a chronological run-down of the major rebellions and throws light on some of the main themes of Tudor history, including the dynasty’s attempt to bring the north and west under the control of the capital, the progress of the English Reformation and the impact of inflation, taxation and enclosure on society.

Successive versions of Tudor Rebellions have been central to understanding Tudor politics since 1968, when Anthony Fletcher first published his book. Now nearly four decades later, Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch has once more thoroughly revised and expanded this classic text to take into account exciting and innovative work on the subject in recent years.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #90251 in Books
• Published on: 2008-07-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 216 pages

From the Back Cover

Thoroughly revised and expanded by Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch, this classic text now takes into account the exciting and innovative work done on Tudor England in recent years. 

Written in a clear and accessible manner, the book:

• Gives a thorough account of the successive rebellions from the reign of King Henry VII through to the death of Queen Elizabeth in 1603
• Seeks to understand why Tudor people rebelled and what sort of people were inclined to do so
• Draws attention to ‘high’ and ‘low’ politics and takes seriously the political concerns of the humble and unprivileged alongside the nobility and gentry
• Provides a new account of the multiple disturbances of 1549: which now emerge as far more widespread and varied than was previously apparent

Also including a selection of primary source documents, Chronology, Who’s Who of key figures and a full colour plate section, Tudor Rebellions provides an invaluable chronological account and analysis of the rebellions that affected the Kingdom of England between 1485 and 1603.

ANTHONY FLETCHERwas formerly a Professor of History at the University of Essex. DIARMAID MACCULLOCH is a Fellow of St. Cross College and Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University.

About the Author

Anthony Fletcher was Professor of History, University of Essex.

Diarmaid MacCulloch is one of the leading historians of Tudor England and is Professor of Church History in the Theology Faculty at the University of Oxford. He has written widely in the past, including the books 'Thomas Cranmer: A Life' (Yale University Press) and 'Tudor Church Militant: Edward VI and the Protestant Reformation' (Penguin). He is currently writing a major survey of the European Reformation for Penguin.

Customer Reviews

A many headed monster
Anthony Fletcher sketches perfectly the series of rebellions under the Tudor governments.
Their main objects were power (class) and money (taxation, investments).

The Pilgrimage of Grace was a rebellion against the appropriation of monastic land by landowners. But the commoners identified the threat to the Church with a treat to the poor who faced extreme insecurity in the face of landlords grasping common land (enclosures) and depriving many of their pasture rights. Another element was anti-clericalism, or better, anti-tithes resentment.

The western rebellion of the Cornishmen was a class-conflict. It was directed against the gentry (for a limitation of their households) and also demanded a repeal of heavy taxes imposed on the poor, instead of on the gentry itself.

Kett's Rebellion is again all about the enclosure problem and the rights of pasturing sheep and cattle: the gentry wanted permanent pastures only for themselves.

Wyatt's movement was a rebellion against Queen Mary who wanted to marry Philip of Spain. The latter could undercut the power of the English nobility and also involve the country in an expensive European conflict.

In the Northern Rebellion, secular tensions (resentment against Tudor authority) were the main causes.

As A. Fletcher shows, the poor never put the (class) power of the gentry in question. But, the commons were regarded by the gentry as fickle, irrational and stupid and were feared as a many headed monster.

This small book is a must for all those interested in English history.