Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24807 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Review
How are you made to fall in love with history? My romance began in the sixth form in the early 1950s when an inspired teacher put the work of certain historians in my hands. These were books written not only by scholars in full command of their sources but, in addition, by gifted authors, like CV Wedgwood, Hugh Trevor-Roper and AL Rowse. They wrote in a clear and vivid style holding the reader's attention. You really ached to read on. Oh, how different from the all-pervading jargon of today's academics! Here were people who believed that a knowledge of the nation's history was central to anyone understanding where we are now. For almost half-a-century anything resembling an attempt to communicate to a wider public has usually been anathema to academe. But all is not lost. Here comes a writer cast in that earlier mould, unashamed to carry the reader along by the sheer thrust and excitement of her narrative.The result of all this is simply the finest introduction to the history of Tudor England that I know. New Worlds, Lost Worlds is a work of rare distinction, elegantly written, authoritative, with a sure grasp of the great events of the age and a touching eye for the odd telling detail. At the same time the book's vast bibliography proclaims that this is the work of someone whose knowledge of her subject cannot lightly be challenged. This is a terrific story of a revolutionary century in which the England we know was first created, when the aristocracy was tamed in service of crown and when the faith of centuries was swept away claiming untold victims. On virtually every page we read of political intrigue and treachery, persecution and sudden death, outright oppression and horrendous famine. Be grateful that you live when you do. Review by ROY STRONG (Kirkus UK)

A history of the Tudor reign, which solidified the power of the crown amid great religious tumult. The Tudors ruled during one of the most awkward stages of English history. Henry IV came to power by the sword, defeating the dastardly Richard III, who had murdered his rivals to the throne. The first Tudor wasn't much more humane, however, and he kept a ruthless grip on the nobility, who every now and then raised armies against him. Oxford historian Brigden ("London and the Reformation", not reviewed) provides the well-known tales of court intrigue and chivalry as well as the social context for these changes. She describes the difference between the aristocracy, gentry, and commoners (discussing at length the crisis instigated by the country's focus on sheep herding rather than other forms of agriculture, for example). The author also brings in literature of the day (e.g., Thomas More's "Utopia") to illustrate trends in the era's political thought. These asides come frequently, as a new monarch always pops up to replace the old: Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I succeed each other in dramas springing mostly from the Reformation. Mary reversed the direction of her father's church, delivering the nation back into the hands of Spain and the Hapsburgs, only to die childless, with Elizabeth waiting behind her. The author successfully conveys how switching back and forth between Protestantism and Catholicism was a sea change for the people: in 1553, when Mary assumed power, half the population was under 20 and had no recollection of the Catholic faith. Elizabeth, the last Tudor, is the most charming. Brigden portrays Elizabeth, the patron of Shakespeare, as the first and only softhearted Tudor. She concluded treaties with Scotland and told her governors in Ireland to rule by persuasion rather than force (the governors didn't listen). She reluctantly executed Mary Queen of Scots. And when the Irishman Hugh O'Neill revolted against her, she offered him pardon. A treat for Tudor afficionados, but others might find this a heavy read. (Kirkus Reviews)

John Adamson, Financial Times, 1st October 2000
'For anyone who wants to encounter these worlds of the Tudor past, there is currently no better guide than Susan Brigden's superb new book.'

Antonia Fraser, Sunday Times, 22nd October 2000
'Susan Brigden's illuminating and masterly study. [Her] final achievement is her evocation of Ireland...

Customer Reviews

The Dynasty That Changed the Nation
To cover so many levels and issues in Tudor society, would be a large feat for many a historian, however this author has come up trumps. At times, some of the well know points of the history of the period are lightly covered, but as these are generally and widely covered by other authours, this as meant that the spotlight can be turned onto the lesser known facts. For example, the relationship of the Tudor monarchy and the Irish (and the infighting of the Irish lords), get a great deal of coverage.
For all those Tudor enthusiasts like myself, you are bound to enjoy and pick up new information from this book.

I fell in love with history through this book
Written for ordinary people (like me) to read. It gently leads one through the changes in religion, politics and statehood to give a real understanding of where British culture comes from and helped me to understand the "Irish problem" for the first time. Buy it , wonderful read. Loved it.

Timely reminder of the dangers of monarchism
If you subscribe to the Great Person theory of history this book will appeal greatly. On the other hand if hold that history is shaped by economic and political structures then this book may disappoint. There is little economic analysis of trade and industry, and very little pan European comparative analysis. At times the book struck me as if it had fallen out of a 19th century library.

Ireland is characterised as unromantically wild, savage and preyed upon by treacherous Irish chieftains. A land of fickle political alliances and despotic opportunism. Undoubtably much of this is true but the analysis is rooted almost entirely in terms of the impact of the anglo Norman invasion.

The Tudors and their courts are equally portrayed as ruthless tyrannical lairs turning largely on the whims of a sovereign. The picture that emerges of the common people is profundly unenviable.

At the end of the book, I was left wondering how on Earth anyone could espouse the antidemocratic institution of monarchism. In modern terms Henry VIII comes across as positively Hitlerian, a trend continued under Elizabeth with the plantations of Ireland which provided the 16th century with its own largely unacknowledged Holocaust.

Worth reading if only to remind ourselves that democracy is something to cherish otherwise political depravity will gain the ascendant.