Boy King: Edward VI and the Protestant Reformation FROM THE PUBLISHER
A fascinating account of the life of a teenage king, the only son of Henry VIII, who instigated a religious revolution that took England into the heart of the European Reformation.
Edward VI, the only surviving son of Henry VIII and the last of the male Tudors, died while still a teenager. Yet his reign has a significance in English history out of all proportion to its brief six-year span. In this lavishly illustrated book, Diarmaid MacCulloch looks at the life and beliefs of the young king and the ruthless politicians around him. Although the regime collapsed in apparent failure on Edward's death in 1553, a second half-sister, Elizabeth, brought Protestantism back. Mac Culloch traces the strange afterlife of Edward's reign, its surprising connections with the civil wars that convulsed the British Isles a century later, and the effect it still has on English life.
About the Author:
Diarmaid MacCulloch is a prize winning author and Professor at Oxford University.
SYNOPSIS
92 b/w photographs
Diarmaid MacCulloch illuminates the significance of Edward's turbulent and neglected reign. He takes a fresh look at the life and beliefs of the young king and of the ruthless politicians who jostled for power around him. He analyzes the single-minded strategy of the Protestant Revolution and assesses the support it had among the people of England.
FROM THE CRITICS
London Times
This is Reformation history as it should be written, learned, argumentative, and never for a moment dull.
Independent
MacCulloch's enviable ease in unraveling complex theological and political positions...makes this a formidable achievement.
Independent
MacCulloch's enviable ease in unraveling complex theolog
ical and political positions... make this a formidable achieve
ment. A dramatic period of English history will never look
quite the same again.
London Times
This is Reformation history as it should be written, learned, argumentative, and ...never for a moment dull.
Library Journal
Award-winning author MacCulloch (Thomas Cranmer: A Life) has written an interesting and informative study of the six years the young Edward VI spent on the throne after the death of his notorious father Henry VIII. Only nine when he came to power in 1547, the young king is often overlooked, sandwiched as he was between his infamous father and two extraordinary sisters, "Bloody" Mary and Elizabeth I. Edward was every bit as intelligent as his sisters, and his religious convictions were as inflexible as those of the formidable Mary. Indeed, the author makes a point of following up any description of atrocities committed in Edward's reign with the information that Mary did worse. The boy king who tried to bypass his sisters and put the unfortunate Lady Jane Grey on the throne in their stead is a worthy subject of this enjoyable and very readable book. The subject, however, is not one of universal interest, recommending this book for academic libraries with collections in the area of English history and the Reformation. Elizabeth Mellett, Brookline P.L., MA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
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