Tudors: The History of England from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I (The History of England, 2) by Peter Ackroyd (PDF)

Description

Peter Ackroyd, one of Britain’s most acclaimed writers, brings the age of the Tudors to vivid life in this monumental book in his The History of England series. Tudors is the story of Henry VIII’s relentless pursuit of both the perfect wife and the perfect heir; of how the brief reign of the teenage king, Edward VI, gave way to the violent reimposition of Catholicism and the stench of bonfires under “Bloody Mary.” It tells, too, of the long reign of Elizabeth I, which, though marked by civil strife, plots against her, and even an invasion force, finally brought stability.Above all, it is the story of the English Reformation and the making of the Anglican Church. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, England was still largely feudal and looked to Rome for direction; at its end, it was a country where good governance was the duty of the state, not the church, and where men and women began to look to themselves for answers rather than to those who ruled them.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “Peter Ackroyd’s love of his subject shines through every page. This is a thrilling story that will delight readers interested in this period.” ―San Francisco Book Review“While the author focuses on the politics of religious change, this is an accessible account, made even more so by anecdotes revealing the personalities of the main characters (e.g., Henry VIII became so obese that his bed had to be enlarged to a width of seven feet, and Mary Stuart wore crimson underclothes at her execution in 1587).” ―Publishers Weekly“A solid multivolume popular history: readable, entirely nonrevisionist and preoccupied by politics, religion and monarchs–a worthy rival to Winston Churchill’s History of the English Speaking Peoples.” ―Kirkus Reviews“Highly engaging…. Ackroyd presents in rich prose and careful explanations how the English Reformation was not a movement of the people but a personal project of King Henry.” ―Booklist (starred review)“Peter Ackroyd is energetic and gifted enough to have mastered his sources and produced a sparklingly fresh account of Tudor England. …Ackroyd has a wonderful eye for the telling detail, cameos that stick in the mind. …If you want a finely written, racy account of the monster Henry VIII and his brood, a history book that really fires your imagination and is often so exciting that you cannot put it down, you should get this book.” ―The Weekly Standard“Ackroyd presents the Tudors in a way frequently overlooked by other popular histories and novels, depicting them as a force that continues to affect both English and international societies today, rather than as an early-modern soap opera. … Each player in this real-life historical drama is clearly drawn, their major contributions and connections made apparent without losing the thread of the overall themes. Tudors takes a comprehensive approach to early-modern English history that is rarely attempted, but is, in Ackroyd’s hands, a success.” ―Shelf Awareness“Ackroyd’s thoroughly researched narrative of the notorious Tudors is colorful, engaging, and highly accessible to general readers.” ―Choice“Ackroyd writes with such lightly worn erudition and a deceptive ease that he never fails to engage.” ―The Telegraph (UK)“Superbly accessible and readable.” ―The Financial Times (UK)“Ackroyd clearly relishes the wicked glamour of the family which presided over the Reformation, saw off the Spanish Armada, founded the British Empire and left the country they ruled a great European power . . . Fluent and colorful.” ―Sunday Express (UK)“As so often in Ackroyd’s books there are irresistible small details of everyday life in historic London.” ―Daily Express (UK)“Ackroyd’s information concerning Cromwell provokes a different reaction from that gained by reading Hilary Mantel. . . . This is a fascinating read, an accessible history where the immense research is wittily presented and where the ideas are profound and moving.” ―The Newtown Review of Books(Australia)“[Ackroyd] has a matchless sense of place, and of the transformations of place across long stretches of time; he is also an inventive and playful English stylist.” ―Standpoint (UK)“Relaxed, unpretentious, and accessible.” ―The New York Times Book Review on Foundation“Ackroyd writes with such lightly worn erudition and a deceptive ease that he never fails to engage.” ―The Telegraph (UK) About the Author PETER ACKROYD is an award-winning novelist, as well as a broadcaster, biographer, poet, and historian. He is the author of the acclaimed London: The Biography, and the History of England series. He holds a CBE for services to literature and lives in London.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐This is a very good history of the Tudors. I bought his

⭐before this book, so I have things out of order as it were, but it doesn’t matter; whatever he writes can stand on its own. I was impressed with Rebellion and decided to buy this book, and I feel like it is even better, so now I have

⭐on the shelf waiting next.He writes so well. You never feel like you are bogging down into irrelevant details but what details that are provided help you understand the period, but this book takes you way beyond an English king that was known to chop a head off, even if that head was his wife’s, and explains the significance in a broader picture of why his period is so important in the history of our civilization.Henry VIII was consumed with having a male heir. When he married his deceased brother’s wife, Katherine of Aragon just before his eighteenth birthday, the plan was that she would provide him a son. She failed. She gave birth to a daughter, Mary, Henry began to have thoughts of ditching her as he already had his eyes on Anne Boleyn, and so began his quest to obtain from the pope an annulment of the marriage. To keep it short, he was able to marry Anne and she gave him a daughter, Elizabeth, but not a son. So he had her head chopped off because of reports of adultery and went on to marry again. Jayne Seymour did give him a son, Edward VI. She died just a few days after childbirth.All of this is somewhat tabloid stuff. The real interest of the book is the almost one hundred years of reformation that England went through, from being a Catholic nation to becoming a nation under the Anglican (Protestant) church, whose head was the king or queen. It was not an easy or pleasant transformation. That nation had changed its faith four times in twenty years, and a time had come for an end to innovation. But during those years there were changes in the throne as well. When Henry VIII died, Edward became king, but being of poor health he died at the age of sixteen. During his reign, the nation remained Protestant. An attempt was made to sidestep Mary and install Lady Jane Grey as queen. Her reign lasted a little over a week and Mary took over. Mary was a devout Catholic, and while she ruled there were about 300 “heretics” burned alive, earning her the moniker of Bloody Mary. While she did marry, she produced no children, and upon her death Elizabeth began her long reign.There are so many characters involved in this book, whether bishops, archbishops, noblemen or secretaries. Ackroyd does a good job of presenting each of them, and while many expired without their head, he does introduce us to William Cecil and his son Robert. William was with Elizabeth throughout her reign and was, in fact, her primary minister. He helped to guide her although no man could control her. She was very strong willed, wanted peace in her kingdom, was wisely wary of political ties to other nations, and held England together when a great majority of Europe was Catholic, and many wished to see her head in a basket.The matter of Mary Queen of Scots is discussed adequately in the book. The author is not judgmental of Mary but does rightly point out that she made some very foolish decisions during her lifetime. Running away with the primary suspect of her husband’s murder was not a brilliant move and she lived in custody in England for about eighteen years until Cecil and Walsingham got enough on her to chop off her head.In the latter part of Elizabeth’s rule, the nation was saved by the English navy and bad luck weather for the Spanish navy. She ruled until 1603 and the son of Mary Queen of Scots, James I of England, took the throne. You will learn more about him in Rebellion.I thoroughly enjoyed the book and Peter Ackroyd is one of my favorite authors. I strongly recommend his works.

⭐Yes, I watched the TV series. Yes, I’ve read all five of C.J. Sansom’s Matthew Shardlake mysteries covering the Tudor era. (Highly recommended if you’re a Tudor fan.) Yes, I’ve read countless other treatments – both fiction and non-fiction – about the Tudors. So why tackle another one? I guess it’s like World War II. I can’t seem to get enough, and once I’m on a roll, can hardly contain myself in the desire to accumulate more facts, interpretations, unique insights. It’s almost like living through the period, and when I do read another treatment, I often think, “Oh, yes, I remember that,” as if I’d almost (even though not quite) been there.Ackroyd adds considerably to the reader’s store of knowledge on this period, no matter how much background that reader already has on the Tudors. He piles facts on facts, examples on examples – as in the religious turmoil of the entire era. In fact, there are so many aspects to the religious turmoil, over the entire 94-year reign (from Henry VIII through Elizabeth I), that the period takes on a feeling that controversies will never be settled (somewhat like the Arab-Israeli conflict today?). From previous readings, I had a notion that Henry VIII settled most of the religious hash when he broke with the Pope, confiscated the monasteries, and proclaimed himself head of the church. But that was just a start. Even Henry experienced an endless slog through the religious thicket, and the battle continued well beyond his time. Ackroyd gives a complex, intriguing picture (nothing could be “clear” about this matter) of the convoluted interaction not just of the Catholics vs. the Protestants, but of the various Protestant denominations as well.Another striking insight was how cheap life was in that time – not just for the poor commoners, but for the ruling class as well. Seems as though most of the courtiers, even at the highest level, lived from day to day wondering when their heads would be chopped off. Our political battles today are pretty nasty, but at least for the most part, we don’t murder out political opponents.I’ve always been fascinated by Henry’s parade through six wives, and knew he was haunted with the idea of producing a male heir. But Ackroyd points out that Henry’s goal was not simply to insure a continuation of the male line, but more importantly to validate Tudor legitimacy to the throne. The Tudors were undoubtedly legitimate contenders for the throne, but by no means the only ones with similar claims.Ackroyd, then, adds significantly to an understanding of the Tudor era, and his book is certainly worth the read. 4-1/2 stars.

⭐The Tudor kings and queens were arguably the dynasty that shaped the future of English history more than any other. Peter Akroyd recreates the story of the Tudor kings and queens with amazing detail. Even in 432 pages, Akroyd can only scratch the surface of these colorful and larger than life monarchs.It’s all here. The triumphs and tragedies of one of the bloodiest dynasties in English history. Betrayals and conspiracies were the words of the day during the reign of the Tutors. History fans will be enthralled by all of the details. No doubt Henry VIII and Elizabeth I are the main characters in this book as they ultimately shaped the religious outlook in England.Akroyd does spend large parts of the book describing the religious fervor in England. It’s fascinating to read how Catholic England became a Protestant country in stages and in varying extremes. Catholic, then Protestant, then Catholic again and finally Protestant. Probably no other European country saw such religious upheaval.No doubt, Akroyd could have created a book 5 times longer with all the intrigue and espionage in court.Despite all the detail, the reader can be left with so many questions. Lady Jane Grey and her 9 days of Queen in England is not explored as fully as possible. Even Mary Queen of Scots deserved more detail.There is no question that TUDORS: THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND FROM HENRY VIII TO ELIZABETH I is an incredibly fascinating read for any history fan. I’m not sure why HENRY VII does not feature in the title since he founded the Tudor Dynasty. I guess that’s for another book.

⭐Typically of Ackroyd, this book is beautifully written, he uses his novelist’s skill to tell us a very complicated story. As he sums it up, the theme of this book is reformation, both of the church and of government. Oddly he essentially dispenses with Henry VII and dives straight into Henry VIII. Over the last few years I have picked up a lot of background information on this period both from the “Shardlake” series and from Hilary Mantel’s wonderful duo of books, so it was only when we got to Edward VI that I began to learn new things, and from that point on in this book, I was captivated. I had not realised how critical his reign was to the emergence of the particularly English form of Protestantism that gradually transmutes of the following two reigns into Anglicanism. I had also never known that the beginning of social and economic policy lay in Elizabeth’s reign. I was also intrigued by Ackroyd painting the iconic Elizabeth as forever torn by doubt as to the right course of action, whether it be in terms of marriage, the succession, or politics.Overall an excellent and rewarding read!

⭐It was a pleasure reading

⭐Foundation: The History of England Volume 1 (History of England Vol 1)

⭐so I eagerly began this second volume of Ackroyd’s history of England immediately afterwards. Without a doubt, the Tudor family in itself (by the way, why is Henry VII discussed in volume I and not here? Doesn’t seem logical to me) provide plenty of colourful subject matter, but nonetheless their story is expertly told here. It may be (it is!) a ‘history’ but it reads as fluently as a ‘story’ thanks to Ackroyd’s easy style. What helps too is that Ackroyd is not out to prove a point, but doesn’t hesitate to say that some things (such as the precise circumstances of the death of Darnley) we simply don’t know and probably never will.There’s less information on the ‘commoners’ than in volume I which I personally found slightly disappointing, but still this book gives a splendid overview from the beginning of the reign of Henry VIII until the end of the reign of Elizabeth I, and eminently chronicles how England evolved from a Catholic country into a Protestant kingdom.All in all, another very satisfying read so I for one am eagerly awaiting volume III.

⭐Peter Ackroyd writes well; and he is a lucid historian. The Tudor period is of particular interest, and it is not surprising that the main themes in the book are the English Reformation and the dynasty itself. Ackroyd has produced much more than a dry academic summary; he brings this crucial period vividly to life. This multi-volume history is looking like a modern classic.

⭐If the sovereign does not feel secure than no one is secure”. So writes Peter Ackroyd and this remark sums up the entire Tudor dynasty. Each sovereign was in fear of anarchy, either through religion, in-fighting, or foreign wars, and it was not surprising as the Wars of the Roses were not too far away. In our 21st century the concept of The Divine Right of Kings seems somewhat strange – but during this time a strong monarchy meant a strong country. The Elizabethan Age bought some stability through trade, in spite of the fact that Elizabeth was well-known for inaction.Peter Ackroyd doesn’t spend too much time on the general well being of the people through the theatre (except for bear baiting – which is still carried out in some countries). However, his book on Shakespeare covers this aspect of the Elizabethan Age, and is well worth a read.

⭐Peter Ackroyd’s style is engaging, informative, and candid. Rather than telling you what he might favour as the “official” interpretation of events with scant evidence, he gives us the uncertainty. We know that a letter was sent, and we know it had a profound effect, but we do not know its contents. You and I might speculate, but Ackroyd does not. I value this.The Tudor dynasty started at Bosworth Field in 1485 with Henry VII’s victory to end the protracted Wars of the Roses. It ended 118 years later with the death of the childless Queen Elizabeth. In that time the turmoil of religious allegiance, the clamour for power within the court, and the giant sized egos created a continual turbulence, with always the sovereign at its epicentre.Do not be daunted by the sheer number of pages, it is a captivating book that is hard to put down once started.

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