The blazing world

Jonathan Healey

£12.99

In stock

At the beginning of the 17th century, English politics centred on the king & the royal court. 90% of the population lived in the countryside, the vast majority was illiterate & famine & plague were regular scourges. However, by the turn of the 18th century, a new world had arisen. A world more familiar to our own: parliamentary politics, thriving arts & culture & even an embryonic welfare state. How did this happen? The story of this turbulent period is less well-known than it should be. Myths have grown around key figures; turning points like the Civil War are opaque for many. Yet the 17th century has never been more relevant. The British constitution is once again being bent & contorted, & there is a clash of ideologies reminiscent of when the Roundheads fought the Cavaliers. From raw politics to religious divisions, civil wars to witch trials, this title is the story of a strange but fascinating century.

ISBN: 9781526621696 Category:

Description

‘This is a wonderful book, exhaustively researched, vigorously argued and teeming with the furious joy of seventeenth-century life’ THE TIMES‘A brilliant, bloody account of England’s most dramatic century . . . Thrilling’ TELEGRAPH‘The most entertaining general history of seventeenth-century England I have read’ TOM HOLLANDThe seventeenth century began as the English found themselves ruled by a Scotsman, and ended in the shadow of a Dutch invasion. Midway through, society collapsed into a civil war, followed by army coup and regicide. For a short time – for the only time in history – England was a republic. In coffee shops and alehouses, ordinary people fizzed with ideas that were angry, populist and almost impossible to control.Despite these radical changes, few today fully understand the story of this revolutionary age. Leaders like Oliver Cromwell, Charles II and William of Orange have been reduced to caricatures, while major turning points like the Civil War and the Glorious Revolution are shrouded in myth. Yet, as Jonathan Healey argues, the period has never been more relevant. From raw politics to religious divisions, civil wars to witch trials, plague to press freedoms, The Blazing World tells the story of this strange but fascinating century in exuberant, panoramic detail.

Additional information

Weight 0.386 kg
Dimensions 19.8 × 12.9 × 3.5 cm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

492 , 16 unnumbered of plates

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

941.06 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K

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