The King′s Reformation – Henry VIII and the Remaking of the English Church - Hardcover

Bernard, Gw

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300109083 ISBN 13: 9780300109085

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2005

Synopsis

Henry VIII's reformation remains among the most crucial yet misunderstood events in English history. In this substantial new account Bernard presents the king as neither confused nor a pawn in the hands of manipulative factions. Henry, a monarch who ruled as well as reigned, is revealed instead as the determining mover of religious policy throughout this momentous period. In his crucial campaign to secure a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, Henry's strategy, as Bernard shows, was more consistent and more radical than historians have allowed. Henry attempted to determine the pace of religious change, refusing to introduce Lutheranism, but rather harnessing the rhetoric of the continental reformation in support of his royal supremacy. Convinced that the church needed urgent reform, in particular the purging of superstition and idolatry. Henry's dissolution of the monasteries and the dismantling of the shrines were much more than a venal attempt to raise money. The King sought a middle way between Rome and Zurich, between Catholicism and its associated superstitions on one hand and the subversive radicalism of the reformers on the other. With a ruthlessness that verged on tyranny, Henry VIII orchestrated the successive events of the most important twenty years of England's religious development.

About this title

Review:

"...a blockbuster of a book..."
-- New Directions, June 2006

'...long and erudite...[with] an intriguing and often original insight... [A] must-read for anyone with an interest in the English Reformation.' -- Emma Watson, Church Times, June 2 2006

'...the book is a superb achievement...It will infuriate a great many people, but inspire a great many more'. -- Lucy Woodling, The Literary Review, December 2005

'A model of meticulous research...' -- Alastair Hamilton, Times Literary Supplement, June 2 2006

'The King's Reformation is unquestionably a work of substance...Bernard is to be congratulated on his achievement...' -- Colin Armstrong, BBC History Magazine, February 2006

'This is a brave book, tilting at many windmills, challenging many received ideas. It will certainly stimulate discussion...' -- The Tablet, 3rd December 2005

'This massive history, the fruit of a lifetime of research and reflection, is a work of exceptional interest and importance.' -- The Spectator, 14th January 2006

'[A] bold and strikingly original book.' -- History Today, January 2006

About the Author:

G.W. Bernard is professor of early modern history in the University of Southampton. His books include Power and Politics in Tudor England (2000).

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0300109083
• ISBN 13: 9780300109085
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 672