Free Kindle Tudors: The History Of England From Henry VIII To Elizabeth I (History Of England Series, Book 2) ebooks Download
[Read by Clive Chafer] Peter Ackroyd, one of Britain's most acclaimed writers, brings the age of the Tudors to vivid life in this monumental book in his ''History of England'' series, charting the course of English history from Henry VIII's cataclysmic break with Rome to the epic rule of Elizabeth I. Rich in detail and atmosphere, Tudors is the story of Henry VIII's relentless pursuit of both the perfect wife and the perfect heir, of how the brief royal 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.
Series: History of England (Book 2)
Audio CD: 1 pages
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.; Unabridged edition (March 15, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1481512528
ISBN-13: 978-1481512527
Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 1.8 x 5.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (120 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #772,551 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #41 in Books > Books on CD > History > Europe #1725 in Books > History > Europe > Great Britain > England #8270 in Books > History > Historical Study & Educational Resources
As a preliminary matter, I'll admit it: my appetite for Tudors dynasty vehicles is more or less bottomless. Whether it's historical esoterica or or a popularly accessible review of the monarchs' lives and reigns --- whatever the quality of the story based on their lives in whichever medium you please -- I always have room to try one more. So, I am easy to please and difficult to impress with a real breadth of past exposure to presentations on this topic. Hopefully, my comparative knowledge can help some of you comparative Tudor amateurs decide if this latest food for my frenzy is worth the investment of your time.To sum up my thoughts on Tudors by Peter Ackroyd, which is apparently part of a series surveying English history, I'd say that's it's a uniquely valuable addition to popularly available history on the Tudor monarchs due to the superlative caliber of writing as well as the number of truly interesting historical arguments the author advances.Ackroyd tells a seamless story, which is no small feat given the book's considerable length and the even more considerable range of information to select for inclusion in his discussion. The sheer fluidity of his prose is striking, and by that I mean it was so unique in its smoothness that I felt like I was being hit over the head with it beginning on the very first page -- no kidding! The history detailed is likely to slide easily into the reader's mind and lodge itself there without too much concentration on his or her own part given the author's narrative power. This is the opposite of a dry examination of the past by a stuffy academic type who cannot translate his or her insights for an amateur audience with ease. Unsurprisingly, it turns out Peter Ackroyd is not strictly oriented to history in his Humanities scholarship.
Peter Ackroyd is one of Great Britain's most prolific authors. Ackroyd is presently at work on a history of England. "Tudors" is volume two. In nearly five hundred lively pages the author paints a portrait of the colorful family from Wales that ruled England from 1485 until the death of Elizabeth I in 1603. It was a bloody age dominated by religious controversy and persecution. The book covers the reigns of:Henry VII-Henry ended the War of the Roses when he defeated Richard III the Yorkist king at the battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.Henry VIII-The rotund king who wed six times; beheaded and burned many enemies and transformed England from a Roman Catholic to an Anglican nation. He ruled from 1509-47. Ackroyd discusses Henry's wives and his conversion to an anti-papal ruler who broke with Pope Clement VII.Edward VI-The boy king was committed to the Protestant cause but died young. His reign was from 1547-53.Jane Grey reigned for only nine days before being beheaded . She represented the Protestant cause.Mary I-(1553-58) Bloody Mary was a devoted Roman Catholic who was the daughter of Henry VIII's first wife the Spaniard Catherine of Aragon. Mary was the first reigning Queen of England. During her reign over three hundred Protestants were burned at the stake earning her the nickname of "Bloody Mary." She wed Phillip II of Spain and died childless.Elizabeth I (1558-16-3) The Virgin Queen was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth was a Protestant who presided over the first secular state in British history. During her reign the might of Spain was crushed when the Spanish Armada was soundly defeated in 1588. Elizabeth signed the death warrant for Mary Queen of Scots in 1587 ended Roman Catholic hopes to restore the old faith to the English crown.
This is a very good history of the Tudors. I bought his Rebellion: The History of England from James I to the Glorious Revolution 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 Foundation: The History of England from Its Earliest Beginnings to the Tudors 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.
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