The Earlier Tudors, 1485-1558 (The Oxford History of England ; 7) [Paperback]

the late J. D. Mackie (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0192852922 | ISBN-13: 978-0192852922 | Publication Date: February 24, 1994

This classic volume in the renowned Oxford History of England series examines the birth of a nation-state from the death throes of the Middle Ages in North-West Europe. John D. Mackie describes the establishment of a stable monarchy by the very competent Henry VII, examines the means employed by him, and considers how far his monarchy can be described as "new." He also discusses the machinery by which the royal power was exercised and traces the effect of the concentration of lay and eccleciastical authority in the person of Wolsey, whose soaring ambition helped make possible the Caesaro-Papalism of Henry VIII.

Product Details

• Paperback: 732 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (February 24, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192852922
• ISBN-13: 978-0192852922
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,951,136 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What really happened after Bosworth Field, August 7, 2004

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M. A Newman (Alexandria, VA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Earlier Tudors, 1485-1558 (Oxford History of England Series) (Hardcover)

The era of English history that continues to fascinate is the period when the Tudors ruled. This is not surprising when one considers all that happened. A bankrupt divided nation assumed its place as one of the great powers of Western Europe. This was not merely the result of luck, as is so often the case in history. Rather as a whole the Tudors were profoundly gifted rulers.
The story begins with the under-rated reign of Henry VII. Unlike most of monarchs, very little is known about him, at least as far as the general public is concerned. Richard III is the Shakespearean villian who murdered his nephews and usurped the throne. Henry VIII is unquestionably the most famous kind in English history. Henry VII tends to lose out when compared with these two fascinating figures. Professor Mackie redresses the balance since none of the changes that occurred would have been possible without Henry VII's efforts. Henry's progress is charted by Mackie's admirable book. What is really fascinating is the precariousness of his rule at least in the early stages, not the impression one gets from Shakespeare. The story of Perkin Warbeck, an imposter who pretended to be the murdered Duke of York and who managed international support from rulers who saw the usefulness of a divided England. Aside from this sensational episode, Mackie manages to put Henry's reign into context, charting his efforts to restore the crown to solvency, not a small feat.
Henry VIII managed to build on the success of his father and probably exercised the most decisive role in moving England into the modern age. There are of course the six wives, but the progress of Reformation and the beginnings of the royal navy are charted here. The one shortcoming in this book is that many of its acessments on the Reformation have been superseded since it was published. I would recommend that the begining reader might want to consult either Duffy's Stripping of the Altars or MacCulloch's The Reformation for and update on the state of the art.
Another section which I found rather interesting was the one dealing with Edward VI's reign. Although Edward died while a teenager, here the Church of England acquired many of its features. The men that surrounded him took the next step toward the establishment of the Church of England. Mackie is at his best going through all the numerous bits of material that make up this story.
The book concludes with the reign of Bloody Mary who was not quite as bad as one might gather from Fox's Book of Martyrs.
I consider this book, despite some shortcomings that have emerged with time, to be one of the essential books on Tudor history and would urge it on anyone seeking to gain a good overview of this fascinating period.