Gods Englishman [Paperback]

Christopher Hill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 30, 1990

This is a nuanced biography of Oliver Cromwell, breaking down Cromwell's life into different parts: fenland farmer and humble backbencher; stalwart of the good old cause and the New Model Army; key figure of the Commonwealth; and, finally Lord Protector. Hill leads the reader unsentimentally through Cromwell's life from his beginnings in Huntingdonshire to his brutal end. Hill brings all his considerable knowledge of the period to bear on the relationships God's Englishman had with God and England. Such a detailed understanding of the workings of providence is vital to understanding Cromwell.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Christopher Hill was educated at St Peter's School, York, and at Balliol College, Oxford, and in 1934 was made a fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. In 1936 he became lecturer in modern history at University College, Cardiff, and two years later fellow and tutor in modern history at Balliol. After war service, which included two years in the Russian department of the Foreign Office, he returned to Oxford in 1945. From 1958 until 1965 he was university lecturer in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century history, and from 1965 to 1978 he was Master of Balliol College. After leaving Balliol he was for two years a Visiting Professor at the Open University. Dr Hill, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and of the British Academy, has received numerous honorary degrees from British universities, as well as the Hon. Dr. Sorbonne Nouvelle in 1979. His publications include Lenin and the Russian Revolution; Puritanism and Revolution; Society and Puritanism in Pre-Revolutionary England; Reformation to Industrial Revolution (second volume in the Penguin Economic History of Britain); God's Englishman: Oliver Cromwell and the English Revolution; The World Turned Upside Down; Milton and the English Revolution, which won the Royal Society of Literature Award; The Experience of Defeat: Milton and Some Contemporaries; A Turbulent, Seditious and Factious People: John Bunyan and His Church, which won the 1989 W. H. Smith Literary Award; The English Bible and the Seventeenth-Century Revolution, which was shortlisted for the 1993 NCR Book Award; and Liberty against the Law. Many of these titles are published by Penguin. Dr Hill is married with two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books (August 30, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140137114
• ISBN-13: 978-0140137118
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #984,994 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cromwell by "The Commanding Interpreter of 17th Century England", November 17, 2007

By 

Douglas S. Wood "Vicarious Life" (Monona, WI) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Gods Englishman (Paperback)

When Christopher Hill died in 2003 at the age of 91 the Guardian rightly called him "the commanding interpreter of 17th-century England". Upon publication in 1970 his book `God's Englishman - Oliver Cromwell and the English Revolution `, a nuanced biography of Oliver Cromwell, was a bestseller.

Hill leads the reader unsentimentally through Cromwell's life from his beginnings in Huntingdonshire to his brutal end. Hill's Cromwell reaches his apogee in the Commonwealth he helped create and then only grudgingly accepts the `necessity' of the Protectorate. Hill argues that the English Revolution did indeed change the balance of political power between the King and Parliament for good, despite the eventual return of Charles II to the throne.

The book presumes the reader possesses a good bit of knowledge about the English Civil War. References to individual actors, even the less prominent, are often made without context.

Hill was an active Communist up to 1956 when the repression of the Hungarian Revolt led to disenchantment with the Soviets. He remained a Marxist thereafter, suffered blacklisting, but persevered and saw his career reach its great heights. His personal views do not enter into the matter of his biography of Oliver Cromwell.

This book is not for the beginner looking for an introduction to the English Civil War, but the weekend scholar will find it intriguing, especially his analyses in the closing chapters, especially Cromwell's religious views. (Personally, I enjoyed much more Hill's The World Turned Upside Down: Radical Ideas During the English Revolution (Penguin History), a unique study of the revolution's true radicals: the Diggers, the Ranters, the Levellers.) A must read for anyone with a serious interest in the English Civil War.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Importance of Cromwell, February 1, 2009

By 

Clement Hamer "Finer things in Life" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gods Englishman (Paperback)

Indeed this book is for the more advanced reader in English and European History. As stated by another reviewer the latter part of the book certainly becomes most interesting when comparing Cromwell with subsequent British History and other Revolutions in the world, even when compared to 20th century revolutions and it's leaders. I consider this book more than informative, as the book contains many insights into political,social and economical change, and therefore this book is quite educational. Finally let us not forget that this book stresses the importance of Cromwell, how his role influenced England,Britain and later the world.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dry, assumes you already know quite a bit, December 27, 2009

By 

K Watson (OR United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: God's Englishman Oliver Cromwell and the English Revolution (Paperback)

I don't have a lot to add to the comments of the previous reviewers. Mr. Douglas Wood remarked, "The book presumes the reader possesses a good bit of knowledge about the English Civil War. References to individual actors, even the less prominent, are often made without context." Mr. Clement Hamer added, "Indeed this book is for the more advanced reader in English and European History." I'm just underscoring those remarks and telling you casual readers wanting something compelling and accessible about Cromwell to leave this one for the real students of history who are already very familiar with the historical background. Most of you will be impatient with the author's throwing around names, incidents and issues without explanation, which you've never heard of. For the historian, Hill's book may actually deserve 5 stars. This is NOT your reads-like-a-novel pageturner bringing England's Civil War and its central figure vividly to life. I believe most readers would rate it my 3 stars and many of you lower than that.

You've been forewarned.