The Noble Revolt: The Overthrow of Charles I [Hardcover]

John Adamson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 3, 2009

In the 1630s, King Charles I’s efforts to expand royal power caused alarm throughout the British Isles. In England, a small group of noblemen chose to risk their lives and fortunes to stop him. In a magnificent new study of the political crisis during the English Civil War, acclaimed historian John Adamson explores the brilliant strategy of the men who started a movement that would overthrow a king, set three kingdoms ablaze, and lead to a new religious and political order in mainland Britain. 

 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"immensely scholarly and beautifully written book... This is one of the most original and thought-provoking books on the civil war I have yet read." -- SIMON HEFFER THE LITERARY REVIEW "a work of great style and imagination... As with a great 19th-century novel, the story and the characters will become your friends for life." -- ED SMITH THE TIMES "vigorously refutes more than a century of debate on the reasons for Charles's downfall. a good old-fashioned political history." THE SUNDAY TIMES "a monumental achievement. ..a timeless study of the realities of power... John Adamson has given us a masterly account." -- MALCOLM GASKILL THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH "... new and profound, it's an exciting read, full of colour and finely drawn characters. the ten years dedicated to writing it were well spent." -- LEANDA DE LISLE THE SPECTATOR "engaging... he delivers a body blow to recent modes of revisionist analysis." THE DAILY TELEGRAPH "Adamson has fine gifts of characterisation... he has raised his subject to a new level." -- BLAIR WORDEN LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS "excellent... As rigorously close-up historical narrative, this is exemplary stuff." THE GUARDIAN "Adamson's book has much to offer." FINANCIAL TIMES " a daunting range of references and a fluent prose style. This is history at its biggest and boldest." THE FIRST POST "In a charismatic way, Adamson tells the gripping story of those tense days of the 1630s and 1640s... This is revisionism with a scholarly slant." THE GOOD BOOK GUIDE

About the Author

John Adamson is a Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge, and has written extensively on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century political and cultural history. He is a winner of the Royal Historical Society's Alexander Prize and the University of Cambridge's Seeley Medal for History.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 768 pages
• Publisher: WN; 1 edition (March 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0297842625
• ISBN-13: 978-0297842620
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7 x 2.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,664,680 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

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent top view of the events leading up to the civil war, December 24, 2010

By 

agapi2012 (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Noble Revolt: The Overthrow of Charles I (Paperback)

politicians using religion to their own political ends? hmm....sounds familiar??? this book was not only well researched but brilliantly written. not one boring moment. i was really rooting for old charles (warwick and bedford and pym ect were really unlikeable people) but he messed it up everytime. never trust anyone named suckling to orchastrate a jail break! adamson did an amazing job showing the convanenters role and collusion with the junto party and the different political goals at play creating a dizzying billiard ball affect. his analysis of the treason committed by the junto and the need to get rid of strafford was also brilliant. it is a long book, but really, not a problem it's that interesting. really, just overall brilliant, this book deserves more recognition, and not just from a grad student :) if you want a bottom view of what was happening at this time may i reccommend david cressy's england on edge? also well written, very interesting, lots of evidence, overall good read. my 2 favorite books on the events leading up to the civil war.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to put down despite its size, July 30, 2010

By 

Philip Leetch - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Noble Revolt: The Overthrow of Charles I (Paperback)

Magnificent narrative history which develops a most interesting thesis about the nobility and the downfall of Charles I.