History of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland (Paperback)

~ William Cobbett (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Though written by a Protestant (between 1824 and 1827), this book has been repeatedly reprinted by Catholic publishers because of the tremendous light it sheds on English history from Henry VIII (1509) thru George III (1820), showing that England was better off before the Reformation than after. Unabashedly pro-Catholic and a real eye-opener!

Product Details

• Paperback: 406 pages
• Publisher: TAN Books and Publishers (May 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895553538
• ISBN-13: 978-0895553539
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #478,530 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Real Eye-Opener!, November 21, 1997

By A Customer

I enjoyed Cobbett's "History of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland" immensely. It truly was an eye-opener regarding the commonly held notions of this period in British history.

Reading this book, I learned --- among many other surprising things --- that "Bloody Mary" was not really so bloody, that "Good Queen Bess" was not really so good, that the "Glorious Revolution" was not all that glorious, and that maybe England might have been better off had King Henry VIII controlled his passion and greed and left things as he had found them.

If nothing else Cobbett's book provides a fascinating alternative viewpoint to what we learned in school. (And he is not afraid to cite his sources in footnotes so readers may check his accuracy.)

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable, March 29, 2005

By	Brad Shorr "Word Sell, Inc." (Geneva, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Cobbett wrote this energetic and vitriolic history of the Reformation in the early 1800's. It turned conventional wisdom on its head and influenced many high-powered pro-Catholic intellectuals, including Hilaire Belloc and GK Chesterton. Cobbett's basic premise is that the Reformation destroyed the social fabric of England, which had been sewn together so elegantly under nine centuries of Catholic influence and rule. His detailed account of Henry VIII's profligacy, the rapacious deeds of his political heirs and allies, and the havoc they wrought upon the citizenry, especially the poor citizenry, make a supremely convincing argument. Although Cobbett wields a venomous pen, he researched his subject well and appears to have most of his facts straight. And although he interprets the facts in the worst possible light, there is no getting around the one simple fact that greed, lust and hatred motivated many of England's "reformers". Cobbett's style is conversational--as if he were writing you a letter, almost--and is remarkably readable for a work of that period. I think any investigation of the Reformation should include this book!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terribly Important!, March 4, 2007

By	Michael Tozer (Bloomingdale, IL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

William Cobbett's book is extraordinarily well done and terribly important. The author presents the bloody and horrible story of the persecution of Holy Church in England and Ireland from the time of Henry VIII to the reign of George III. This book is even more interesting in light of the fact that it was rendered by a Protestant expositor, who understood the persecution of Holy Church and the devastating impact of that persecution from a political and economic, rather than from a theological, perspective.

Cobbett does an exceptional job of linking together the bloody reformation of Henry VIII with the regicide of Charles I, the usurpation of England's last Catholic monarch, James II, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution. Evidently, Cobbett inspired both Belloc and Chesterton. Those who love the histories of Belloc will be well served by reading Cobbett's important contribution. His description of the ecomomic ramifications of the persecution of Catholicism in the British Isles is astounding. And his identification of the tremendous contributions of Catholicism to the glory that was England is equally important and interesting.

Read this very important book. And be richly blessed, and well informed by the experience.