What do you think?
Rate this book
Characters of the Reformation: Historical Portraits of the 23 Men and Women and Their Place in the Great Religious Revolution of the 16th Century
This may well be Belloc's most interesting work. It includes Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I, St. Thomas More, Cranmer, Calvin, Mary Tudor ("Bloody Mary"), Mary Stuart ("Queen of Scots"), Cardinal Richelieu and many others--23 in all--analyzing their strengths, weaknesses, motives and mistakes and showing how this or that seemingly insignificant factor actually changed the course of history. An amazing book!
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1936
131 people are currently reading
534 people want to read
About the author
Hilaire Belloc
731 books410 followersPeople considered Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc, French-born British writer, as a master of light English prose and also knew widely his droll verse, especially
The Bad Child's Book of Beasts
in 1896.
Sharp wit of Hilaire Belloc, an historian, poet, and orator, extended across literary output and strong political and religious convictions. Oxford educated this distinguished debater and scholar. Throughout his career, he prolifically across a range of genres and produced histories, essays, travelogues, poetry, and satirical works.
Cautionary Tales for Children collects best humorous yet dark morals, and historical works of Hilaire Belloc often reflected his staunch Catholicism and critique of Protestant interpretations. He led advocates of an economic theory that promotes and championed distribution of small-scale property ownership as a middle ground between capitalism and socialism alongside Gilbert Keith Chesterton, his close friend.
In politics, Hilaire Belloc served as a member of Parliament for the Liberal party, but the establishment disillusioned him. His polemical style and strong opinions made a controversial figure, who particularly viewed modernism, secularism, and financial capitalism as threats to traditional Christian society in his critiques.
Influence and vast literary legacy of Hilaire Belloc extends into historical circles. Erudition, humor, and a forceful rhetorical style characterized intellectual vigor and unique perspective, which people continue to study and to appreciate, on history, society, and human nature.
Sharp wit of Hilaire Belloc, an historian, poet, and orator, extended across literary output and strong political and religious convictions. Oxford educated this distinguished debater and scholar. Throughout his career, he prolifically across a range of genres and produced histories, essays, travelogues, poetry, and satirical works.
Cautionary Tales for Children collects best humorous yet dark morals, and historical works of Hilaire Belloc often reflected his staunch Catholicism and critique of Protestant interpretations. He led advocates of an economic theory that promotes and championed distribution of small-scale property ownership as a middle ground between capitalism and socialism alongside Gilbert Keith Chesterton, his close friend.
In politics, Hilaire Belloc served as a member of Parliament for the Liberal party, but the establishment disillusioned him. His polemical style and strong opinions made a controversial figure, who particularly viewed modernism, secularism, and financial capitalism as threats to traditional Christian society in his critiques.
Influence and vast literary legacy of Hilaire Belloc extends into historical circles. Erudition, humor, and a forceful rhetorical style characterized intellectual vigor and unique perspective, which people continue to study and to appreciate, on history, society, and human nature.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
July 9, 2021
Ladies and gentlemen I do not know if it will give me time to write this review today, because the place where I work closes at 14:00, and I will also leave before, because I want to pay for some books, however, I will try to advance as much as I can in the criticism of which for me (I already knew that it could be a serious candidate to be the best non-fiction book of the year. What I didn't expect is to have read this book at the time I did.) This has been because this book, for me capital has been chosen to be read in the month of August at the Catholic Book Club https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/... . This book was proposed by my friend Professor Manuel Alfonseca (of course I recommend his blog Divulciencia in English and Spanish and his wonderful books of fiction, and non-fiction) https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://divulciencia.blogspot.com/ finally this book tied with"Christus vincit" by Athanasius Scneider https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... (which I do not know how it will be, but an interesting discussion about this book is taking place. Especially in relation to Freemasonry). True that this book"Characters of the Reformation" title that I like more than"Characters of the Reformation" because in fact Characters in English means characters, but Belloc what he does in this book is to make some brilliant and very accomplished semblances of some of the participants in that unfortunate historical moment. That is why I believe that without any doubt this book"Characters of the Reformation" is undoubtedly the best book that Catholic Book Club has chosen this year.
It wasn't a surprise, since Belloc was passionate about the subject, and when he was able to get the diento, or when he had to write about it, he didn't let us down. I certainly do not. So that goodreads users can appreciate how much I liked this book. When I walked into Goodreads to see how the vote had turned out (since I didn't know who had won, and I didn't vote for this book. In fact, it would have been my fourth, or my fifth choice. Which proves the great quality of books we have to choose from. Returning to the topic "Characters of the Reformation" had me from 20:00 on June 20 to 3:00 in the morning of June 21, because I could not stop reading. In contrast to more modern historians John Julius of Norwich https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... , Dan Jones https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (whose thesis in your book of the crusades is today there is jihadist terrorism because of the crusades and the extreme right, and know that yes as I like crusades you are far right), or Neil Price, whose books bored me, and infuriated me in equal parts. In fact in the case of Mr. Price https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (from whose book "Son of elm and ash: A History of the Vikings" I was reading it at the same time as Belloc's book, and I had a few pages left to finish it, but they became eternal https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... and especially despite the methodology, the data, and the methods employed his ideological charge in favor of gender ideology, and attacking Christianity made him hate this book, just like his other two colleagues, but we will talk about that in another review. What I mean by this is that it is a tragedy the cornering of Hilaire Belloc (already Paul Johnson https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9... s https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... and complained this time with reason that G.-K. Chesterton https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... Belloc's brother-in-arms be deferred to english-speaking universities. The same could be said of Hilaire Belloc, which I have always thought, that as a historian he is brighter and more understandable than G.K. Chesterton (and my admired Juan Manuel de Prada in his indispensable new book "A Library in the Oasis" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5..., https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... thinks exactly the same as me on that subject) but the case of Hilaire Belloc is doubly tragic, because political correctness, and the sympathy of the Church with the world has made Belloc has also been cornered, and sacrificed by a certain ecumenism. Some Catholic writers do not hesitate to attack him as is the case of Mariano Fazio https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... in his book "Christians at the Crossroads" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... did not hesitate to hand out democratic cards. While the author praised Mounier https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... Maritain https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... did not hesitate to disqualify Hilaire Belloc, and to label him a fascist). True, the opinion of Fazio (who belongs to Opus Dei) is marginal, but this unfortunately can help us to understand, because such a valuable writer, as Hilaire Belloc is relegated by the Church at the moment, and his works are not republished. At least in the Hispanic landscape. The edition of the book I have read is a Chilean edition from the 50s-60s. Why isn't this writer encouraged to edit, and kept relegated, when he speaks self-evident truths? Only the introduction of the principle in which the author comments and summarizes his work should be a must-read in the faculties of philosophy and letters, or history universities around the world. Rarely has an author shown so much common sense, and so much insight, when it comes to understanding and understanding one of the most important historical phenomena of our age. In it Belloc speaks several truths, such as that the misnamed Reformation, rather the rise of Protestantism is the most important, crucial, and decisive historical question of our time. That the history of the world would not be the same, if Protestantism had been defeated as the Cathars, or Bogomylos, were. That is, the Manichaean heresy. That the fact that they triumphed in England was decisive, I also agree with him on that. Because if England had remained Catholic the history of the world would have been very different. Let us remember that, thanks to the War of the Spanish Succession (1700-1715), (which surely English-speaking users will know as the war of Kings William, and Anne) England became the greatest foreign power, and became the greatest power in the world conditioning development, and the history of humanity and the fact of being an anti-Catholic country favored that Catholicism passed into the background, and could not recover the previous status it had before the beginning of Protestantism. True, and I agree with Belloc that even though the guns favored Protestantism. These would not have achieved their goal, but it would have been by the division of the Catholic powers, and by the betrayal of France (the kingdom of the Most Christian King), which practiced a Gallican policy favoring Catholicism in the interior of the country, but in foreign policy blatantly favored Protestantism by sponsoring what Ernest Lavisse https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...? he called it the politics of state, or "national selfishness." Perhaps one of the very few flaws that can be commented on in this book is that affections, and passions can blind Belloc, and not fully see (remember that Belloc was of French-English-Irish descent son of feminist Bess Parkess and brother of detective novel writer Mary Belloc Lowndes https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ) https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... he is reluctant or does not fully see the flaws of the countries he loves. Hence, he is more benevolent to France, although of course he considers that Henry IV, Richelieu, and Louis XIV were decisive in cementing the triumph and survival of Protestantism. It could also be argued that he does not want to see this issue either. Because of how critical he is of Germany (although prussia is right) he does not realize that perhaps the seeds of the Reformation were already paid, and that it is not entirely the fault of the Germans. As a Professor of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters Dr. Francisco Javier Muñoz Acebes says that Martin Luther had not invented anything. One of the few things that is talked about that he invented the German language with the Brothers Grimm and that this German would come from the chancelleries. This is what Dr. Francisco Javier Muñoz Acebes said, and these assessments of the character are entirely mine. Luther manipulated passages from the Bible, and removed and mutilated texts that did not suit him. He also manipulated for his benefit passages from the founder of his Order St. Augustine of Hippo when these did not fit their purposes. The most intellectual, and brightest part of Protestantism is not even his, but his disciple Philip Melanchthon https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... One of the few Protestant humanists that Protestantism had, because mostly, and contrary to what most historians believe Protestantism is not the consequence of Renaissance humanism, but the reaction against the anthropocentric, neopaganizing spirit of the Renaissance (which did so much damage to Catholicism and was responsible for the corruption, and mundanization of the late Middle Ages). In fact only Philp Melangthon, Walter Sickering, and Ulrich Von Hutten are Renaissance the rest of the Renaissance writers Sebastian Branthttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... , Erasmus of Rotterdam https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., Martin Behaim, Windfeling https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ,Georgius Agricultural https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... , Thomas Murner, https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... even Luther's teacher Reuchlin https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... also paracelsus https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
despite being luther's physicians he was a fan of Luther as he was a devout Catholic, despite his hatred for Galenism and Hippocratic medicine they are not favorable to Protestantism. A lot of what Luther is going to base, and that Hilaire Belloc hasn't put, and that's why I insist so much on this issue is that xenophobia, pan-Germanism, hatred of Rome. It had already been carried out by the Hussites Jan Hus https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... Matthias Janov, and John Milic, but the original does not come from Bohemia, but it is in England where the reformer who will give wings to Luther John Wycliffe, who translated the Bible into English, and is the one who introduces many of the concepts into Lutheranism, and this is what perhaps (at least in this book Belloc does not see). Although I must confess to goodreads users, that I too was wrong, as I thought Wycliffe, https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., it would have penetrated into Bohemia and would have given wings to Husism, which was contemporary to the Lollards, but it was Richard who married Anna of Bohemia, but it is possible that this was the transmission belt. Nor can Protestantism be understood without understanding at the same time the quagning of the investitues, and its consequences, and as Luther used that factor to his advantage, reversing the alliance of Princes with the papacy against the Emperor by Emperor and papacy against the Princes (Luther knew that in the Princes was the key for his rebellion and his attack on Catholicism to triumph). Of course it first involved the people, but Thomas Muntzer (Anabaptist) promised them more 8th he owes himself the phrase that will best define Luther "Luther liar, you say to everything amen"), then to the knights, and when the threat of Ulrich Von Hutten was over he went to the Princes delaying German unification for three hundred years , and also causes it to be the least German part a los judíos, pero luego los persiguió https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... . which is the eastern one that originates in Germany, when it should have been Austria, Rhineland-Westphalia, or Saxony. This division between western Germany and eastern Germany paradoxically prevented the great Germany that Bismarck dreamed of and in which the Habsburgs were working. Without Luther Germany would most likely have become a centralized state like France, Castile and Aragon, and England. In fact, the Luxembourgs, and Maximilian of Habsburg had tried to do it, but it was stopped by Berthold of Eremeberg Archbishop of Mainz, and this German heresiaarch divided and delayed this laudable attempt not to mention that if things had gone well to part of Austria. Quite possibly Bohemians and Hungarians would have been part of this centralised Germany without the racial tensions that would take place in our history. Not to mention that Luther betrayed himself by inciting the persecution of the Anabaptists so he put an end to his tolerant character with what much of the people saw him, and betrayed the Germans. Nor does it speak well of him abandoning his friends Calrlstatdt. He promised tolerance to the Jews, but then persecuted them https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... continues...
It wasn't a surprise, since Belloc was passionate about the subject, and when he was able to get the diento, or when he had to write about it, he didn't let us down. I certainly do not. So that goodreads users can appreciate how much I liked this book. When I walked into Goodreads to see how the vote had turned out (since I didn't know who had won, and I didn't vote for this book. In fact, it would have been my fourth, or my fifth choice. Which proves the great quality of books we have to choose from. Returning to the topic "Characters of the Reformation" had me from 20:00 on June 20 to 3:00 in the morning of June 21, because I could not stop reading. In contrast to more modern historians John Julius of Norwich https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... , Dan Jones https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (whose thesis in your book of the crusades is today there is jihadist terrorism because of the crusades and the extreme right, and know that yes as I like crusades you are far right), or Neil Price, whose books bored me, and infuriated me in equal parts. In fact in the case of Mr. Price https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (from whose book "Son of elm and ash: A History of the Vikings" I was reading it at the same time as Belloc's book, and I had a few pages left to finish it, but they became eternal https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... and especially despite the methodology, the data, and the methods employed his ideological charge in favor of gender ideology, and attacking Christianity made him hate this book, just like his other two colleagues, but we will talk about that in another review. What I mean by this is that it is a tragedy the cornering of Hilaire Belloc (already Paul Johnson https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9... s https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... and complained this time with reason that G.-K. Chesterton https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... Belloc's brother-in-arms be deferred to english-speaking universities. The same could be said of Hilaire Belloc, which I have always thought, that as a historian he is brighter and more understandable than G.K. Chesterton (and my admired Juan Manuel de Prada in his indispensable new book "A Library in the Oasis" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5..., https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... thinks exactly the same as me on that subject) but the case of Hilaire Belloc is doubly tragic, because political correctness, and the sympathy of the Church with the world has made Belloc has also been cornered, and sacrificed by a certain ecumenism. Some Catholic writers do not hesitate to attack him as is the case of Mariano Fazio https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... in his book "Christians at the Crossroads" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... did not hesitate to hand out democratic cards. While the author praised Mounier https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... Maritain https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... did not hesitate to disqualify Hilaire Belloc, and to label him a fascist). True, the opinion of Fazio (who belongs to Opus Dei) is marginal, but this unfortunately can help us to understand, because such a valuable writer, as Hilaire Belloc is relegated by the Church at the moment, and his works are not republished. At least in the Hispanic landscape. The edition of the book I have read is a Chilean edition from the 50s-60s. Why isn't this writer encouraged to edit, and kept relegated, when he speaks self-evident truths? Only the introduction of the principle in which the author comments and summarizes his work should be a must-read in the faculties of philosophy and letters, or history universities around the world. Rarely has an author shown so much common sense, and so much insight, when it comes to understanding and understanding one of the most important historical phenomena of our age. In it Belloc speaks several truths, such as that the misnamed Reformation, rather the rise of Protestantism is the most important, crucial, and decisive historical question of our time. That the history of the world would not be the same, if Protestantism had been defeated as the Cathars, or Bogomylos, were. That is, the Manichaean heresy. That the fact that they triumphed in England was decisive, I also agree with him on that. Because if England had remained Catholic the history of the world would have been very different. Let us remember that, thanks to the War of the Spanish Succession (1700-1715), (which surely English-speaking users will know as the war of Kings William, and Anne) England became the greatest foreign power, and became the greatest power in the world conditioning development, and the history of humanity and the fact of being an anti-Catholic country favored that Catholicism passed into the background, and could not recover the previous status it had before the beginning of Protestantism. True, and I agree with Belloc that even though the guns favored Protestantism. These would not have achieved their goal, but it would have been by the division of the Catholic powers, and by the betrayal of France (the kingdom of the Most Christian King), which practiced a Gallican policy favoring Catholicism in the interior of the country, but in foreign policy blatantly favored Protestantism by sponsoring what Ernest Lavisse https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...? he called it the politics of state, or "national selfishness." Perhaps one of the very few flaws that can be commented on in this book is that affections, and passions can blind Belloc, and not fully see (remember that Belloc was of French-English-Irish descent son of feminist Bess Parkess and brother of detective novel writer Mary Belloc Lowndes https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ) https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... he is reluctant or does not fully see the flaws of the countries he loves. Hence, he is more benevolent to France, although of course he considers that Henry IV, Richelieu, and Louis XIV were decisive in cementing the triumph and survival of Protestantism. It could also be argued that he does not want to see this issue either. Because of how critical he is of Germany (although prussia is right) he does not realize that perhaps the seeds of the Reformation were already paid, and that it is not entirely the fault of the Germans. As a Professor of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters Dr. Francisco Javier Muñoz Acebes says that Martin Luther had not invented anything. One of the few things that is talked about that he invented the German language with the Brothers Grimm and that this German would come from the chancelleries. This is what Dr. Francisco Javier Muñoz Acebes said, and these assessments of the character are entirely mine. Luther manipulated passages from the Bible, and removed and mutilated texts that did not suit him. He also manipulated for his benefit passages from the founder of his Order St. Augustine of Hippo when these did not fit their purposes. The most intellectual, and brightest part of Protestantism is not even his, but his disciple Philip Melanchthon https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... One of the few Protestant humanists that Protestantism had, because mostly, and contrary to what most historians believe Protestantism is not the consequence of Renaissance humanism, but the reaction against the anthropocentric, neopaganizing spirit of the Renaissance (which did so much damage to Catholicism and was responsible for the corruption, and mundanization of the late Middle Ages). In fact only Philp Melangthon, Walter Sickering, and Ulrich Von Hutten are Renaissance the rest of the Renaissance writers Sebastian Branthttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... , Erasmus of Rotterdam https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., Martin Behaim, Windfeling https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ,Georgius Agricultural https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... , Thomas Murner, https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... even Luther's teacher Reuchlin https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... also paracelsus https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
despite being luther's physicians he was a fan of Luther as he was a devout Catholic, despite his hatred for Galenism and Hippocratic medicine they are not favorable to Protestantism. A lot of what Luther is going to base, and that Hilaire Belloc hasn't put, and that's why I insist so much on this issue is that xenophobia, pan-Germanism, hatred of Rome. It had already been carried out by the Hussites Jan Hus https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... Matthias Janov, and John Milic, but the original does not come from Bohemia, but it is in England where the reformer who will give wings to Luther John Wycliffe, who translated the Bible into English, and is the one who introduces many of the concepts into Lutheranism, and this is what perhaps (at least in this book Belloc does not see). Although I must confess to goodreads users, that I too was wrong, as I thought Wycliffe, https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., it would have penetrated into Bohemia and would have given wings to Husism, which was contemporary to the Lollards, but it was Richard who married Anna of Bohemia, but it is possible that this was the transmission belt. Nor can Protestantism be understood without understanding at the same time the quagning of the investitues, and its consequences, and as Luther used that factor to his advantage, reversing the alliance of Princes with the papacy against the Emperor by Emperor and papacy against the Princes (Luther knew that in the Princes was the key for his rebellion and his attack on Catholicism to triumph). Of course it first involved the people, but Thomas Muntzer (Anabaptist) promised them more 8th he owes himself the phrase that will best define Luther "Luther liar, you say to everything amen"), then to the knights, and when the threat of Ulrich Von Hutten was over he went to the Princes delaying German unification for three hundred years , and also causes it to be the least German part a los judíos, pero luego los persiguió https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... . which is the eastern one that originates in Germany, when it should have been Austria, Rhineland-Westphalia, or Saxony. This division between western Germany and eastern Germany paradoxically prevented the great Germany that Bismarck dreamed of and in which the Habsburgs were working. Without Luther Germany would most likely have become a centralized state like France, Castile and Aragon, and England. In fact, the Luxembourgs, and Maximilian of Habsburg had tried to do it, but it was stopped by Berthold of Eremeberg Archbishop of Mainz, and this German heresiaarch divided and delayed this laudable attempt not to mention that if things had gone well to part of Austria. Quite possibly Bohemians and Hungarians would have been part of this centralised Germany without the racial tensions that would take place in our history. Not to mention that Luther betrayed himself by inciting the persecution of the Anabaptists so he put an end to his tolerant character with what much of the people saw him, and betrayed the Germans. Nor does it speak well of him abandoning his friends Calrlstatdt. He promised tolerance to the Jews, but then persecuted them https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... continues...
July 3, 2021
3,5 stars.
ENGLISH: Although in theory this book deals with the Reformation (the Protestant movement in Europe), it is clearly unbalanced, for of its 23 characters, 15 have a direct relation with English history, 5 with France, and just 3 with the rest of Europe: Ferdinand II, Emperor of the Sacred Roman-German Empire; Pope Clement VII, who had to deal with Henry VIII's request for a divorce; and king Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden.
I missed some Spanish characters. Although Emperor Charles V and Philip II are mentioned in several of the mini-biographies, I think they deserve a chapter, in the context of the book. In fact, the book being rather short and containing 23 mini-biographies, it would have been appropriate that, even though making it somewhat longer, there would have been 25.
Perhaps the best of the book is its first chapter (Nature of the Reformation), which offers a very good introduction to the Philosophy of History, as regards what happened in Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In fact, this is a good summary of the corresponding part of the book Europe and the Faith, by the same author.
ESPAÑOL: Aunque en teoría este libro trata sobre la Reforma (el movimiento protestante en Europa), está claramente desequilibrado, ya que de sus 23 personajes, 15 tienen una relación directa con la historia de Inglaterra, 5 con Francia y solo 3 con el resto de Europa: Fernando II, Emperador del Sagrado Imperio Romano-Germánico; el Papa Clemente VII, quien tuvo que lidiar con la solicitud de divorcio de Enrique VIII; y el rey Gustavo Adolfo de Suecia.
Eché de menos algún personaje español. Aunque el Emperador Carlos V y Felipe II son mencionados en varias de las mini-biografías, creo que se merecen un capítulo, en el contexto del libro. De hecho, siendo este bastante corto, y conteniendo 23 mini-biografías, habría sido adecuado que, aunque el libro fuese algo más largo, estas hubiesen sido 25.
Quizá lo mejor del libro sea su primer capítulo (Naturaleza de la Reforma), que ofrece una buena introducción a la Filosofía de la Historia, enfocada a la de Europa en los siglos XVI y XVII. De hecho, este es un buen resumen de la parte correspondiente del libro Europe and the Faith, del mismo autor.
ENGLISH: Although in theory this book deals with the Reformation (the Protestant movement in Europe), it is clearly unbalanced, for of its 23 characters, 15 have a direct relation with English history, 5 with France, and just 3 with the rest of Europe: Ferdinand II, Emperor of the Sacred Roman-German Empire; Pope Clement VII, who had to deal with Henry VIII's request for a divorce; and king Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden.
I missed some Spanish characters. Although Emperor Charles V and Philip II are mentioned in several of the mini-biographies, I think they deserve a chapter, in the context of the book. In fact, the book being rather short and containing 23 mini-biographies, it would have been appropriate that, even though making it somewhat longer, there would have been 25.
Perhaps the best of the book is its first chapter (Nature of the Reformation), which offers a very good introduction to the Philosophy of History, as regards what happened in Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In fact, this is a good summary of the corresponding part of the book Europe and the Faith, by the same author.
ESPAÑOL: Aunque en teoría este libro trata sobre la Reforma (el movimiento protestante en Europa), está claramente desequilibrado, ya que de sus 23 personajes, 15 tienen una relación directa con la historia de Inglaterra, 5 con Francia y solo 3 con el resto de Europa: Fernando II, Emperador del Sagrado Imperio Romano-Germánico; el Papa Clemente VII, quien tuvo que lidiar con la solicitud de divorcio de Enrique VIII; y el rey Gustavo Adolfo de Suecia.
Eché de menos algún personaje español. Aunque el Emperador Carlos V y Felipe II son mencionados en varias de las mini-biografías, creo que se merecen un capítulo, en el contexto del libro. De hecho, siendo este bastante corto, y conteniendo 23 mini-biografías, habría sido adecuado que, aunque el libro fuese algo más largo, estas hubiesen sido 25.
Quizá lo mejor del libro sea su primer capítulo (Naturaleza de la Reforma), que ofrece una buena introducción a la Filosofía de la Historia, enfocada a la de Europa en los siglos XVI y XVII. De hecho, este es un buen resumen de la parte correspondiente del libro Europe and the Faith, del mismo autor.
June 30, 2019
I thought I passably knew about this area concerning British history. I was wrong. Belloc has some really great insights here and his list of people involved has some surprises.
February 11, 2019
The book is (obviously) aggressively from the Catholic historical perspective, and Belloc is not out to make friends. While all of the chapters - 23, each one on an historical figure - are important, the latter half of the book loses some steam. His chapter on Queen Elizabeth I makes it worth it!
Some of his sentences were genuinely confusing, and there were several (what I suspect were) typesetting quirks that did not help comprehension. It's not my favorite book by Belloc, but it's a relief to read anything about the Protestant Reformation that's not blatantly anti-Catholic.
Some of his sentences were genuinely confusing, and there were several (what I suspect were) typesetting quirks that did not help comprehension. It's not my favorite book by Belloc, but it's a relief to read anything about the Protestant Reformation that's not blatantly anti-Catholic.
March 24, 2021
This book should be on the bookshelf of anyone who is serious about understanding the protestant reformation and its impact, especially within the United Kingdom. Until a few years ago, I believed that the reason the church of England left the Catholic Church was because they examined scripture and came to a reasoned conclusion that the Catholic Church was doing things the wrong way. I was incorrect on all levels! I begin to understand the truth while reading a couple of biographies about Henry the eighth and the first Queen Elizabeth of England. Still, I really hadn’t thought through all of the ramifications of the choices that Henry and his children made regarding the church. Then, during the 500th anniversary of the reformation, I began to listen to several podcasts that described the teaching of the reformers, and I began to see that the church of England under Henry and Elizabeth really wasn’t a fully reformed church but was almost a second Catholic Church with the monarch as pope.
Just before Christmas last year, a friend asked me to read this book and let him know what I think of it. It took me a long time to finish because I had some deaths in my family that distracted me. However, after finishing the book, I see that history didn’t work the way I thought it did at all in regard to England. My first reaction is to feel emotionally appalled and disgusted by the fact that hundreds of thousands of people were put to death so that king Henry could throw away his wife and shack up with a new woman. That really is what it boils down to. Then his daughter Mary lashed out at those people who excepted the church of England, killing even more people. None of this had anything to do with the Scriptures and what they actually say. Having said that, I can kind of sympathize with Mary since she was rejected by her father and then was not wanted by her own husband. I believe she worked so hard to purify the church in the hope that she could win her husband‘s approval and somehow receive forgiveness or vindication from the Lord. On the logical side, now I think I understand why England was so irritated with the Puritans and the Baptists. They were protestants, but they didn’t go along with the church of England either. What a sad mess!
Just before Christmas last year, a friend asked me to read this book and let him know what I think of it. It took me a long time to finish because I had some deaths in my family that distracted me. However, after finishing the book, I see that history didn’t work the way I thought it did at all in regard to England. My first reaction is to feel emotionally appalled and disgusted by the fact that hundreds of thousands of people were put to death so that king Henry could throw away his wife and shack up with a new woman. That really is what it boils down to. Then his daughter Mary lashed out at those people who excepted the church of England, killing even more people. None of this had anything to do with the Scriptures and what they actually say. Having said that, I can kind of sympathize with Mary since she was rejected by her father and then was not wanted by her own husband. I believe she worked so hard to purify the church in the hope that she could win her husband‘s approval and somehow receive forgiveness or vindication from the Lord. On the logical side, now I think I understand why England was so irritated with the Puritans and the Baptists. They were protestants, but they didn’t go along with the church of England either. What a sad mess!
August 19, 2021
This is a history book about the Reformation in Europe, and particularly in Britain, in which each chapter tells the life of a key character in less than 10 pages. This unusual format gives a very clear picture of all the sides of the issue.
The first 8 characters are directly related to Henry VIII and his break from the Catholic Church: the king himself, his wife Catherine, Ann Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell, St Thomas More, the Pope, bishop Cranmer and Gardiner. Next comes what happened after Henry VIII’s death: Mary Tudor, Queen Elizabeth, Mary Stuart, William Cecil, the king of France Henry IV and James I of England. Finally, the next 9 characters focus more on the rest of Europe: Ferdinand II, Gustavus Adolphus, Richelieu, Laud, Oliver Cromwell, Descartes, Pascal, William of Orange and Louis XIV.
The first 8 characters are directly related to Henry VIII and his break from the Catholic Church: the king himself, his wife Catherine, Ann Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell, St Thomas More, the Pope, bishop Cranmer and Gardiner. Next comes what happened after Henry VIII’s death: Mary Tudor, Queen Elizabeth, Mary Stuart, William Cecil, the king of France Henry IV and James I of England. Finally, the next 9 characters focus more on the rest of Europe: Ferdinand II, Gustavus Adolphus, Richelieu, Laud, Oliver Cromwell, Descartes, Pascal, William of Orange and Louis XIV.
July 12, 2014
Profound, poignant, erudite: Belloc on the tragedy of the Reformation and the loss of Christendom.
For anyone interested, much more on this theme can also be found in various pieces in the Belloc section of my site: http://corjesusacratissimum.org/tag/h... ...
O Belloc! O Christendom! ...
For anyone interested, much more on this theme can also be found in various pieces in the Belloc section of my site: http://corjesusacratissimum.org/tag/h... ...
O Belloc! O Christendom! ...
November 4, 2017
Although this book may include information known to many, I am just getting into really studying all this history (or at least trying to remember what I once knew...). I thought it was very readable, I love that a chapter involves a single person so that I can refer back to an individual easily, and overall it is just a springboard to a dizzying array of other related topics....
September 29, 2021
I enjoyed this, my first of Belloc. I may be in the minority, but I like his style of writing much better than Chesterton. I thought I knew a fair bit of the history of the reformation, but I apparently didn't.
November 7, 2021
belloc lowkey a sassy man
September 12, 2021
As once a student of English Literature, I should have studied English history concurrently with the progress of English literary development. As it happened though, the professors the professors obscured English history in my formal studies in legendary hearsay. What infiltrated into literature was the Protestant version of history. This is especially applicable to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Yes, as Belloc indicates these politically guided writers created the “Elizabethan Age” and acclaimed it denying its reign of terror, land and money grabbing. Their descendants even now live off the spoils of the previous England that was before their ancestors tore it up in the sixteenth century.
June 18, 2017
Hilaire Belloc gives a counterbalance to the traditional Protestant point of view of The Reformation. He gives excellent sketches of the main characters that influenced The Reformation. I had not known much of the political nature of what led up to the break from the Catholic Church and was amazed at how much politics and money influenced the decisions that led to that break !! This is an excellent book ... a necessary read, especially if one is a Protestant and wants to truly see The Reformation in its proper light.
Read
January 3, 2009Whew! The author is plainly Catholic and on the side of the Church, but he gives lots of great details. Most poignant moment for me was realizing people who were merely poor when the Church was in charge were completely destitute after the Reformation (the Catholic Church had lots of public works like hospitals, food banks, schools - the Reformers looted everything they could find to line their own pockets and build their personal wealth, leaving poor people to fend for themselves).
April 6, 2018
I found this an interesting break down of all the key figures from the Protestant Reformation. Belloc's explanations are clear and accessible, if a bit biased. I started reading this book when I was teaching A Man for All Seasons, and this would be a good resource for explanations regarding those characters. The thing that bothered me the most was the lack of sources. I know Belloc was writing in a different time, but I really wanted to know where some of his information came from.
March 14, 2016
Short bios of important figures. Well written. I learned a lot about something an area where I'm totally ignorant.
October 30, 2023
This author is an idiot who doesn't know how to write, period. His ad hominem attacks don't work. All he does is draw attention to his own opinions and they are not well founded. He considers QE1 a useless and weak monarch dominated by the men around her. Anyone who is not Catholic he treats with disgust. I read this for a class and when telling us about his book, the priest presenting the class called Belloc the greatest Catholic historian of the 20th century.
June 30, 2017
Hilaire Belloc was a Catholic, who is considered one of the most prolific writers in Englad during the 20th Century. He collaborated with G.K. Chesterton a fair bit, and one of his most well-known books is Cautionary Tales for Children, which are basically stories to scare your kids straight. As awesomely horrible as those stories are, today I'd like to tell you about one of his historical works - Characters of the Reformation.
Characters of the Reformation begins by talking about the significance of the Reformation. Belloc says that it was "the most important thing in history since the foundation of the Catholic Church." There are also brief paragraphs in this opening chapter, which identify the key players and set the stage for the coming individual chapters that will go into greater detail. We then are presented with the 23 people Belloc believes to be the most important during the Reformation.
The first person we encounter is King Henry VIII. Belloc describes how Henry sought an annulment from Catherine in order to marry Anne Boleyn. However, the annulment was not granted and sycophants encouraged him to go through with the marriage anyhow. Belloc speculates (probably correctly) that if King Henry VIII would have not followed his passions, then the Reformation would have died out in England first, followed quickly by the rest of Europe. Belloc then dedicates individual chapters to each of the two women just mentioned. Catherine was most likely abandoned by her lack of ability to produce a son, and Anne, unattractive as she was, had the ability to get men to be at her beck and call. The next two chapters contrast the two Thomases - Cromwell and More. The former was a flatterer to the King and made him a "pope" in England. The latter tried to serve as an absolute moral compass, but was not listened to, sadly. We also see the figures Pope Clement VII, Mary Tudor, Queen Elizabeth I, Descartes, and Pascal to name a few.
Each chapter in this book is more fascinating than the next. In addition, to getting a portrait of each of these important historical figures, we get an understanding of the part they played in the Reformation. What I like best about this book is that he looks at figures from both sides of the event, Catholic and Protestant. Now, granted, he has a strong Catholic bias, but that is to be expected, and if you know it going into it, you can read the book through that lens. He also omits/ignores the Eastern Orthodox Churches, when saying that if the Reformation had not occurred, there would only be the Catholic Church. Those weaknesses aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it was not a dry presentation of dates and facts, but made the time come alive. If you would like to know more about the Reformation, I highly recommend this book!
This book was provided to me for free by Ignatius Press in exchange for an honest review.
Characters of the Reformation begins by talking about the significance of the Reformation. Belloc says that it was "the most important thing in history since the foundation of the Catholic Church." There are also brief paragraphs in this opening chapter, which identify the key players and set the stage for the coming individual chapters that will go into greater detail. We then are presented with the 23 people Belloc believes to be the most important during the Reformation.
The first person we encounter is King Henry VIII. Belloc describes how Henry sought an annulment from Catherine in order to marry Anne Boleyn. However, the annulment was not granted and sycophants encouraged him to go through with the marriage anyhow. Belloc speculates (probably correctly) that if King Henry VIII would have not followed his passions, then the Reformation would have died out in England first, followed quickly by the rest of Europe. Belloc then dedicates individual chapters to each of the two women just mentioned. Catherine was most likely abandoned by her lack of ability to produce a son, and Anne, unattractive as she was, had the ability to get men to be at her beck and call. The next two chapters contrast the two Thomases - Cromwell and More. The former was a flatterer to the King and made him a "pope" in England. The latter tried to serve as an absolute moral compass, but was not listened to, sadly. We also see the figures Pope Clement VII, Mary Tudor, Queen Elizabeth I, Descartes, and Pascal to name a few.
Each chapter in this book is more fascinating than the next. In addition, to getting a portrait of each of these important historical figures, we get an understanding of the part they played in the Reformation. What I like best about this book is that he looks at figures from both sides of the event, Catholic and Protestant. Now, granted, he has a strong Catholic bias, but that is to be expected, and if you know it going into it, you can read the book through that lens. He also omits/ignores the Eastern Orthodox Churches, when saying that if the Reformation had not occurred, there would only be the Catholic Church. Those weaknesses aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it was not a dry presentation of dates and facts, but made the time come alive. If you would like to know more about the Reformation, I highly recommend this book!
This book was provided to me for free by Ignatius Press in exchange for an honest review.
August 3, 2011
Hilaire Belloc: a great writer with a mean witty style which is a joy to read. This book was an eye opener, a brain filler and immensely enjoyable to read as History fascinates me. It presents written portraits of some of the most important historical characters of the time of the Protestant Reformation. This includes figures such as Blaise Pascal whom you would not have thought to be involved in the Reformation, however Belloc presents the view that this was a time when the culture and thinking of people many regions in Europe underwent monumental change. This is not just the dry facts but a fleshing out of the people as people in their time and situations, through the common sense and psychological insight of a gifted observer of people and life. Each Character is examined in their own brief self-contained essay which makes it ideal for reading when you don't have the time for a whole book. If you have any interest in History in General or this Period in Particular i recommend this book to you as well worth reading. Whether or not you agree with his perspective and reasoning in forming these portraits, his style and method of presenting the past is, i feel, a great addition to the Libraries of anyone who wishes to Understand. That his perspective is often contrary to the common view and understanding of his subjects aids the effort to find the Truth of History and not just a Preferred Majority View of it.
September 12, 2019
I truly enjoyed Belloc's thorough research on the key influences of the Reformation period in England. From the selfish actions of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn against Catherine of Aragon and Rome, the birth of nationalism after King James I and Ferdinand II, the influence of Richelieu that led to the treatment of religion as a private matter, Oliver Cromwell and his Puritans who caused the emergence of capitalism which still affects our economies today through a "rising of the rich against the poor" and mercantilism, Rene Descartes whose philosophy of rationalism led to the narrow view of science held today among so many scholars, Blaise Pascal's philosophy which led to the idea of emotionalism, and John Calvin's religion which still divides France today and many continents regarding Protestantism and Catholicism. What a great study and descriptive analysis!
November 21, 2009
It's often difficult to get beyond the blind fury of Belloc's chip-on-the-shoulder brand of Catholicism. Dante-like Belloc stops just short of consigning several of these historical figures to the flames of eternal perdition for severing his beloved England from the Catholic Church, thereby depriving his countrymen, it would seem, from attaining the beatific vision. Belloc's axe is just too big here to enjoy much of the grinding.
March 26, 2020
A great book, gives you the reformation without the "heroism" of the protestant figures that many were taught in schools. Enlightens us very directly on the moral indifference (or worse) of much of the leading protestant of the time.
August 21, 2025
Reading Hilaire Belloc’s Characters of the Reformation as an Italian who is not Catholic but who graduated in English and French literature, I found myself pulled in two directions: admiration for the energy of his prose, and skepticism toward the narrowness of his vision.
Belloc’s English style is crisp and forceful, often polemical but never dull. He writes history as though it were a series of dramatic encounters, and his portraits of Henry VIII, Elizabeth, or Cranmer have the vividness of literary caricature. In this sense, his book sits closer to the French moralist tradition—think La Rochefoucauld or Saint-Simon—than to modern historiography. As a literary object, it is rewarding: his sketches are memorable, the pacing brisk, and the moral judgments unambiguous.
Yet Belloc’s approach raises problems. His narrative is unapologetically Catholic in its assumptions, casting the Reformation as a catastrophe for England and for Christendom at large. From the perspective of historical scholarship, this is highly reductive. It ignores the complexity of religious, political, and social transformations, flattening them into a morality tale. Later continental scholarship—such as Lucien Febvre’s analysis of Luther’s religious world or Alessandro Barbero’s studies of the social and political fabric of early modern Europe—has shown just how multi-faceted this era was. Against such nuanced work, Belloc’s book reads more like a polemical intervention than a balanced account.
As an Italian, I cannot help but see Belloc’s story as very English. In Italy, the Reformation was not experienced as a national rupture but as part of the broader drama of the Counter-Reformation, which produced both constraints and extraordinary artistic achievements. For Belloc, however, the Reformation represents a wound, a cultural trauma, and he writes with the fervor of someone defending a lost inheritance. His vision therefore reveals less about Europe as a whole and more about the position of Catholics in the Anglophone world of his time: embattled, self-conscious, and eager to provide a counter-history to Protestant triumphalism.
And yet, I cannot dismiss the book outright. There is a kind of rhetorical grandeur in Belloc’s certainty, an almost classical force in his sweeping judgments. He writes as if he were fashioning characters for a novel or a play, giving us not history in the modern sense but history as moral drama.
I think Characters of the Reformation is best read not for factual authority but as a cultural document: an artifact of early twentieth-century Catholic apologetics, written in prose that reveals Belloc’s literary gifts as much as his biases. For readers outside Catholicism—and for Italians, whose experience of the Reformation was altogether different—it can be exasperating, but also illuminating. It shows us how the memory of the Reformation still shaped English identity in ways we might otherwise overlook.
Four stars.
Belloc’s English style is crisp and forceful, often polemical but never dull. He writes history as though it were a series of dramatic encounters, and his portraits of Henry VIII, Elizabeth, or Cranmer have the vividness of literary caricature. In this sense, his book sits closer to the French moralist tradition—think La Rochefoucauld or Saint-Simon—than to modern historiography. As a literary object, it is rewarding: his sketches are memorable, the pacing brisk, and the moral judgments unambiguous.
Yet Belloc’s approach raises problems. His narrative is unapologetically Catholic in its assumptions, casting the Reformation as a catastrophe for England and for Christendom at large. From the perspective of historical scholarship, this is highly reductive. It ignores the complexity of religious, political, and social transformations, flattening them into a morality tale. Later continental scholarship—such as Lucien Febvre’s analysis of Luther’s religious world or Alessandro Barbero’s studies of the social and political fabric of early modern Europe—has shown just how multi-faceted this era was. Against such nuanced work, Belloc’s book reads more like a polemical intervention than a balanced account.
As an Italian, I cannot help but see Belloc’s story as very English. In Italy, the Reformation was not experienced as a national rupture but as part of the broader drama of the Counter-Reformation, which produced both constraints and extraordinary artistic achievements. For Belloc, however, the Reformation represents a wound, a cultural trauma, and he writes with the fervor of someone defending a lost inheritance. His vision therefore reveals less about Europe as a whole and more about the position of Catholics in the Anglophone world of his time: embattled, self-conscious, and eager to provide a counter-history to Protestant triumphalism.
And yet, I cannot dismiss the book outright. There is a kind of rhetorical grandeur in Belloc’s certainty, an almost classical force in his sweeping judgments. He writes as if he were fashioning characters for a novel or a play, giving us not history in the modern sense but history as moral drama.
I think Characters of the Reformation is best read not for factual authority but as a cultural document: an artifact of early twentieth-century Catholic apologetics, written in prose that reveals Belloc’s literary gifts as much as his biases. For readers outside Catholicism—and for Italians, whose experience of the Reformation was altogether different—it can be exasperating, but also illuminating. It shows us how the memory of the Reformation still shaped English identity in ways we might otherwise overlook.
Four stars.
April 22, 2024
This is not a history book with lots of footnotes. These are instead character sketches that try to reveal the importance of one of these individuals in the story of the Protestant reformation and the Catholic counter reformation. Some of the characters were well known to me (Henry VIII for example) and some unknown (Laud and the Cecils). The broad brush sketches sometimes left me wanting more, but they usually gave me much food for thought. Belloc tries to go against the received opinion written by the Protestants, by and large, which emphasizes certain things and omits other aspects. I was surprised by some of these insights, such as the one that gave most of the power in
Elizabeth's reign to William Cecil and the merchant class that he represented, and not to Elizabeth. I also found his insights and choice of pairing Descartes and Pascal as two extremes that played out into the modern day - one of rationalism, the other of emotionalism. I found many of Belloc's insights to be profound and interesting.
Elizabeth's reign to William Cecil and the merchant class that he represented, and not to Elizabeth. I also found his insights and choice of pairing Descartes and Pascal as two extremes that played out into the modern day - one of rationalism, the other of emotionalism. I found many of Belloc's insights to be profound and interesting.
March 5, 2019
Definitely one of the strangest books I have ever read and rated. The historical research is first-rate and gives the reader a unique look into the world of the reformation time period. Having said that, I have never read a more unbalanced approach to historical writing in my life. Every Roman Catholic is approved of as being nearly perfect, while every Protestant, no matter how successful, is treated with almost complete contempt. Solid research is destroyed by an agenda that is so over the top that it is at time very funny. Not a complete waste of time, but pretty close.
October 8, 2018
If you want to read a book that won't give you the standard "Whig Interpretation of History" concerning the Reformation, this is a good place to start. Belloc covers the major players, Catholic and Protestant, explaining the part that each played in the division of Europe into Protestant and Catholic camps.
November 26, 2018
"Old Thunder's" take on the Reformation. Naturally, he was not in favor of it. This collection of mini biographies of the principal players of the 15th and 16th Centuries is very entertaining. His writing is rapier sharp. The work appears to be well researched and presents the Catholic view of the English Reformation.
October 23, 2018
Lucky protestants
I have read a few books on the Reformation, this one is basically a Catholic point of view. It seems to me that there was a unknown at work and history was made through a series of time and mistakes in favor of the protestant movement.
I have read a few books on the Reformation, this one is basically a Catholic point of view. It seems to me that there was a unknown at work and history was made through a series of time and mistakes in favor of the protestant movement.
March 1, 2019
A very interesting and thought provoking book. I only wish it was longer.
April 21, 2019
A remarkable work.
April 28, 2020
Great, short overview. A little repetitive at the end.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews