The Sixteenth Century: 1485-1603

by Patrick Collinson (Editor)

This volume provides a sophisticated yet accessible account of the transformation of the British Isles in the sixteenth century. Six thematic chapters explore the changes in the English monarchical polity, ranging widely to consider the new relationships between the different parts of the British Isles and the establishment of a national, royal, and protestant church. Separate chapters consider Britain's overseas role; the economy and society; and the literary and cultural development in this period which felt the impact of the English Bible and Shakespeare.

Genres: History

306 pages, Paperback

First published December 6, 2001

About the author

Professor Patrick Collinson was a distinguished and much published author in the field of early modern history. A Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge since 1988, he was Regius Professor of History at the University until 1996. He also held a number of academic distinctions, including Fellowship of the British Academy.

Collinson authored his 1957 doctorate on Elizabethan Puritanism under J. E. Neale, and was a lecturer at the University of Khartoum and King's College London. He was professor at the University of Sydney in 1969, then at the University of Kent at Canterbury and the University of Sheffield. His 1967 monograph, The Elizabethan Puritan Movement, had a great impact on historians' understanding of the movement. The work showed Puritanism to be a significant force within the Elizabethan Church instead of merely a radical group of individuals. By the time of his retirement in 1996, he was one of the doyens of English Reformation history. His short summation of the period, The Reformation, was published in 2003.
Collinson's work laid the foundations, in many ways, for what historians of the English Reformation currently term the 'Calvinist Consensus' in the latter decades of the sixteenth and reign of James I/VI. As such, the belief Puritanism was anything but religiously radical in relation to English, and indeed British, culture stands as one of his great achievements as an historian.

Reviews

[AskHistorians]

A fantastic collection of essays relating to the Tudors including some really insightful ones on culture, religion, and the fringe areas of the British Isles - great for both dipping in for short chapter-length essays but also for detailed study.

[Bookthesp1]

The Short Oxford History of the British Isles ( perhaps a series a little under the radar)usefully focuses on regions in this volume at least and its good to
See coverage of Wales, Scotland and Ireland at the forefront - literally with a lovely cover picture of George 5th Lord of Seton and Family from the Scottish National portrait gallery.

This is usefully not a chronological study ( there are plenty of those from John Guy; Elton and more recently Lucy Wooding)
This book was published way back in 2002 and is comprised of thematic articles by leading writers then ( and still now )
So we have chapters on the economy; the limits of the English Crown within the Isles ; religious changes; models of monarchy and state; the renaissance in Britain and Britain in Europe and the wider world written by some nifty writers such as Simon Adams, John Guy and Diarmaid MacCulloch.
The whole thing is nicely edited/ bookended by the excellent Patrick Collinson.

The articles vary in quality and readability but all
Have nuggets which make you think or want to pursue leads.
Whether it be Wolseys complete disregard for ranking ( he ran a monastery without being a monk ) or Davison’s fate when imprisoned by Elizabeth 1 after the execution of Mary Queen of Scot’s or the machinations of foreign policy in the time of Henry V111 ( he hated the new fangled handguns so the inevitable arms race came later ) there is a huge amount to think about. Some fine connections are drawn between the nations - there is no much fabled “ our island story” so says Simon Adams As Britain is an archipelago ( not so catchy) …..

The bibliography is pretty good if you remember that there has been a continuing deluge since publication though footnotes of some sources do not appear in the bibliography which is odd - for example I had to look up a book by Jonathan Scott ( Englands Troubles) which was quoted and referenced but not listed at the end - a little sloppy.
There are excellent maps and a very useful glossary.
In short this was better than I had hoped and still seems to be one of the better collections of articles on this period - a long sixteenth century beginning in 1485 …

Recommended but don’t always expect an easy read !! Well worth the effort though !! There is actual nuance and thought ful History - a pleasure not reflected in social media or some more “ popular history books - nuance !!! Ah I’ve missed you !!