The Origins of the Scottish Reformation

by Alec Ryrie

The Scottish Reformation of 1560 is one of the most controversial events in Scottish history, and a turning point in the history of Britain and Europe. Yet its origins remain mysterious, buried under competing Catholic and Protestant versions of the story. Drawing on fresh research and recent scholarship, this book provides the first full narrative of the question.

Going beyond the heroic certainties of John Knox, this book recaptures the lived experience of the early Reformation: a bewildering, dangerous and exhilarating period in which Scottish (and British) identity was remade.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published September 5, 2006

About the author

Alec Ryrie is a prize-winning historian of the Reformation and Protestantism. He is the author of Unbelievers: An Emotional History of Doubt and Protestants: The Faith That Made the Modern World. Ryrie is Professor of the History of Christianity at Durham University and Professor of Divinity at Gresham College, London.

Reviews

[Nick]

Detailed and well explained account of the Scottish Reformation, with a focus on the ultimate causes of the stunning transformation of Scotland's cultural, political, and religious landscape in 1559-60. Extremely dense so not for the faint of heart. More detailed review to come, potentially.