Q & A with Goodreads Author Mark Turnbull discussion

For me, it was the English Civil War. Never before had a monarch been murdered in such a judicial and open fashion. Europe seemed so stunned and viewed it with such disbelief that it was left to happen without any interference.

Hi Mark

Ya it was one of the first times a Monarch was overthrown and beheaded to boot! so that was pretty radical. But the scientific revolution was also very important. The works of Isaac Newton, René Descartes and Sir Francis Bacon led to the development of science as we know it today. Then again they were following on from Kepler, Galileo, Copernicus....

The whole period seems woefully overshadowed - it English schools for instance, they stop history at the Gunpowder Plot and then begin it again during the Victorian Industrial Revolution!!

I think the rise of national identity in Europe was an important development. It may not have been THE defining element, but it influenced lots of later things, including the development of imperialism and also the Reformation.

Hi Mark,

I would say it was one of the defining moments in European history. As a monarch was actually beheaded by the people, I think it allowed for the door to open for others who wanted to overthrow the monarch's power. I think that during this time of reformation in religion and society, the divine right of the monarch belief was lost and allowed for a somewhat more democratic society than previously existed.

I am surprised that this era is overlooked in British History as it was such an important time!