Auf ein Miniaturbild klicken, um zu Google Books zu gelangen.
Lädt ... The Noble Revolt: The Overthrow of Charles I (Original 2007; 2010. Auflage)von John Adamson (Autor)
Werk-InformationenThe Noble Revolt: The Overthrow of Charles I von John Adamson (2007)
Keine Lädt ...
Melde dich bei LibraryThing an um herauszufinden, ob du dieses Buch mögen würdest. Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. I am no expert on the English Civil War, but I do understand that this book challenges the traditional schools of thought on it - that it was a change wrought by the increasingly powerful bourgeoisie in the commons, or indeed a result of popular pressure on the streets, or that it was primarily a religious conflict. Adamson argues that while these factors existed, the key years of the early 1640s (this book is very focused in scope and does not discuss the actual course of the Civil War at all) the struggle was between a group of nobles and their supporters and the king. It was about who had power in the political system. The book is persuasive, and while thick with detail, avoids getting bogged down in it and losing the bigger picture. I found the accounts of the events and personalities fascinating; not least the fact that the schoolbook picture of Charles I as a bad (or at least incompetent) king is hard to avoid after reading this account as well. This is an extensive and academic work in scope and tone, but very rewarding. It has also encouraged me to seek out more books on the period and extend my knowledge of it. Zeige 2 von 2 keine Rezensionen | Rezension hinzufügen
Auszeichnungen
A magnificent new study of the political crisis that produced the overthrow of King Charles I, and came to engulf all three Stuart kingdoms - England, Scotland, and Ireland - in war during the 1640s. John Adamson's book traces the careers and fortunes of the small group of English noblemen who risked their lives and fortunes to challenge the king's attempt to create an authoritarian monarchy in the Stuart kingdoms during the 1630s. What was achieved in 1641 astonished - and alarmed - contemporaries: the trial and execution of the king's most powerful minister; a new, and sometimes violent, phase of religious reformation; the drastic curbing of the powers of the Crown; the planning of a major Anglo-Scottish military intervention in the Thirty Years' War. The threat of war was rarely absent and the resort to armed force come to seem a viable, perhaps even the only, means of resolving the conflicts within the Stuart realms. Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
Aktuelle DiskussionenKeineBeliebte Umschlagbilder
Google Books — Lädt ... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)941.062History and Geography Europe British Isles Historical periods of British Isles 1603-1714, House of Stuart and Commonwealth periods 1642-1649, English Civil WarKlassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:
Bist das du?Werde ein LibraryThing-Autor. |
While presented as a work of popular fiction, this is very far from being the ideal introduction to the beginnings of the English Civil War. There is very little in the way of background or context - the reader is plunged into the world of 1639 - and there only a few, very short attempts at biographies of the major players. Instead this is really aimed at presenting other academics and keen students of the period with a new analysis of the civil war which differs from the interpretations presented by the Whigs (part of England's fulfilling of its destiny as a Parliamentary democracy), Marxists (a bourgeois revolution) and the revisionists (it was fundamentally about religion). As is often the case with academics presenting a thesis, this makes the book often repetetive with Adams repeating his points on every occasion that there is a new fact to support them.
As my knowledge of the period is very limited, I did find the book frustrating for that reason. When Adams is describing events he is very good - the trial and execution of Strafford is really well done. He's also pretty good at describing the motivations of the protaganists. However there are parts which are tedious - for example, to make a point he has to list the membership of this or that committee of the Commons, repeating more or ess the same list of names he has listed a few pages earlier in relation to another committee. Some key points aren't explained very well. The denoument arises when Charles issues a call for all members of the Commons and Lords to come to Westminster so that the conservatives can overwhelm the reformists with their superior numbers. As a result the Junto rush through legislation before they can arrive. The reader is left wondering why Charles did not use this trick at any time in the past two years and no explanation is forthcoming.
A quick word about the presentation - superb. Lots of really well-produced plates, well done to the publishers.
7/10 ( )