The Penguin History of Britain, Vol. 5) New Worlds, Lost Worlds - The Rule of the Tudors, 1485-1603 (2006)

No period in British history today retains more resonance and mystery than the sixteenth century. The leading figures of the time have become almost mythical, and the terrors and grandeurs of Tudor Britain have resonance with even the least historically minded readers. Above all Brigden sees the key to the Tudor world as religion - the new world of Protestantism and its battle with the the old world of uniform Catholicism. This great religious rent in the fabric of English society underlies the savage violence and turbulence of the period - from Henry VIII's break with Rome to the overwhelming threat of the Spanish Armada. 'New Worlds, Lost Worlds': is a startlingly atmospheric tour de force. No period in British history has more resonance and mystery than the sixteenth century. New Worlds, Lost Worlds brings the atmosphere and events of this great epoch to life. Exploring the underlying religious motivations for the savage violence and turbulence of the period - from Henry VIII's break with Rome to the overwhelming threat of the Spanish Armada - Susan Brigden investigates the actions and influences of such near-mythical figures as Elizabeth I, Thomas More, Bloody Mary, and Walter Raleigh. New Worlds, Lost Worlds provides a superb introduction to arguably one of the most important and intriguing periods in the history of the western world. -- Book cover A close-up look at Britain's Tudor dynasty traces the history of the era from the rule of the secretive Henry VII and his capricious and ruthless son, Henry VIII, to the reigns of "Bloody Mary" Tudor and her adroit successor, Queen Elizabeth I, detailing the events, religious strife, cultural forces, and people who transformed British history. 22,500 first printing.