Gods Fury, Englands Fire

Posted on 05 January 2017 by Michael Braddick

The sequence of civil wars that ripped England apart in the seventeenth century was one of the most devastating conflicts in its history It destroyed families and towns, ravaged the population and led many, both supporters of Charles I and his opponents, to believe that England s people were being punished by a vengeful God.This masterly new history illuminates what it was like to live through a time of terrifying violence, religious fervour and radical politics Michael Braddick describes how pamphleteers, armies, iconoclasts, witch hunters, Levellers, protestors and petitioners were all mobilized in the chaos, as they fought over new ways to imagine their world. Read Gods Fury, Englands Fire – kino-fada.fr It s hard to do justice to the complexity of the book It is the first one I ve read that focusedon politics than on religion Though it starts with religious rebellions in Scotland and Ireland, these rebellions had political as well as religious results Braddick shows how England drifted into war or as he says the war was starting with a series of whimpers rather than a bang He also shows how confused it all was on the ground with people varying in responses even with themselves It s hard to do justice to the complexity of the book It is the first one I ve read that focusedon politics than on religion Though it starts with religious rebellions in Scotland and Ireland, these rebellions had political as well as religious results Braddick shows how England drifted into war or as he says the war was starting with a series of whimpers rather than a bang He also shows how confused it all was on the ground with people varying in responses even with themselves Fear of popery, ...One of the best books I have read on the subject of the English Civil wars Heading into areas that I had not thought of previously such as the written word as a propaganda tool Superb in detail with a rich bibliography and footnotes Though not for ...Painfully detailed for someone looking for an overview There s no question the author knows his stuff, but for me, this is reference material and not a fun read.Not knowing much about the English civil wars, I was seeking a good introductory history to the subject in God s Fury, England s Fire In this regard, it proved to be a frustrating read I found the bigger picture narrative of the events of the period to be swallowed up by the copious detail that Braddick brings to his work In many ways, it read like a university source book, with each chapter almost cataloguing anecdotes and quotes on any given aspect of the wars In my view, the book and th Not knowing much about the English civil wars, I was seeking a good introductory history to the subject in God s Fury, England s Fire In this regard, it proved to be a frustrating read I found the bigger picture narrative of the events of the period to be swallowed up by the copious detail that Braddick brings to his work In many ways, it read like a university source book, with each chapter almost cataloguing anecdot...I often have to separate how good a book was from how much I enjoyed it, and this is no exception This is a well written, thoroughly researched, thought provoking history of the English Civil War s , with good explanations of the theological as well as civil conflict However, as I began to understand how religion determined the course of the descent into violence and anarchy, the needlessness of the conflict made me lose interest.Separation of church and state is a technology, and one that we I often have to separate how good a book was from how much I enjoyed it, and this is no exception This is a well written, thoroughly researched, thought provoking history of the English Civil War s , with good explanations of the theological as well as civil conflict However, as I began to understand how religion determined the course of the descent into violence and anarchy, the needlessness of the conflict made ...A very interesting wide ranging view of the English Civil War s It is predominantly focused on the use of pamphlets as well as the manuevering of various factions, both political and religious It does NOT encompass and in this respect I was a little disappointed an overview or history of the development of religious splinter groups of the period For those that are military history buffs, you may particularly enjoy his description of the battles and movements of the two armies.One of the ma A very interesting wide ranging view of the English Civil War s It is predominantly focused on the use of pamphlets as well as the manuevering of various factions, both political and religious It does NOT encompass and in this respect I was a little disappointed an overview or history of the development of religious splinter groups of the period For those that are military history buffs, you may particularly enjoy his description of the battles and movements of the two armies.One of the major themes that surprised me, but makes quite a lot of sense in hindsight is how much of ...Definitely not a primer history of the English Civil War The author assumes you know much of the causes, events, and effects of the wars It includes almost nothing about Cromwell s role except for occasional mention of his leadership of the New Model Army which did not occur until well into the conflict The author does expend much ink on the religious aspects of the war which pitted a sometimes loose, sometimes strong alliance of Puritans and presbyterians who did not appreciate the Catholic Definitely not a primer history of the English Civil War The author assumes you know much of the causes, events, and effects of the wars It includes almost nothing about Cromwell s role except for occasional mention of his leadership of the New Model Army which did not occur until well into the conflict The author does expend much ink on the religious aspects of the war which pitted a sometimes loose, sometimes strong alliance of Puritans and presbyterians who did not appreciat...One of the most important recent texts on the Civil Wars I do however think that the cover portrays it as a popular account of the Civil Wars, an introduction or overview which it isn t I do think it can be read in this way but Braddick offers some interesting and important new historiographical appraches such as the notion of paper combatants and armed negotiations which offer anuanced accounts of the Civil War Somehistoriographical context might have been useful if it is int One of the most important recent texts on the Civil Wars I do however think that the cover portrays it as a popular account of the Civil Wars, an introduction or overview which it isn t I do think it can be read in this way but Braddick offers some interesting and important new historiographical ap...One of the few books I ve not only failed to finish, I ve struggled to get started with I m not sure what in particular pushed back against me as I read this, but I only managed to get to page 158 It is highly academic in tone and didn t seem to highlight the importance of events beforehand, drily detailing the religious core of the war I wondered for a long time whether the subject itself was too complex to properly write about, but have since found farengaging books that bring this fa One of the few books I ve not only failed to finish, I ve struggled to get started with I m not sure what in particular pushed back against me as I read this, but I only managed to get to page 158 It is highly academic in tone and didn t seem to highlight the importance of events beforehand, drily detailing the religious core of the war I wondered for a long time whether the subject itself was too complex t...Comprehensive Look at Religious and Political Motivation If you are looking to understand the motivations behind the conflict this is a fantastic source Does a great job of sorting out and explaining the various religious and political faction...

English
05 January 2017

Michael Braddick