Characters of the Reformation Paperback – August 1, 2018

This is a beautifully written and fascinating account of the twenty-three main protagonists of Reformation Europe, from Henry VIII to Louis XIV. Belloc includes incredible detail around the lives and times of such as William Cecil and his dwarfish son, Robert, the true rulers of Elizabethan England. This book further expands on Belloc's theory, first put forth in "How the Reformation Happened", that the Reformation was really a rising of the rich against the poor. Belloc provides startling revelations relative to the looting of Church properties in Reformation England that led its looters to becoming the new landed gentry, who then ran the Parliament and ultimately usurped the throne of England with the elevation of William III, of Orange. This work is outstanding and essential. I recommend reading Belloc's "How the Reformation Happened" first and then reading this great book.To read Belloc is to have the feeling of listening to a remarkably wise and talented story teller, who has the patience and grace to speak to you from his heart relative to matters about which you should care deeply. Before reading Belloc, I do not think I truly understood European history. Thanks to his wonderful work, I feel as if I am beginning to discern the great truths of this all important saga of human history.Addendum: 25-Mar-20I have just finished rereading this wonderful book. And I once more have this wonderful feeling of understanding important matters deeply that the careful reading of a Belloc history always affords. This particular work of history differs from most others in that Belloc used the foil of brief biographies of the 23 key personalities of the Reformation, from Henry VIIIth of England to Louis XIVth of France. This is wonderful. For this approach gives the reader a very detailed and personalized perspective on the motives, constraints, and context with respect to each of these key players. As always, Belloc leaves you thirsting for even more great history. Thankfully, Amazon makes plenty available. Get some!Great Love,TozerGuadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

If Western history and religion interest you - particularly the idea that with the dissolution of Catholicism as the unifying force in Europe total anarchy characterized by endless war and rampant greed has since become the norm - you are the person for whom Hilaire Belloc wrote this book. While I recall the Hundred Years War went on while all Europe was Catholic, Belloc considers what followed to be even worse.Hilaire Belloc graduated from Oxford with first class honors in History. He authored "over a hundred books on history, economics, military science and travel, plus novels and poetry" (from inside rear flap). This book is, as it were, a sampler of Belloc's historical work on the Reformation (1517-1715). Throughout, Belloc declares his wish to present a brief biographical history and interpretation of the Reformation period freed of Protestant bias:"This change was primarily caused by the great effect of Calvin, who set out with the greatest lucidity and unparalleled energy to form a counter-Church for the destruction of the old [Catholic] Church. He it was who really made the *new* religion, wholly hostile to the old one. At the same time the temptation to loot Church property and the habit of doing so had appeared and was growing; and this rapidly created a vested interest in promoting the change in religion.... The property of convents and monasteries passed wholesale to the looters over great areas of Christendom... The endowments of hospitals, colleges, schools, guilds, were largely though not wholly seized.... Such an economic change in so short a time our civilization had never seen" (pp. 3-4)."It is about this time, therefore, a generation after the first revolt, that there arises a distinct effort to impose in various places new laws and institutions to the destruction of Catholicism.... On the issue of the religious wars in France depended the preservation or destruction of Catholicism in Europe.... But neither the Counter-Reformation nor the active fighting which succeeded in preserving a part of Christendom intact would have been necessary but for the difficult success of the Protestant movement in England. This is the most important point to seize in all the story of the great religious revolution, and it is the point least often insisted on.... All that descended directly from the ancient foundation of our culture, the Romanized, civilized core of Europe, held out - save for one province: Britain" (p. 5).The twenty-three biographical sketches (Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cranmer, St. Thomas More, Richelieu, Louis XIV, Descartes, etc) in this book are quite brief (~6-12 pages) but fascinating and informative. Belloc's style is simple, clear, a pleasure to read, and the story is very engaging. If you are put off by the "reluctant atheism" and dialectical materialism of Will Durant's Story of Civilization series, Hilaire Belloc is an ideal alternative. This book also is ideal for Protestants questioning the true nature of the origin of their beliefs.See also  If Protestantism is True: The Reformation Meets Rome , and  The Permanent Instruction of the Alta Vendita .

Very interesting and informative, a fascinating read.