Fun and extremely informative! Belloc is coming from an extremely Catholic view though, so not an unbiased perspective. Also, Henry VIII sucks.

Profound, poignant, erudite: Belloc on the tragedy of the Reformation and the loss of Christendom.

For anyone interested, much more on this theme can also be found in various pieces in the Belloc section of my site: http://corjesusacratissimum.org/tag/h... ...

O Belloc! O Christendom! ...

Another outstanding, if partisan, romp through history by the unparalleled Belloc.

Definitely written from a Roman Catholic viewpoint. Very interesting in the characters who were chosen and in the author's evaluation and description of these people.

This author is an idiot who doesn't know how to write, period. His ad hominem attacks don't work. All he does is draw attention to his own opinions and they are not well founded. He considers QE1 a useless and weak monarch dominated by the men around her. Anyone who is not Catholic he treats with disgust. I read this for a class and when telling us about his book, the priest presenting the class called Belloc the greatest Catholic historian of the 20th century.

Hilaire Belloc gives a counterbalance to the traditional Protestant point of view of The Reformation. He gives excellent sketches of the main characters that influenced The Reformation. I had not known much of the political nature of what led up to the break from the Catholic Church and was amazed at how much politics and money influenced the decisions that led to that break !! This is an excellent book ... a necessary read, especially if one is a Protestant and wants to truly see The Reformation in its proper light.

I truly enjoyed Belloc's thorough research on the key influences of the Reformation period in England. From the selfish actions of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn against Catherine of Aragon and Rome, the birth of nationalism after King James I and Ferdinand II, the influence of Richelieu that led to the treatment of religion as a private matter, Oliver Cromwell and his Puritans who caused the emergence of capitalism which still affects our economies today through a "rising of the rich against the poor" and mercantilism, Rene Descartes whose philosophy of rationalism led to the narrow view of science held today among so many scholars, Blaise Pascal's philosophy which led to the idea of emotionalism, and John Calvin's religion which still divides France today and many continents regarding Protestantism and Catholicism. What a great study and descriptive analysis!

Lucky protestants

I have read a few books on the Reformation, this one is basically a Catholic point of view. It seems to me that there was a unknown at work and history was made through a series of time and mistakes in favor of the protestant movement.

A remarkable work.

Hilaire Belloc: a great writer with a mean witty style which is a joy to read. This book was an eye opener, a brain filler and immensely enjoyable to read as History fascinates me. It presents written portraits of some of the most important historical characters of the time of the Protestant Reformation. This includes figures such as Blaise Pascal whom you would not have thought to be involved in the Reformation, however Belloc presents the view that this was a time when the culture and thinking of people many regions in Europe underwent monumental change. This is not just the dry facts but a fleshing out of the people as people in their time and situations, through the common sense and psychological insight of a gifted observer of people and life. Each Character is examined in their own brief self-contained essay which makes it ideal for reading when you don't have the time for a whole book. If you have any interest in History in General or this Period in Particular i recommend this book to you as well worth reading. Whether or not you agree with his perspective and reasoning in forming these portraits, his style and method of presenting the past is, i feel, a great addition to the Libraries of anyone who wishes to Understand. That his perspective is often contrary to the common view and understanding of his subjects aids the effort to find the Truth of History and not just a Preferred Majority View of it.

"Old Thunder's" take on the Reformation. Naturally, he was not in favor of it. This collection of mini biographies of the principal players of the 15th and 16th Centuries is very entertaining. His writing is rapier sharp. The work appears to be well researched and presents the Catholic view of the English Reformation.

This is not a history book with lots of footnotes. These are instead character sketches that try to reveal the importance of one of these individuals in the story of the Protestant reformation and the Catholic counter reformation. Some of the characters were well known to me (Henry VIII for example) and some unknown (Laud and the Cecils). The broad brush sketches sometimes left me wanting more, but they usually gave me much food for thought. Belloc tries to go against the received opinion written by the Protestants, by and large, which emphasizes certain things and omits other aspects. I was surprised by some of these insights, such as the one that gave most of the power in
Elizabeth's reign to William Cecil and the merchant class that he represented, and not to Elizabeth. I also found his insights and choice of pairing Descartes and Pascal as two extremes that played out into the modern day - one of rationalism, the other of emotionalism. I found many of Belloc's insights to be profound and interesting.