The Blazing World: A New History of Revolutionary England by Jonathan Healey

Anyone who is slightly aware of English history will know that the seventeenth century is the century of English revolution, civil war and the death of the English monarch accused of treason. The author compares this period of devastating upheaval to where England is now: facing the birth of a new world.

The introduction explains how the seventeenth century was a bad time for everyone throughout the world, with dynasties collapsing and colonialism expanding. It was a time of turbulence with the Gunpowder Plot hoping to blow up the Houses of Parliament, religious issues and riots caused by the Puritans banning all the fun, such as football and Christmas. As if that didn't put a dampener on things, there was famine, the Great Plague, witchcraft, war with Scotland and the king being replaced with William of Orange from Holland. Oh, and the weather was very bad and taxes rose.

But what is best about this book is that there is a focus on the common people who normally don't get a shout in comparison to the leaders. Enclosure was the fencing off of common land and caused many riots as did the exporting of grain for profit, leading to many taking the grain back. These stories are relayed through individuals and there is a feel of reading a novel. With the rise of literacy more records of ordinary people were recorded and the author has researched them very well.

​This is a solid, unbiased piece of research that covers the revolutions in great detail whilst always being immensely readable.  Healey notes that this was the century of change and the start of modernity that includes power, industrial, welfare and economic progress. After all this revolution England was becoming more tolerant. Maybe. A great read, accessible to all and highly recommended.

---

Published by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc on 2 February 2023.
Advance review copy supplied by the publisher.

Urban Grid: Gritty Metropolis