The reign of Mary Tudor has been remembered as an era of sterile repression, when a reactionary monarch launched a doomed attempt to reimpose Catholicism on an unwilling nation. Above all, the burning alive of more than 280 men and women for their religious beliefs seared the rule of “Bloody Mary” into the protestant imagination as an alien aberration in the onward and upward march of the English-speaking peoples.
In this controversial reassessment, the renowned reformation historian Eamon Duffy argues that Mary's regime was neither inept nor backward looking. Led by the queen's cousin, Cardinal Reginald Pole, Mary’s church dramatically reversed the religious revolution imposed under the child king Edward VI. Inspired by the values of the European Counter-Reformation, the cardinal and the queen reinstated the papacy and launched an effective propaganda campaign through pulpit and press.
Even the most notorious aspect of the regime, the burnings, proved devastatingly effective. Only the death of the childless queen and her cardinal on the same day in November 1558 brought the protestant Elizabeth to the throne, thereby changing the course of English history.
Review
"Fires of Faith is a dazzling exercise in historical reappraisal, after which the reign of Mary Tudor will never look quite the same again."—Peter Marshall, Times Literary Supplement
(Peter Marshall
Times Literary Supplement )
Chosen as an Outstanding Academic Title for 2009 by Choice Magazine
(
Choice 20100101)
"This is an erudite, revisionist perspective on a topic many apparently thought was burned into historical truth. . . . Eamon Duffy brings insight, passion, and scholarly persistence. . . . Scholars and otherwise curious readers will find Fires of Faith''s reassessment of the Catholic spirit of Marian England well worth ongoing consideration."—Fredrica Harris Thompsett, Anglican and Episcopal History
(Fredrica Harris Thompsett
Anglican and Episcopal History )
"This study is learned and eloquent, and does much to establish the credentials of a church that has suffered from centuries of adverse publicity. Even more, however, it demonstrates the perils of ideological conflict. The Protestants won by historical accident, but it is pure gain to see the other side of the story so ably presented."—David Loades, Journal of British Studies
(David Loades
Journal of British Studies )
"Fires of Faith is a daring and masterful reinterpretation of a key moment in English history and also in the history of Catholicism. Although many will surely challenge its assertions, this book’s significance is beyond dispute, precisely because it encourages disputation. Duffy questions the dominant narrative created by Protestants long ago and, in the process,opens doors that only the timid and the foolhardy will dare to ignore."—Carlos M. N. Eire, The Catholic Historical Review
(Carlos M. N. Eire
The Catholic Historical Review )
"Duffy has once again written a book that opens new questions and will be indispensable for future considerations of Mary''s reign."—Scott McGinnis, Journal of Religion
(Scott McGinnis
Journal of Religion)
About the Author
Eamon Duffy is professor of the history of Christianity at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of many prize-winning books, including The Stripping of the Altars, Saints and Sinners, The Voices of Morebath, and Marking the Hours, all published by Yale University Press.
