Description

James Gairdner (1828-1912) was one of the foremost authorities of his day on the Tudor period. This magisterial four-volume survey (originally published 1908-1913) argues that the impetus for the English Reformation came from the Lollard movement of the late fourteenth century. A prolific researcher and editor, Gairdner devoted his career to English history, and his study is both meticulous and factually sound. His critics, however, were quick to observe that the Lollard hypothesis was tenuous, and this mature work is most valuable today to those interested in the history of Reformation scholarship. Volume 1 focuses on the history of the Lollards and the question of royal supremacy. Volume 2 considers the causes of the English Reformation, from the rise of German Protestantism to the death of Henry VIII. Volume 3 covers the reign of Edward VI, and Volume 4 the first year of Mary Tudor's reign.