London and the Reformation

<p><i>London and the Reformation</i> (1989) was the first book by Susan Brigden (later to win the prestigious Wolfson Prize for her <i>Thomas Wyatt: The Heart''s Forest</i>). It tells of London''s sixteenth-century transformation by a new faith that was both fervently evangelised and fiercely resisted, as a succession of governments and monarchs - Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary - vied for control. London''s disproportionate size and wealth, its mix of social forces and high politics, and the strength of its religious sectors made the capital a key factor in the reception of the English Reformation. Brigden draws upon rich archival sources to examine how these religious dilemmas were confronted.<br><br>''A tour de force of historical narrative... which can be read with both pleasure and profit by scholars and non-scholars alike.'' <i>Times Literary Supplement</i><br><br>''Magisterial... richly detailed... teeming with the vivid street language of the sixteenth century.''<i> London Review of Books</i></p>