A vivid portrait of 17th century England, from the accession of James I to the deposition of James II, by a master chronicler of Britain and its people.
In Rebellion, Peter Ackroyd continues his dazzling account of English history, chronicling the tumultuous Stuart dynasty. Beginning with James VI of Scotland's progress south to take the throne as James I of England, and ending with his grandson James II's flight into exile, this era saw the cruel depredations of civil war and the killing of a king.
Ackroyd offers a brilliant portrayal of Charles I's nemesis, Oliver Cromwell, who began as a political liberator but ended as a despot. He also illuminates the cultural and social life of the period, from Shakespeare's late masterpieces to Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan, giving a vivid sense of the lives of ordinary English men and women against a backdrop of constant disruption.
Shrewd and opinionated, the Stuart kings sowed the seeds of division that would split the country, setting the stage for the Glorious Revolution. Rebellion brings this turbulent century to life, in all its drama and uncertainty.