Republic
Britain's Revolutionary Decade, 1649–1660
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Republic
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Narrated by:
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Sophie Roberts
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By:
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Alice Hunt
About this listen
A biography of a daring and an unprecedented decade: the 1650s
Events moved fast in the 1650s. Something cataclysmic happened every year, something that would thrust the newly formed republic, its people, and its eventual 'Lord Protector' Oliver Cromwell, in an entirely new direction. It was a time of bewildering change and uncertainty, but it was also a time of innovation and opportunity. And, for the men and women who lived through these years, this period was certainly not an 'interregnum'. The restoration of Charles II in 1660 was not inevitable, nor was it welcomed by everyone.
England's unique republican experiment - imposed on Scotland and Ireland, too - may have been shortlived, but it has had a lasting impact on British monarchy, politics, religion and culture, and on the story the British continue to tell about themselves. It is a period that, for a long time, history chose to forget, or recalled as a failure. Here, in thrilling detail, Alice Hunt brings the republic and its extraordinary cast of characters, from politicians to poets and prophets, back to life.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2024 Alice Hunt (P)2024 Faber & FaberListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Republic
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Gorgona
- 16-10-24
could be better
I wouldn't recommend it as the first book to read if you know little or nothing about how the reign of Charles I was ended and what gruesome alternative came next (the best books for these are "The White King" by Leanda de Lisle and "Restless Republic" by Anna Keay). The terms such as "presbyterians", "fifth Monarchists", "millenarians" that are mentioned here are explained in more detail in Anna Keay's book, and more information on the characters such as Bulstrode Whitelocke, Hazelrigg, Henry Vane etc would be welcome. However it is a valuable contribution to understanding this complex period and the challenges the architects of the republican regime had.
It covers topics such as the first theatre performances and opera, scientific experiments, Quakers and their prosecution, the fate of the royal palaces, as well as colonialism of the "Godly republic" and crushing of its Scottish and Irish rebels. It's written with interest and some sympathy towards the republic but without uncritical adoration. However, as I still know very little about it, I cannot tell if some incidents or important events are not mentioned and therefore the picture is somewhat skewed. Didn't they actually execute one woman for adultery in that time? I would have liked to know more about how the military rule of Major-Generals in each county went on, as they were a kind of morality police.
The ambitious method - to write a "biography" of a time period, rather than a person, - doesn't help, in my view, as it has people and events piled up into chapters for each year, and strangely, as a result of that, one struggles to remember what happened when, especially after listening for the first time. And for a biography it has little biographical information about the main protagonists.
In short the book lacks depth and personal details but covers topics the other books don't.
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