The Reformation And The Towns In England

The secular impact of the Reformation can be summarized as follows:

-Wholesale shifts of urban land and resources allowed a surprising number of towns to strengthen their financial and political positions.
-The Reformation had already begun to destroy much of the doctrine-based political culture which traditionally sustained provincial governments, leading to the ruling elites in many towns gaining greater institutional authority over their inhabitants.
-These elites sought to legitimize their new authority by various means, including civic portraiture and regalia, the building of town-halls, the writing of local histories, and the creation of new forms of worship.
-An altered civic ethos emerged, marking a significant new phase in urban history.

This analysis of the secular impact of the Reformation examines the changes within English towns over the period c.1540-1640. All over England wholesale shifts of urban land and resources, coupled with increased statutory responsibilities, allowed a surprising number of towns to strengthen their financial and political positions. The Reformation had already begun to destroy much of the doctrine-based political culture which traditionally sustained provincial governments. As a result, the ruling elites in many towns not only extended their holdings and acquired greater autonomy; they also gained much greater institutional authority over their inhabitants - part of a growing movement away from communal values towards rule by oligarchy. These elites sought to legitimize their new authority by various means: civic portraiture and regalia, the building of town-halls, the writing of local histories, and the creation of new forms of worship. An altered civic ethos emerged, marking a significant new phase in urban history. Review: An interesting book and well worth reading ... Tittler does well to present the material in this concise, focused way ... the author has taken on a massive and heretofore unconsidered aspect of early modern English history and should take great credit for this. Certainly, this book will be useful to urban historians and their senior students in that it asks several more questions about their subject than previously considered ... a good book. Reformation This study sheds much new and valuable light on understanding English urban history. Writing on this subject will never be the same again. Contemporary Review Lucid and penetrating study ... Tittler presents a seminal and meaningful interpretation of the relationship between the English Reformation and the development of modern English urban life ... Highly recommended for readers at the upper division undergraduate level and above with a firm foundation in early modern English history Choice