Commonwealth and the English Reformation

Taking the Vale of Gloucester as a case study, the book refocuses attention onto issues left unfinished in the wake of current Reformation scholarship. By examining the connections between local gentry, city leaders, reformers, MPs, and royal court officials, it illuminates the broad network of political relationships that was essential to the success of Protestant reform. It demonstrates for the first time how commonwealth ideology galvanized many of these powerful leaders toward a new vision of reform that not only served their own material interests but also provided a new impetus and sense of duty toward the public good.