I have read some books and parts of other books, which have presented a more detailed description of various aspects of the Reformation. I came to this book to provide a more overarching introduction to the Reformation, so that I could consolidate my reading. I don’t find that this book achieved this, although well written and full of interesting facts.

I found this book hard work but rewarding, as the author has chosen to cover a long period full of important events in the whole of Europe, breaking down the changes caused by the Reformation into various headings.
Marshall starts with a breakneck recounting of historical events and personalities (Reformations) in the first chapter, in which he describes Lutheran, Reformed Protestant and Reformed Roman Catholic (counter-reformation) narratives. This was too condensed and wide ranging for me; not an introduction, but a summary for readers already familiar with the events. Looking at the helpful chronology at the back of the book, I find that I have no understanding of how protestant ideas so quickly and effectively disseminated themselves across Europe from when Luther posted his ninety-five theses in Germany in 1517, to the Reformation in Zurich in 1523 and England’s Henry VIII break with Rome in 1532.

Following this breathless statement of events, Marshall settles down to expand upon the effects of the Reformation both in the “Protestant north” and the “Catholic south”, covering salvation, politics, society, culture and the Other (Muslim, Jew, witch, pagans in the Americas etc). These sections are fascinating, making me think, or think again, about my broad understanding of Reformation trends, and are peppered with interesting stories to illuminate particular points.

So I am ambivalent about the success of this book, which I found more of a synopsis of the events of the Reformation, followed by a brief exploration of consequences. Although I understood Marshall’s wish to document the similarities between the Protestant Reformation and the Roman Catholic Counter-reformation, I consider that this muddled the analysis of how the Protestant Reformation was so quickly successful, when the ideas would, I would have thought, taken longer to be accepted and acted upon. ( )