The Blood in Winter - Large Print by Jonathan Healey (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A riveting account of the five heated months in which King Charles I attempted to arrest five dissident Members of Parliament by bringing an armed force to the House of Commons--a shocking act of political terrorism that pushed England toward civil war and planted the seeds of the American Revolution

In 1641, England exits a plague-ridden and politically unstable summer having reached a semblance of peace: the English and Scottish armies have disbanded, legislation has passed to ensure Parliament will continue to sit, and the people are tentatively optimistic. But King Charles I is not satisfied with peace--he wants revenge.

So begins England's winter of discontent. As revolutionary sects of London begin to generate new ideas about democracy, as radical new religious groups seek power, and as Ireland explodes into revolt, Charles hatches a plan to restore his absolute rule. On January 4, 1642, he marches on Westminster, seeking to arrest and impeach five Members of Parliament--and so sets in motion a series of events that will lead to bloodshed and war, changing a nation forever.

The Blood in Winter tells the story of an English people's great political awakening. Jonathan Healey utilizes meticulous archival research to recreate the claustrophobic atmosphere of the day, with rowdy protestors in the streets and London blanketed in coal smoke. Taut and thrilling, Healey's newest social history shows us what really happened in those fraught winter months that led to civil war. From the radical enclaves of London public houses to a king forced from his capital by the people, it is a rich tapestry of a society in profound distress.

Review Quotes

"Netflix should make this enjoyable English civil war history into an epic drama. . . . An old-fashioned Westminster thriller, meticulously following the relationship between the proud, prickly Charles and his parliamentary critics. . . . You could hardly find a more engrossing or exciting story." --Dominic Sandbrook, The Times (London)

"A lucid, fast-paced and exhilarating account. . . . The House of Cards-ish drama remains gripping to the last. . . . Vivid details brighten almost every page. . . . The Blood in Winter is a highly accomplished and impressively accessibly account of one of the most complicated and consequential series of events in British history. Its pages teem with larger-than-life personalities and dramatic incident." --John Adamson, Literary Review

"Healey has done it again. The Blood in Winter is history as it should be told, where new light is cast upon one of the most dramatic years in British history. Shaped by meticulous research and a narrative worthy of any political thriller, the result is masterful." --Alice Loxton, author of Eighteen

"This is everything a history book should be. Healey fills his narrative with portraits of extraordinary characters, which combine to make his account of Britain's descent into Civil War a truly human one. Nothing could be more relevant to us now, in this political moment, than a history like The Blood in Winter that gives an example of how fast and almost accidentally nations can fall apart, and the individual decisions of conscience that must be made along the way." --Ophelia Field, author of The Favourite

"The build-up to the English Civil War is a political thriller like no other. Moving from field to street and alehouse to Parliament, Jonathan Healey captures all the tension and excitement of those critical few months when the country teetered on the brink. He shows clearly, immersively and with a tempo that matches the moment just how quickly a constitution can unravel and violence prevail." --Jessie Childs, author of Siege of Loyalty House

"A gripping and elegantly crafted story. Jonathan Healey writes with clarity, compassion, and a keen eye for human truth. A truly affecting read." --Rob Rinder, author of The Trial

"Bristling with energy, packed with humour and humanity, The Blood in Winter unfolds like a thriller to tell the dramatic story of how England collapsed into civil war in 1642. In his trademark clear and compelling style, Healey mines rich research for vivid treasures to give us narrative history at its finest: quite simply superb." --Miranda Malins, author of The Rebel Daughter

"A superb history. Healey has the rare ability to make the 17th century accessible without being patronising, and to cover big and important themes while keeping the reader royally entertained." --Sam Freedman, author of Into the Bright Sunshine

"Healey is in the vanguard of modern popular history, and The Blood in Winter charges like a squadron of cavalry through the tumultuous year that led to the civil wars, giving equal billing to the people's politics that shook the streets of London and the arguments and doubts that filled the houses of parliament." --Nadine Akkerman, author of Invisible Agents

About the Author

JONATHAN HEALEY is a historian of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and author of The Blazing World: A New History of Revolutionary England, 1603-1689. He is associate professor in social history at Oxford University, where he earned his doctorate in 2008. He lives in Oxford.