A review by theciz
The Reformation: A History by Diarmaid MacCulloch

challenging informative slow-paced

4.5

A very informative, if dry and comprehensive, history of Reformation Europe. Any previous education I had about it covered pretty much Luther and the printing press and then called it a day, so this was enlightening to say the least as it covers from 1500-1700s. It discusses not just religious differences, but the various different off-shoots of protestantism, the geopolitical consequences, social changes, the different developments in Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe, the Counter-Reformation, etc. It can be a bit overwhelming, especially at the parts where you’re trying to remember the names of dozens of minor princes and dukes and principalities, but overall it provides highly enlightening context for a large and consequential period of European history. And, despite the foreword suggesting otherwise, I didn’t feel my lack of Christian or biblical knowledge hindering my understanding of the book at all.