Beyond the podcast | Reformation: faith and fury
If you’ve enjoyed our four-part podcast series about the Tudor Reformation, then check out Charlotte Vosper’s essential reads to learn more about the battle for belief in Tudor England
- Charlotte Vosper
Published: October 28, 2026 at 1:09 PM
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Today, Henry VIII is known for his break with Rome, but what if I told you that no one in Tudor England saw the Reformation coming? The battle for belief that swept across Tudor England was a violent and turbulent one, made only worse by the swinging pendulum of religious policy that came with each of the Tudor monarchs’ reigns.
So why did the Tudor Reformation happen in the first place? Was Henry VIII ever really a Protestant? And who, at the end of it all, really won out? In this new four-part podcast series, Sir Diarmaid MacCulloch guides me through the tumultuous story of the Tudor Reformation.
Below, I've rounded up some essential further reading, listening and viewing form our archives…
Showing 1 to 11 of 11 results
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The medieval church: your guide to religion and worship in the Middle Ages
Professor Nicholas Orme answers key questions about religion and worship in the Middle Ages
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In 1525, an army of revolting peasants seemed unstoppable – but a brutal end was on the horizon
Set alight by Reformation hopes and long-standing grievances, the German Peasants’ War looked like it might successfully upend the established order. Instead, it ended in catastrophe
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Why did Martin Luther condemn the “hordes of peasants” fighting the war he helped inspire?
Religious reformer Martin Luther’s message of spiritual freedom helped ignite the German Peasants’ War of 1525. But before too long, Luther had turned against the very people who claimed to fight in his name
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What was the Reformation?
What was the Reformation? Your guide to the religious revolution that tore apart the Christian world in the 16th century and established a new faith, Protestant Christianity...
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He was the Tudor who created Utopia – but his insults were shockingly filthy
Thomas More is remembered as the author of Utopia and one of Tudor England’s great minds, but his attacks on Henry VIII’s critics could be startlingly crude. In the battle over the Reformation, he used expletives, insults and scatological imagery to defend the king and the Catholic faith
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The dissolution of the monasteries: mindless violence or planned precision?
The dissolution of the monasteries has long been cast as an orgy of mindless violence unleashed by a hot-headed Henry VIII. Yet this was a precision-planned operation, writes Hugh Willmott, and wanton destruction wasn’t its primary aim
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In the fourth episode of her HistoryExtra Academy series on royal women, Kate Williams explores the life and reign of Mary I, England’s first crowned queen regnant, whose rule has long been overshadowed by her reputation for religious persecution
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Edward VIWhy the forgotten Tudor king had the makings of a monster
The son Henry VIII always wanted is often maligned as a sickly child – but does he deserve this reputation? The real Edward VI, writes historian Tracy Borman, was a hearty lad who could have been as terrible as his father had he not met his untimely death in 1553 (aged 15)
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Mary I: your guide to the life and rule of Henry VIII's daughter – plus a timeline and 7 little-known facts
Mary I, aka Mary Tudor or 'Bloody Mary', was the daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. The first queen regnant of England, she succeeded the English throne following the death of her half-brother, Edward VI, in 1553. But how much do you know about her? From her phantom pregnancy to her military accomplishments, we bring you the facts about her reign
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He may have ruled for just six years but, as Ralph Houlbrooke explains, Edward VI found ample time to steer England towards Protestantism...
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Nicola Tallis explores Elizabeth’s early reign, from her coronation and the urgent task of stabilising a divided kingdom to the pressures of ruling as a female monarch in a deeply patriarchal society
See more Beyond the podcast | Reformation: faith and fury
Authors
Charlotte VosperContent producer
Charlotte Vosper is a content producer at HistoryExtra
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