Praise for the series:‘Perhaps the most important historical undertaking of our age... one of the most valuable historical works ever produced.’ Times Literary Supplement‘A landmark in the field of historical endeavour... the most admirable collection of sources on English history that exists.’ American Historical Review English Historical Documents is the most ambitious, impressive and comprehensive collection of primary documents on English history ever published. The volumes have each become landmark publications in their own fields. This long awaited volume covers 1558-1603, the reign of Elizabeth I, when government, culture, religion and foreign policy all underwent profound change. This volume includes informative introductory pieces for the parts and sections and editorial comment is directed towards making sources intelligible rather than drawing conclusions from them. Opening with an introductory section which contextualises the accession of Elizabeth to the throne, the volume covers all key aspects of the Elizabethan period, including:InstitutionsSocial and economic structuresThe marriage question and the problem of the successionFamily and householdCultural lifeThe Church and religious affairsElizabethan warsOverseas trade and explorationCrime and disorderThe format of the series has been updated and the documents gathered here encompass the most up to date approaches to the material.

The first comprehensive survey of the religious, social and cultural life of late medieval and Reformation parishes covers town and country, northern as well as southern communities, and provides an indication of the European setting just before and just after the enormous social and religious changes of the 16th century. 15 illustrations.

Publisher Description

Events such as the Fire of London and the Plague, and historic locations like the Globe Theatre, are part of London's heritage. Yet until recently, the history of the city between 1500 and 1750 has been little studied. During this period, London's population soared from around 50,000 to nearly half a million--the demographic explosion transformed the city to a metropolis. London became a center of new social and sexual identities and a solvent of older, more hierarchical forms of social organization. The essays in this volume cover the themes of polis and the police, gender and sexuality, space and place, and material culture and consumption. Within these themes are thieves, prostitutes, litigious wives, the poor, disease, “great quantities of gooseberry pye,” and the taxing question of fresh water.