The Blazing World: A New History of Revolutionary England, 1603-1689
Jonathan Healey
Knopf (April 2023)

A lively examination of “grubby politics” in the 17th century

In Chapter 5, Jonathan Healey quotes a ceremonialist’s observation, “Where DISORDER is, there’s confusion, where CONFUSION, there’s dissension, where DISSENSION, there’s turmoil.” This is indeed an apt comment on the “blazing” situation in Great Britain early in the 17th century.

In his thoughtful review of this book for The New York Times, David Cressy points out that it “takes its title from the philosopher Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle, who, after the Restoration of Charles II, imagined an alternative ‘blazing world’ of order and tranquillity in contrast to the “malicious detractions” and “homebred insurrection” through which she had lived. Healey’s book is refreshing for its energetic writing, engaging wit, and sound foundation in recent historical scholarship. It is light on analysis, but rich with anecdotes and explanations. Narrative sketches take precedence over probing of causes and consequences. Rather than advancing a new interpretation, Healey captures the vitality and turbulence of 17th-century England in an effective retelling, with many more players than the typical cast of kings and queens.”

I wholly agree with Cressy, given the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity of the 17th-century during which radicals demanded liberty of conscience, and sought to base government on the “agreement of the people” rather than on kingship by divine right. The venerable institution of monarchy was abolished following the execution of Charles I in 1649, then restored in 1660 after Oliver Cromwell’s experiments with Puritan assemblies and military rule. Many of the losers suffered exile and expropriation, while the victors turned on one another.

As I worked my way through Jonathan Healey’s lively narrative, I was again reminded of the enjoyment I experienced when reading works that focused on the 16th century, notably Hilary Martel’s three novels (Wolfe Hall, Bring Up the Bodies, and The Mirror & the Light) as well as Derek Wilson’s In the Lion’s Court. I highly recommend all four, each for different reasons.

In an Introduction unsurpassed for substance and significance 0f content, Healey explains that England was “the land of   [Page 1]…Meanwhile, the mid-century crisis [abolition of monarchy]   Page 4…Our story, though, is not really one of theories; it is one of grubby  politics…[8] It is also a story of detail and social depth,…So this book [8].

These are the passages of special interest and value to me, also listed to suggest the scope of Healey’s coverage:

o King Charles II (Pages 2-3, 321-335, 331-335, and 380-385)
o Calvinism (15-16, 18-19, 74-77, and 58.59)
o King James I (39-40, 396-399, 408-409, 417-419,)
o Archbishop William Laud (53-54, 75-77, 84-85, and 104-108)
o King Charles I (80-82, 74-76, 78-79, 84-85, 92-98, 135-138, 141-142, 155-158, 161-165, and 173-175)

o Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford (119-120
o Robert Devereux, Earl of (122-123, 171-175, and 185-187)
o Edward Montague, Earl of Manchester (127-128
o Queen Mary II (132-133, 371-372, 406-407, 410-411 and 418-419)
o New Model Army (196-197, 199-200, 203-204, 207-210, and 217-237)

o Sir Thomas Fairfax (184-185, 196-204, 207-209, 218-220, 227-231, and 259-261)
o Women in England in the 17th century (186-187, 258-259, 274-275, 347-352, and 361-362)
o Oliver Cromwell (192-200, 218-222, 227-229, 231-237,  274-280, 309, 304-306, 403-404, and 405-406)
o Independents (195-196, 212-214, 225-228, and 280-281)
o Henry Ireton (218-219, 222-225, 231-235, and 239-240)

o John Lambert (224-225, 224-225, 303-304, a306-3a07, a316-318, and 321-322)
o Rump Government (251-252, 257-258, 277-281, and 315-321)
o Quakers (297-300, 321-322, 326-329, and 375-376)
o Anthony Ashley Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury (374-375, 377-378, 383-384, 386-387, and 389-390)
o King James II (376-377, 396-399,  403-404, 408-409, 412-416, and 417-419)

These are among Jonathan Healey’s concluding thoughts: “There is so much to say that is alien about the seventeenth century. Historians always must remember that the past is its own being, not ours. Like the Cheshire Cat, it can tempt us with a familiar smile, but fades aware before we can gain the measure of it.”

He goes on to say, “In the seventeenth century we might see a society grappling with new forms of media, with a divisive culture war and with questions about who holds power, and the degree to which Parliament is accountable to the people. Yet the people who lived in the seventeenth century were their own The Stuart monarchs, Oliver Cromwell, John Lambert, the Levellers, the Quakers, Margaret Cavendish, John Locke, Jane Thornborough: all of these were of their time. None of them could have been from any other century.”

My own concluding thought is that the more we know about previous centuries, the better prepared we can be to face the challenges of the current century. Voltaire wisely suggests that we cherish those who seek the truth but beware of those who find it.