Small Mid-Tudor Chronicles and Popular History: 1540-1560

Authors

Barrett L. Beer, Kent State University

Publication Date

2016

Keywords

Mid-Tudor chronicles, Tudor history

Abstract

This essay examines twenty-two editions of little-studied small Mid-Tudor chronicles that were published by printers at Canterbury and London. They demonstrate the important role of printers in historical scholarship and offer a significantly different perspective on English history than the better-known, larger contemporary works of Robert Fabyan, Edward Hall, and Thomas Cooper. The chronicles also shed light on the readership of historical works by non-elite readers who presumably could not afford larger and more expensive chronicles. The short chronicles present a simplified view of the past, avoid propagating the well-known Tudor myths including the tyranny of Richard III, and demonstrate a clear preference for recent history. Although overlooked in most accounts of Early Modern historiography, the small Mid-Tudor chronicles are clearly part of the historical culture of the era.

Recommended Citation

Beer, Barrett L. (2016) "Small Mid-Tudor Chronicles and Popular History: 1540-1560," Quidditas: Vol. 37, Article 7.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/rmmra/vol37/iss1/7