Audiobook · read by volunteers
History of England, from the Accession of James II - (Volume 2, Chapter 06)
Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800–1859)
Read by JemmaBlythe, Kirsten Ferreri, Robin Cotter, Chris Chapman, ianish, GarrettAuNaturale, Cori Samuel, Jack Sundrud · 20 chapters · 5 h 29
About the book
The year is 1685. James II has taken the throne, and the old quarrels between the Crown and Parliament have begun again. This chapter from Thomas Babington Macaulay’s great history follows the opening of the new reign, and the pressures that would soon transform it.
Macaulay takes the reader through a series of important episodes: the new king’s first dealings with Parliament, the persecution of the Huguenots in France and its consequences for England, and the troubled situation in Ireland. He writes in a vivid, confident style, with portraits of the leading figures and a strong sense of narrative drive.
This recording covers a single chapter of the History of England, in twenty parts and about five and a half hours. It stands well on its own as an introduction to the politics of late seventeenth-century Britain, told by a master of historical storytelling.
Introduction
Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859) was a British historian, essayist and politician. He served as a member of Parliament and as a member of the governing council of India, and he later became a peer. His best-known work is The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, which he began in the 1840s. The first volumes appeared in 1848 and were an immediate popular success, and later volumes followed over the next decade.
Macaulay wrote with a clear aim: to present history as a story that educated readers would enjoy. His style is energetic, rich in detail and not shy of strong judgements. He is associated with what later became known as the Whig interpretation of history, which tends to see English history as a progress toward constitutional liberty. Modern historians often question that perspective, but they still admire his skill as a narrator and his careful use of sources.
This recording is of Chapter 6, from the second volume. It deals with events in the middle 1680s, including the disputes between the crown and Parliament and the consequences for English Protestants of the persecution of the Huguenots in France, as well as the situation in Ireland. It runs for about five and a half hours in twenty parts, read by LibriVox volunteers.
It is easy to listen to a chapter such as this without having heard the earlier ones, because Macaulay introduces his characters and their circumstances as he goes. For anyone interested in British history, it is an engaging way to approach a decisive period.
Public domain
Thomas Babington Macaulay died in 1859: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text