It's likely i and my patrons are not the target audience for this book as Americans, as I don't think it would be particularly useful. Beautifully composed and arranged book that should appeal to those with a keen interest in English history though!

“English Rebels and Revolutionaries,” by Stephen Basdeo (ISBN: 9781526785909), Publication Date: 30 April 2022, earns three stars.

This book covers a multitude English men and women who have taken a public stand against oppressive governments and discriminatory rule from the 1400s to the 19th Century. Some of those might even surprise the casual reader, e.g., women’s rights advocate Mary Wollstonecraft, designer William Morris, and even the English-born, American patriot, Thomas Paine.

In each of these cases, the information offered is well researched and presented, although the writing is somewhat uneven owing to differing styles of the many contributors, which could be smoothed out by additional editing. Fortunately, the narrative does provide the reader with a fascinating and factual tale of the evolution government focused on the good of the common man.

Thanks to the publisher, Pen & Sword History, for granting this reviewer this opportunity to read this Advance Reader Copy (ARC), and thanks to NetGalley for helping to make that possible.

For as long as English has existed, there have always been a brave and stubborn minority who have been prepared to stand up and challenge the existing order in the hope of changing people's lives for the better. That, in essence, is what this collection of essays is all about. Where would we be now if the barons had not risen against King John, leading to Magna Carta? Or without Wat Tyler and the peasants who revolted against the tyranny of Richard II in the 14th century? Or without the Civil War which briefly unseated the English monarchy and beheaded King Charles I in 1649?
In truth, some of these English rebels and revolutionaries were more effective than others. Wat Tyler's rebellion, for example, appeared to achieve very little at all at the time, but it did at least show that the common people could at least stand up and rise up against the King. Indeed, it is no coincidence that Richard II was overthrown forever not long afterwards.
But, we should always remember, history is not about things staying the same. It is all about change. And every one of the rebels and revolutionaries described in this book, played some part in transforming England from a medieval feudal tyranny into the democratic constitutional monarchy of today.





Throughout history brave Englishmen and women have never been afraid to rise up against their unjust rulers and demand their rights. Barely a century has gone by without England being witness to a major uprising against the government of the day, often resulting in a fundamental change to the constitution. This book is a collection of biographies, written by experts in their field, of the lives and deeds of famous English freedom fighters, rebels, and democrats who have had a major impact on history. Featured chapters include the history of Wat Tyler’s Rebellion, when an army of 50,000 people marched to London in 1381 to demand an end to serfdom and the hated poll tax. Alongside Wat Tyler in this pantheon of English revolutionaries is Jack Cade who in 1450 led an angry mob to London to protest against government corruption. There are three chapters on various aspects of the English Civil War, during which the English executed their king. Other rebel heroes featured include Thomas Paine, the great intellectual of the American and French Revolutions; Mary Wollstonecraft, author of The Rights of Woman; Henry Hunt, who, as well as the Chartists after him, campaigned for universal suffrage; William Morris, the visionary designer and socialist thinker; and finally the Suffragettes and Suffragists who fought for women’s voting rights.