Ian Mortimer illuminates an Elizabethan England in all its horrifying glory. He shows what was, not what we might wish it to be. Mortimer gives credit where credit is due, but he doesn’t hesitate to reveal the disturbing aspects of society.

Sometimes the past will inspire you and sometimes it will leave you weeping.

Ian Mortimer, The Time Traveler’s Guide to Elizabethan England

I love his writing style. It feels like a confidential guide giving you “insider” advice for your upcoming “trip,” or perhaps even move, to Elizabethan England. Even those who balk at reading a nonfiction history book will be pleasantly surprised at his convivial tone and presentation suitable for the “historical layman.”

Each chapter is themed on a different aspect of 16th century society. You find out about the lay of the land in the first chapter, Landscape. Then you discover what sort of mindsets you might encounter during your social interactions in the chapter, Character. What might Elizabethans think of foreigners? Education? Superstition? Violence?

Along the lines of violence, Mortimer exposes the details of gruesome punishments used in the 16th century. One that particularly struck me was death by crushing. Called peine forte et dure, which means strong and hard punishment, the victim was forced to lie beneath a board, sometimes with a sharp rock underneath their back. More and more stones were then placed on top of the board until death occurred. And that was only one method of punishment.

Another theme in the book is Hygiene, Illness, and Medicine. I found the subject of washing revealing. Mortimer writes that “in the modern world we are fixated on washing in soap and water but there are many other ways to remove dirt,” (pg. 242). We judge people in the past by how many baths they took! However, just like us, they cared about cleanliness.

In a time where water was harder to come by, especially clean water, it was easier and more sensible to “wash” with linen. The wealthy would have new linen every day, rubbing down with it and changing out their linen undergarments which had absorbed sweat. The poorer you were, the less often you could wash your linen, but society definitely looked down on the dirty.

Women had many legal restrictions in Elizabethan England, particularly married women. But in an interesting turn of events, sometimes women went unpunished while men suffered. For sexual sins, one had to provide enough compurgatrices – or compurgators – (witnesses) in court to be exonerated. Sometimes the man ended up doing penance when the woman was able to secure the required compurgatrices and he was not.

One subject that demonstrates some of the extremes of Elizabethan knowledge is the practice of surgery. Mortimer says that surgeons then were actually really close to the skill level of modern surgeons. If you needed a bullet removed, or a piece of skull replaced, they had expert knowledge of how best to perform the procedure. But their major shortcoming was fatal: sanitation. Ironically, one might be sutured up skillfully, but die of infection.

…The image of mankind in the mirror of the moment is a relatively superficial one. Indeed, it is only through history that we can see ourselves as we really are.

Ian Mortimer, THE TIME TRAVELER’S GUIDE TO ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND

These are just a few samplings of the many fascinating accounts Mortimer writes. I laughed, I cringed, and I truly felt like I had a chance to travel back to a real Elizabethan England.

The Time Traveler’s Guide to Elizabethan England informs and entertains, but it’s also thought provoking. Do not skip the Envoi (the afterword)! Mortimer steps out of his role as our tour guide and gives his thoughts on the importance of history and its relevance to our own lives.

5 stars!

Dr Ian Mortimer: author and historian

‘The endlessly inventive Ian Mortimer is the most remarkable medieval historian of our time.’ – The Times

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