author
Henry Offley Wakeman
1852–1899
A Victorian historian and church scholar, he wrote clear, approachable books on English religious history and early modern Europe. His work stayed in use after his death, especially his popular introduction to the history of the Church of England.
1 Audiobook
The ascendancy of France, 1598-1715
by Henry Offley Wakeman
About the author
Born on September 25, 1852, Henry Offley Wakeman was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford. He became a fellow of All Souls in 1873, took a first in modern history, and was later called to the bar, but his lasting work was in scholarship and teaching rather than legal practice.
At Oxford he was closely connected with college life and church history, serving in roles at All Souls and Keble College. Contemporary sources describe him as a serious churchman linked with the Oxford Movement, and his books focused on religious and historical subjects including The History of Religion in England, The Church and the Puritans, 1570–1660, Europe 1598–1715, and An Introduction to the History of the Church of England.
Wakeman died on April 27, 1899, before finishing The Reformation in Great Britain, which was completed by another hand. His reputation was that of a thoughtful, dependable scholar, and the continued reprinting of his Church of England history suggests that readers found it useful well beyond his own lifetime.