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Thomas Violet, a Sly and Dangerous Fellow

Silver and Spying in Civil War London

Amos Tubb

Thomas Violet, a Sly and Dangerous Fellow chronicles the life and adventures of Thomas Violet, an Englishman who lived from 1609 to 1662. During the course of his tumultuous life, Violet was a goldsmith, a spy, a prisoner of war during the English Civil War, a traitor to both sides, a major economic theorist, an anti-Semite who nearly drove the Jews of England out of the country, and a suicide. Violet’s life consisted of one unbelievable escapade after another. He was a scoundrel who used his knowledge of the financial markets of his day to legally extort money out of people in scheme after scheme for nearly thirty years. Along the way, he was caught up in the English Civil War and interacted with many of the major players—he knew and worked for King Charles I, Oliver Cromwell, and King Charles II. In desperate times, both King Charles I and Oliver Cromwell were willing to use the unsavory Violet to help solve the financial crisis both men faced as rulers of England. Violet’s knowledge of the silver trade, in particular, would bring untold riches to Oliver Cromwell. However, Charles II had no need of Violet, and, when Violet could not convince Charles II to extort money from England’s Jews, Violet committed suicide rather than face the world without a royal patron. Readers will be fascinated—and outraged—by Violet’s actions.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 178 • Trim: 6¼ x 9½

978-1-4422-7505-8 • Hardback • October 2017 • $83.00 • (£64.00)

978-1-4422-7506-5 • Paperback • October 2017 • $36.00 • (£30.00)

978-1-4422-7507-2 • eBook • October 2017 • $34.00 • (£25.00)

Subjects: History / Europe / Great Britain / General, History / Modern / 17th Century, History / Social History, History / Military / General

Thomas Violet, a Sly and Dangerous Fellow

Silver and Spying in Civil War London

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

Thomas Violet, a Sly and Dangerous Fellow chronicles the life and adventures of Thomas Violet, an Englishman who lived from 1609 to 1662. During the course of his tumultuous life, Violet was a goldsmith, a spy, a prisoner of war during the English Civil War, a traitor to both sides, a major economic theorist, an anti-Semite who nearly drove the Jews of England out of the country, and a suicide. Violet’s life consisted of one unbelievable escapade after another. He was a scoundrel who used his knowledge of the financial markets of his day to legally extort money out of people in scheme after scheme for nearly thirty years. Along the way, he was caught up in the English Civil War and interacted with many of the major players—he knew and worked for King Charles I, Oliver Cromwell, and King Charles II. In desperate times, both King Charles I and Oliver Cromwell were willing to use the unsavory Violet to help solve the financial crisis both men faced as rulers of England. Violet’s knowledge of the silver trade, in particular, would bring untold riches to Oliver Cromwell. However, Charles II had no need of Violet, and, when Violet could not convince Charles II to extort money from England’s Jews, Violet committed suicide rather than face the world without a royal patron. Readers will be fascinated—and outraged—by Violet’s actions.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 178 • Trim: 6¼ x 9½

978-1-4422-7505-8 • Hardback • October 2017 • $83.00 • (£64.00)

978-1-4422-7506-5 • Paperback • October 2017 • $36.00 • (£30.00)

978-1-4422-7507-2 • eBook • October 2017 • $34.00 • (£25.00)

Subjects: History / Europe / Great Britain / General, History / Modern / 17th Century, History / Social History, History / Military / General

Author

Amos Tubb is Gordon B. Davidson Associate Professor of History at Centre College. He has won numerous teaching awards, including the Kirk Award for Excellence in Teaching, Delta Delta Delta Professor of the Year, Kappa Kappa Gamma Professor, Phi Delta Theta Faculty Achievement Award, the David Hughes Award for Outstanding Teaching, and the Presidential Award for Excellence.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Maps
Author’s Note
Introduction
Chapter 1: Goldsmith
Chapter 2: Spy
Chapter 3: Royalist
Chapter 4: Economist
Chapter 5: Trappaner
Chapter 6: Republican
Chapter 7: Anti-Semite
Chapter 8: Roman
Conclusion
Bibliography

Reviews

The fascinating story of Thomas Violet intersects with some of the most tumultuous and influential events in English history. Through the lens of Violet’s unsavory escapades, we encounter a wide variety of issues, from London’s social structures and religious conflicts to economic affairs, monopolies, and arguments for free trade. Tubb’s masterful account of Violet’s life draws from primary sources as well as current scholarship, giving readers an absorbing view into the life, politics, and history of seventeenth-century England.
— Warren Johnston, Algoma University

Amos Tubb has turned the dramatic life story of a very unlikeable man, Thomas Violet, into a compelling history of seventeenth-century England. Using Violet’s experiences as a goldsmith, government informant, and self-serving entrepreneur as a lens, Tubb illustrates how one man’s life intersected with many turbulent issues of his time, including politics, civil war, economic change, and religious prejudice. Tubb successfully draws these connections together by clearly explaining their significance as well as how historians have debated them. This is a highly readable and absorbing book that is ideal for undergraduate classroom use.
— Abigail L. Swingen, Texas Tech University

Thomas Violet, a Sly and Dangerous Fellow

Silver and Spying in Civil War London

Amos Tubb

Thomas Violet, a Sly and Dangerous Fellow

Silver and Spying in Civil War London

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