A Short History of the English People
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 Title page of an 1889 version | |
| Author | John Richard Green |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | History |
| Publisher | Macmillan and Co. |
Publication date | 1874 |
| Publication place | London, England, United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 872 |
| OCLC | 34907370 |
A Short History of the English People[1] is a book written by English historian John Richard Green. Published in 1874, "it is a history, not of English Kings or English Conquests, but of the English People."[2]
Green began work on the book in 1869, having been given only six months to live after being hit hard by disease that had plagued him throughout his life.[3] Only having around 800 pages to write on, he had to leave out much of what he wanted to include.[citation needed] Green intentionally left out the battles of England feeling they did not play a big role in the formation of the nation, saying that historians "too often turned history into a mere record of the butchery of men by their fellow men."[4] His new ideas, and omission of information that others felt important, meant Green was criticized by other historians as well as the people close to him.[citation needed]
Others thought highly of the book, including Francis Adams, who used quotations from the book in his poem The Peasants' Revolt.[5]