Jackson wins £50k Wolfson History Prize for ‘masterpiece of historical writing’

Clare Jackson has been awarded the £50,000 Wolfson History Prize for Devil-Land: England Under Siege, 1588-1688 (Allen Lane). 

Jackson is a senior tutor of Cambridge University’s Trinity Hall who has presented a number of BBC programmes on the Stuart dynasty. She was awarded the prize in a ceremony held at the Wallace Collection in London on 22nd June, attended by key figures from the world of history and academia. A virtual winner announcement was also streamed online.

David Cannadine, chair of the Wolfson History Prize judges, said: “Devil-Land is a masterpiece of historical writing: a gripping book that brings to life the drama of 17th-Century England, a time of rebellion, regicide, and civil war.

“By looking at England from the perspective of European observers, Clare Jackson gives us a wider lens through which to view the period, helping us to see ourselves through the eyes of others. Devil-Land is a fitting winner of the Wolfson History Prize in this our 50th year, and we offer our warmest congratulations to Clare Jackson.’” 

The Wolfson History Prize is awarded annually by the Wolfson Foundation to a work of historical non-fiction which combines excellence in research and writing, with readability for a general audience. To mark its anniversary, the prize fund was increased from £40,000 to £50,000 this year.

Jackson won from a shortlist featuring five other books, whose authors each won £5,000. The shortlist featured Marc David Baer’s The Ottomans: Khans, Caesars and Caliphs (Basic Books), Malcolm Gaskill’s The Ruin of All Witches: Life and Death in the New World (Allen Lane), Nicholas Orme’s Going to Church in Medieval England (Yale University Press), Francesca Stavrakopoulou’s God: An Anatomy (Picador) and Alex Von Tunzelmann’s Fallen Idols: Twelve Statues That Made History (Headline). 

Paul Ramsbottom, chief executive of the Wolfson Foundation, said: “Since 1972, the Wolfson History Prize has recognised outstanding history writing that is rooted in excellent research, but which also sparkles and is eminently readable. Devil-Land is no exception. Clare Jackson’s engrossing book demonstrates how history can bring fresh insights to familiar events and shed new light on the narratives of our past.” 

Last year’s Wolfson History Prize was awarded to Sudhir Hazareesingh for Black Spartacus: The Epic Life of Toussaint Louverture (Allen Lane), a study of the life of the leader of the Haitian Revolution. Previous winners of the prize include Mary Beard, Simon Schama, David Abulafia, Mary Fulbrook and Amanda Vickery.