Lollardy

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In this 19th-century illustration, John Wycliffe is shown giving the Bible translation that bore his name to his Lollard followers. WycliffeYeamesLollards 01.jpg
In this 19th-century illustration, John Wycliffe is shown giving the Bible translation that bore his name to his Lollard followers.

Lollardy [a] was a proto-Protestant Christian religious movement that was active in England from the mid-14th century until the 16th-century English Reformation. It was initially led by John Wycliffe, [1] a Catholic theologian who was dismissed from the University of Oxford in 1381 for heresy. The Lollards' demands were primarily for reform of Western Christianity. They formulated their beliefs in the Twelve Conclusions of the Lollards. Early it became associated with uprisings and assassinations of high government officials, and was suppressed.

Contents

Etymology

Lollards' prison in Lambeth Palace Lollards QE4 126.jpg
Lollards' prison in Lambeth Palace

Lollard, Lollardi, or Loller was the popular derogatory nickname given to those without an academic background, educated, if at all, only in English, who were reputed to follow the teachings of John Wycliffe in particular, and were energized by the translation of the Bible into the English language. By the mid-15th century, "lollard" had come to mean a heretic in general. The alternative, "Wycliffite", is generally accepted to be a more neutral term covering those of similar opinions, but having an academic background.

The term is said to have been coined by the Anglo-Irish cleric Henry Crumpe, but its origin is uncertain. The earliest official use of the name in England occurs in 1387 in a mandate of the Bishop of Worcester against five "poor preachers", nomine seu ritu Lollardorum confoederatos. [2] According to the Oxford English Dictionary , it most likely derives from Middle Dutch lollaerd ("mumbler, mutterer"), from a verb lollen ("to mutter, mumble"). The word is much older than its English use; there were Lollards in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 14th century who were akin to the Fraticelli, Beghards, and other sectaries similar to the recusant Franciscans. [2]

Originally the Dutch word was a colloquial name for a group of buriers of the dead during the Black Death, in the 14th century, known as Alexians, Alexian Brothers or Cellites. These were known colloquially as lollebroeders (Middle Dutch for "mumbling brothers"), or Lollhorden, from Old High German : lollon ("to sing softly"), from their chants for the dead. [3] Middle English loller (akin to the verb loll , lull , the English cognate of Dutch lollen "to mutter, mumble") is recorded as an alternative spelling of Lollard, while its generic meaning "a lazy vagabond, an idler, a fraudulent beggar" is not recorded before 1582.[ citation needed ]

Two other possibilities for the derivation of Lollard are mentioned by the Oxford English Dictionary: [4]

Beliefs

A map of Lollardy's influence. Areas of Lollardy's influence before the death of Richard II are in green. Areas where Lollardy spread in the 15th century are in red. Lollardmap.jpg
A map of Lollardy's influence. Areas of Lollardy's influence before the death of Richard II are in green. Areas where Lollardy spread in the 15th century are in red.

According to scholar Margaret Aston, as Wycliffe's academic theology percolated to the masses, it changed measureably, some parts strengthening and others weakening. [6] Historian John Thomson is paraphrased "Rather than a specific creed of well thought out theological doctrine, Lollard beliefs are more aptly described as a set of consistent attitudes." [7]

Eucharist

With regard to the Eucharist, Lollards such as John Wycliffe, William Thorpe and John Oldcastle taught a view of the mystical real presence of Christ in Holy Communion known as "consubstantiation" but did not accept the formulation of transubstantiation, which the Roman Catholic Church required the faithful not to deny. [8] [9] Wycliffite teachings on the Eucharist were declared heresy at the Blackfriars Council of 1382, and later by the Pope and the Council of Constance.

"The Plowman's Tale", a 16th-century Lollard poem, argues that theological debate about orthodox doctrine is less important than the Real Presence: [10]

I say sothe thorowe trewe rede
His flesh and blode, through his mastry
Is there/ in the forme of brede
Howe it is there/ it nedeth not stryve
Whether it be subgette or accydent
But as Christ was/ when he was on-lyve
So is he there verament. [11]

[In modern English:]
I say the truth through true understanding:
His flesh and blood, through his subtle works,
Is there in the form of bread.
In what manner it is present need not be debated,
Whether as subject or accident,
But as Christ was when he was alive,
So He is truly there. [12]

William Sawtry, a priest, was reportedly burned in 1401 for his preaching that "bread remains in the same nature as before" after consecration by a priest. A suspect in 1517 summed up the Lollards' position: "Summe folys cummyn to churche thynckyng to see the good Lorde – what shulde they see there but bredde and wyne?" [13] [14]

In the mid 15th century a priest named Richard Wyche was accused of false doctrine that corrupted the faith of Northumbrians, and left a letter detailing his version of the inquisitional proceedings, where a succession of theologians and others attempted to convince him of the Catholic position or to find some compromise wording that involved him not denying transubstantiation. [15] When asked about transubstantiation during his questioning, he repeated only his belief in the Real Presence. [16] When asked if the host was still bread even after consecration, he answered only: "I believe that the host is the real body of Christ in the form of bread". Throughout his questioning he insisted that he was "not bound to believe otherwise than Holy Scripture says" and resorted to various loopholes. Following the questioning, he claimed he had been allowed to swear an oath on his heart; [15] later his inquisitors denied this, saying he had sworn a different oath, which would have actually freed him; his denial of having taken that oath was taken as a re-canting by the bishop, preventing his attempted appeal to the Pope, so he was excommunicated, defrocked, imprisoned and eventually executed. [16] [17]

Lollard teachings on the Eucharist are attested to in numerous primary source documents. It is the fourth of the Twelve Conclusions and the first of the Sixteen Points on which the Bishops accuse Lollards . It is discussed in The Testimony of William Thorpe , the Apology for Lollard Doctrines , [18] Jack Upland , and Opus Arduum . [19]

Denial of sacraments and sacramentals

[ dubious discuss ]

The Lollards did not believe that the church practices of baptism and confession were necessary for salvation.

Believing in a universal priesthood, the Lollards challenged the Church's authority to invest or to deny the divine authority to make a man a priest. Denying any special status to the priesthood, Lollards thought confession to a priest was unnecessary since according to them priests did not have the ability to forgive sins. However, while it is beneficial to confess to a good priest, it is perilous to confess to a bad one. [20] :Art.9 Lollards challenged the practice of clerical celibacy and believed priests should not hold government positions as such temporal matters would likely interfere with their spiritual mission.

They considered praying to saints and honouring of their images to be a form of idolatry. Oaths, fasting and prayers for the dead were thought to have no scriptural basis. They had a poor opinion of the trappings of the Catholic Church, including holy water, bells, organs, and church buildings. They rejected the value of papal pardons. [21]

The Twelve Conclusions

One group of Lollards petitioned Parliament with the Twelve Conclusions of the Lollards by posting them on the doors of Westminster Hall in February 1395. While by no means a central statement of belief of the Lollards, the Twelve Conclusions reveal certain basic Lollard ideas.

Later, an expanded version the "Thirty Seven Conclusions" or "Remonstrances" was submitted in the late 1390s; the author is not known. [23]

Vernacular scripture

Lollardy was a religion of vernacular scripture. [21] Lollards opposed many practices of the Catholic church. Anne Hudson has written that a form of sola scriptura underpinned Wycliffe's beliefs, but distinguished it from the more radical ideology that anything not permitted by scripture is forbidden. Instead, Hudson notes that Wycliffe's sola scriptura held the Bible to be "the only valid source of doctrine and the only pertinent measure of legitimacy." [24]

Later Lollards believed that people deserved access to a copy of their own Bible. Many attempted to distribute English copies. Due to the lack of a printing press and low literacy levels, it was difficult to accomplish this goal. [25]

However, a notable feature of some Lollard inquisitions was the common claim of illiteracy, or vision impairment, as a defence against the suspicion of Lollardy raised by possession of vernacular texts. [6] :495

Catholic practices

Lollards did not observe fasting and abstinence in the Catholic Church. In heresy proceedings against Margery Baxter it was presented as evidence that a servant girl found bacon in a pot of oatmeal on the first Saturday of Lent. Non-observance of dietary restrictions was used as evidence of heresy in another Norfolk case against Thomas Mone, where it was alleged that a piglet was eaten for Easter dinner when eating meat was forbidden. [26]

Special vows were considered to be in conflict with the divine order established by Christ and were regarded as anathema. [27]

Lollards had a tendency toward iconoclasm.[ citation needed ]

Some Lollards believed work was permissible on Sundays. [6]

Foxe

Sixteenth-century martyrologist John Foxe reduced the main beliefs of Lollardy to four, to an extent eliding the Wycliffite doctrine of dominium:

History

A late 14th-century beginning of the Gospel of John, starting with a large letter 'I' in blue, from a pocket Wycliffe translation. It may have been used by a roving Lollard preacher Wycliffe John Gospel.jpg
A late 14th-century beginning of the Gospel of John, starting with a large letter ‘I’ in blue, from a pocket Wycliffe translation. It may have been used by a roving Lollard preacher

Although Lollardy was denounced as a heresy by the Catholic Church, initially Wycliffe and the Lollards were sheltered by politically-influential nobleman John of Gaunt and other anti-clerical nobility, who may have wanted to use Lollard-advocated clerical reform to acquire new sources of revenue from England's monasteries. The University of Oxford also protected Wycliffe and similar academics on the grounds of academic freedom and, initially, allowed such persons to retain their positions despite their controversial views.

Two primary religious opponents of the Wycliffites were Archbishop of Canterbury William Courtenay and his successor Thomas Arundel, assisted by bishops like Henry le Despenser of Norwich, whom the chronicler Thomas Walsingham praised for his zeal. [29]

Historian T. Waugh suggests the Lollard movement was small with little appeal to the upper classes, who liked the anti-clerical politics but not the religious doctrines. "Notices of Lollardy after the death of Wycliffe are scattered and meagre. Sixteenth century Protestantism invested the Lollards with a posthumous renown, but there can be little doubt that, when their first energy had spent itself, they speedily became an obscure sect, destitute of living leaders, and vaguely re-echoing the teaching of a deceased founder whom they only half understood." [30]

Oxford Lollards

The initial Lollards were a small group of scholars, particularly at Merton College, Oxford University, some with important positions, who came under the influence of Wycliffe in the 1360s and 1370s. After Wycliffe's natural death, all of them eventually submitted to Archbishop of Canterbury William Courtenay to renounce Wycliffe's contentious doctrines, and none suffered long-term consequences. [31] :ch9 These notably included Nicholas Hereford, who is usually named as the translator of most of the Old Testament of the Wycliffean Middle English Bible.

Peasants' Revolt

Lollards first faced serious persecution after the Peasants' Revolt in 1381. While Wycliffe and other Lollards opposed the revolt, one of the peasants' leaders, John Ball, preached Lollardy. Prior to 1382, Wycliffite beliefs were tolerated in government as they endorsed in royal superiority to bishops.[ clarification needed ] However, the government and royals were hesitant, as they did not want to encourage subjects to criticize religious powers. [25]

After 1382, royalty and nobility found Lollardy to be a threat not only to the Church, but to English society in general. The Lollards' small measure of protection evaporated. This change in status was also affected by the departure of John of Gaunt (Duke of Lancaster, patron of Chaucer and protector of John Wycliffe) who left England in 1386 to pursue the Crown of Castile.

Paul Strohm has asked: "Was the Lollard a genuine threat or a political pawn, agent of destabilising challenge, or a hapless threat of self-legitimizing Lancastrian discourse?" [32]

Lollard Knights

A group of gentry active during the reign of Richard II (1377–99) were known as "Lollard Knights" either during or after their lives due to their acceptance of Wycliffe's claims. Henry Knighton, in his Chronicle, identifies the principal Lollard Knights as Thomas Latimer, John Trussell, Lewis Clifford, Sir John Peche (son of John Peche of Wormleighton), Richard Storey, and Reginald Hilton. Thomas Walsingham's Chronicle adds William Nevil and John Clanvowe to the list, and other potential members of this circle have been identified by their wills, which contain Lollard-inspired language about how their bodies are to be plainly buried and permitted to return to the soil whence they came.

There is little indication that the Lollard Knights were specifically known as such during their lifetimes. They were men of discretion, and unlike Sir John Oldcastle years later, rarely gave any hint of open rebellion. However, they displayed a remarkable ability to retain important positions, without falling victim to the prosecutions of Wycliffe's followers during their lifetimes.

Lollard Richard Wyche being burnt at the stake in 1440 Richard Wyche at the stake, 1440.gif
Lollard Richard Wyche being burnt at the stake in 1440

Religious and secular authorities strongly opposed Lollardy. In eventual response to the revolting Lollards, the law De heretico comburendo was enacted in 1401 during the reign of Henry IV; traditionally heresy had been defined as an error in theological belief, but this statute equated theological heresy with sedition against political rulers. [32]

By the early 15th century, stern measures were undertaken by Church and state which drove Lollardy underground. One such measure was the 1410 burning at the stake of John Badby, a layman and craftsman who refused to renounce his Lollardy. He was the first layman to suffer capital punishment in England for the crime of heresy.

Oldcastle Revolt

John Oldcastle being burnt for insurrection and Lollard heresy. Oldcastleburning.jpg
John Oldcastle being burnt for insurrection and Lollard heresy.

John Oldcastle, a close friend of Henry V of England and the basis for Falstaff in the Shakespearean history Henry IV, Part 1 , was brought to trial in 1413 after evidence of his Lollard beliefs was uncovered. Oldcastle escaped from the Tower of London and organized an insurrection, which included an attempted kidnapping of the king. The rebellion failed, and Oldcastle was executed. Oldcastle's revolt made Lollardy seem even more threatening to the state, and persecution of Lollards became more severe.

1428 Kentish Insurrection

An insurrection was nipped in the bud in 1428, feared to involve several thousand Lollards, intent on "destroying the English church." [6] :769 It was associated with Lollard missionary William White.

Late Lollardy in the 1500s

Lollards were effectively absorbed into Protestantism during the English Reformation, in which Lollardy played a role. Since Lollards had been underground for more than a hundred years, the extent of Lollardy and its ideas at the time of the Reformation is uncertain and a point of debate. [33] [34] [35] Ancestors of Blanche Parry, the closest person to Elizabeth I for 56 years, and of Blanche Milborne, who raised Edward VI and Elizabeth I, had Lollard associations. [36]

Many critics of the Reformation, including Thomas More, equated Protestants with Lollards. Leaders of the English Reformation, including Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, referred to Lollardy as well, and Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall of London called Lutheranism the "foster-child" of the Wycliffite heresy. [37] Scholars debate whether Protestants actually drew influence from Lollardy, or whether they referred to it to create a sense of tradition.

Other martyrs for the Lollard cause were executed during the next century, including the Amersham Martyrs in the early 1500s and Thomas Harding in 1532, one of the last Lollards to be persecuted. A gruesome reminder of this persecution is the 'Lollards Pit' in Thorpe Wood, now Thorpe Hamlet, Norwich, Norfolk, "where men are customablie burnt", [38] including Thomas Bilney.

Despite the debate about the extent of Lollard influence there are ample records of the persecution of Lollards from this period. In the Diocese of London, there are records of about 310 Lollards being prosecuted or forced to abjure from 1510 to 1532. In Lincoln diocese, 45 cases against Lollardy were heard in 1506–1507. In 1521, there were 50 abjurations and 5 burnings of Lollards.[ clarification needed ] In 1511, Archbishop Warham presided over the abjuration of 41 Lollards from Kent and the burning of 5. [39]

In 1529, Simon Fish wrote an incendiary pamphlet Supplication for the Beggars, including his denial of purgatory and teachings that priestly celibacy was an invention of the Antichrist. He argued that earthly rulers have the right to strip Church properties, and that tithing was against the Gospel, Protestant views that echo the Wycliffite/Lollard teaching. [40] [41] He advocated closing of all monasteries, and notably provided economic estimates of the revenues of various monastic and church institutions.

The extent of Lollardy in the general populace at this time is unknown. The prevalence of Protestant iconoclasm in England suggests Lollard ideas may still have had some popular influence if Huldrych Zwingli was not the source, as Lutheranism did not advocate iconoclasm. Lollards were persecuted again between 1554 and 1559 during the Revival of the Heresy Acts under the Catholic Mary I, which specifically suppressed heresy and Lollardy.

The similarity between Lollards and later English Protestant groups, such as the Baptists, Puritans, and Quakers, also suggests some continuation of Lollard ideas through the Reformation. [42]

Representations in art and literature

Fox preaching to the gullible fowl, misericord (1491-1494), quire at Ripon Cathedral. Fox preaching to the gullible fowl.jpg
Fox preaching to the gullible fowl, misericord (1491–1494), quire at Ripon Cathedral.

The Roman Catholic Church used art as an anti-Lollard weapon. Lollards were represented on misericords as foxes dressed as monks or priests preaching to a flock of geese. [43] These representations alluded to the story of the preaching fox found in popular medieval literature such as The History of Reynard the Fox and The Shifts of Raynardine. The fox lured the geese closer and closer with its eloquent words, until it was able to snatch a victim to devour. The moral of the story being that foolish people are seduced by false teachers.

See also

Notes

  1. Also known as Lollardism, or the Lollard movement.

Citations

  1. Roberts, Chris (2006), Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind Rhyme, Thorndike Press, ISBN   0-7862-8517-6 .
  2. 1 2 Wikisource-logo.svg One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Lollards". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  3. cf. English lullaby , and the modern Dutch and German lallen "to babble, to talk drunkenly": "lallen". Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache. November 2022.
  4. "Lollard". Oxford English Dictionary . Oxford University Press.
  5. van Bright, T.J. (1886) [1660]. The Bloody Theater or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians. Translated by Joseph F. Sohm (Third English ed.). Scottsdale, Pennsylvania: Herald Press.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Aston, Margaret (1982). "William White's Lollard Followers". The Catholic Historical Review. 68 (3): 469–497. ISSN   0008-8080. JSTOR   25021412.
  7. Freeman, Cameron. "Who were the post-Wycliffe Lollards, what did they practice and what became of their movement?".
  8. Walker, Greg (6 February 2013). Reading Literature Historically: Drama and Poetry from Chaucer to the Reformation. Edinburgh University Press. p. 152. ISBN   9780748681037.
  9. Hornbeck, J. Patrick (10 September 2010). What is a lollard?: dissent and belief in late medieval England. Oxford University Press. p. 72. ISBN   9780199589043.
  10. Barr, Helen (1994). Signes and Sothe: Language in the Piers Plowman Tradition. Boydell & Brewer. ISBN   978-0-85991-419-2.
  11. McCarl, Mary Rhinelander, ed. (1997). The Plowman's Tale: The c. 1532 and 1606 Editions of a Spurious Canterbury Tale. New York: Garland. pp. 21–40. On the dating of "The Plowman's Tale", see Andrew N. Warn, "The Genesis of The Plowman's Tale, Yearbook of English Studies 2" 1972
  12. Hardwick, Paul (2011). English Medieval Misericords: The Margins of Meaning. Woodbridge, UK: The Boydell Press. p. 60. ISBN   9781843836599.
  13. Hudson 1988, p. 285.
  14. Crossley-Holland, Nicole (1 January 1991). Eternal Values in Mediaeval Life. Saint David's Univ. College. ISBN   978-0-905285-31-3.
  15. 1 2 Wyche, Richard; Bradley, Christopher G. (May 2012). "The Letter of Richard Wyche : An Interrogation Narrative". Publications of the Modern Language Association of America. 127 (3): 626–642. doi:10.1632/pmla.2012.127.3.626.
  16. 1 2 Hudson 1988, p. 284.
  17. Stone, Darwell (1 October 2007). A History of the Doctrine of the Holy Eucharist. Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN   978-1-59752-973-0.
  18. Wycliffe, John; Camden Society (Great Britain); Todd, James Henthorn (1842). An Apology for Lollard Doctrines. London: Printed for the Camden Society, by J. B. Nichols. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  19. Hudson 1988, pp. 285–286.
  20. Purvey, John (1851). "Remonstrance against Romish corruptions in the Church : addressed to the people and parliament of England in 1395, 18 Ric. II., now for the first time published". London : Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans.
  21. 1 2 Aston, Margaret (1996). "Lollardy". Lollardy - Oxford Reference. Encyclopedia of the Reformation. ISBN   978-0-19-506493-3 . Retrieved 31 May 2017.  via  OUP (subscription required)
  22. 1 2 Hudson 1988, p. 306.
  23. Purvey, John (1851). "Remonstrance against Romish corruptions in the Church : addressed to the people and parliament of England in 1395, 18 Ric. II., now for the first time published". London : Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans.
  24. Hudson 1988, p. 280.
  25. 1 2 Bucholz, Robert; Key, Newton (23 October 2019). Early Modern England 1485-1714: A Narrative History. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN   978-1-118-53221-8.
  26. Woolgar, C. M. (2016). The Culture of Food in England, 1200–1500. Yale University Press. p. 29. ISBN   9780300181913.
  27. Gasse, Roseanne (1 January 1996). "Margery Kempe and Lollardy". Magistra. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  28. Walker, Greg (1 May 1993). "Heretical Sects in Pre-Reformation England". History Today. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  29. Walsingham. Historia Anglicana. Vol. 2. p. 189..
  30. Waugh, W. T. (1913). "The Lollard Knights". The Scottish Historical Review. 11 (41): 55–92. ISSN   0036-9241. JSTOR   25518640.
  31. Larsen, Andrew E. (9 September 2011). The School of Heretics: Academic Condemnation at the University of Oxford, 1277-1409. doi:10.1163/9789004206625_010.
  32. 1 2 Kelly, Stephen (29 June 2017). Hiscock, Andrew; Wilcox, Helen (eds.). "The Pre-Reformation Landscape". The Oxford Handbook of Early Modern English Literature and Religion. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199672806.013.2. ISBN   978-0-19-967280-6 . Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  33. Aston, Margaret E. (1964). "Lollardy and the Reformation: Survival or Revival?". History. 49 (166): 149–170. doi:10.1111/j.1468-229X.1964.tb01098.x. ISSN   0018-2648.
  34. Dickens, A. G. (1989). The English Reformation (2nd ed.). Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press. pp. 46–60. ISBN   978-0271028682.
  35. Stansfield-Cudworth, R. E. (2021). "From Minority to Maturity: The Evolution of Later Lollardy". Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry. 3 (2): 325–352. doi: 10.33929/sherm.2021.vol3.no2.07 . ISSN   2637-7500. S2CID   248602354.
  36. Potter, R. "Documents on the changing status of the English Vernacular, 1500–1540". RIC. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
  37. Potter, R. "Documents on the changing status of the English Vernacular, 1500–1540". RIC. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
  38. Rackham, Oliver (1976). Trees and Woodland in the British Landscape. JM Dent & Sons. pp. 137–38. ISBN   0-460-04183-5..
  39. Dickens, A.G. (1959). Lollards & Protestants in the Diocese of York, 1509–58. A&C Black. ISBN   9780907628057.
  40. Marc'hadour, Germain (1 June 1984). "Margaret Aston, "William White's Lollard Followers"". Moreana. 21 (Number 82) (2): 18. doi:10.3366/more.1984.21.2.4. ISSN   0047-8105.
  41. Rollison, David (11 August 2005). The Local Origins of Modern Society: Gloucestershire 1500-1800. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-134-91333-6.
  42. Spufford, Margaret, ed. (1995). The World of Rural Dissenters, 1520–1725. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0521410618.
  43. Benton, Janetta (January 1997). Holy Terrors: Gargoyles on Medieval Buildings . Abbeville Press. ISBN   978-0-7892-0182-9., p. 83

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The English Reformation took place in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away first from the authority of the Pope and bishops over the King and then from some doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church. These events were part of the wider European Reformation: various religious and political movements that affected both the practice of Christianity in Western and Central Europe and relations between church and state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coventry Martyrs</span> Executed 16th-century English religious protesters

The Coventry Martyrs were a disparate group of Lollard Christians executed for their beliefs in Coventry between 1512 and 1522 and in 1555. Eleven of them are commemorated by a six-metre-high (20 ft) monument, erected in 1910 in a public garden in the city, between Little Park Street and Mile Lane; and by a mosaic constructed in 1953 inside the entrance to Broadgate House in the city centre. Some of the streets in the city's Cheylesmore suburb are named after them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Knighton</span> English medieval chronicler

Henry Knighton was an Augustinian canon at the abbey of St Mary of the Meadows, Leicester, England, and an ecclesiastical historian (chronicler). He wrote a history of England from the Norman conquest until 1396, thought to be the year he died.

<i>Ecclesiae Regimen</i> Declaration against the Catholic Church in England

The Ecclesiae Regimen, also Remonstrance, xxxvii Conclusiones Lollardorum, or Thirty Seven Articles against Corruptions in the Church, is a church reformation declaration against the Catholic Church of England in the Late Middle Ages. It had no official title given to it when written and the author(s) did not identify themselves in the original manuscript. This public declaration by the English medieval sect called the Lollards was announced to the English parliament at the end of the manifesto Twelve Conclusions of the Lollards published in 1395.

Margery Baxter was an outspoken and heretical Lollard from Martham, England. She was brought to trial twice and flogged at church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oldcastle Revolt</span> 15th century proto-protestant uprising

The Oldcastle Revolt was a Lollard uprising directed against the Catholic Church and the English king, Henry V. The revolt was led by John Oldcastle, taking place on the night of 9/10 January 1414. The rebellion was crushed following a decisive battle on St. Giles's Fields.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proto-Protestantism</span> Precursors to the Protestant Reformation

Proto-Protestantism, also called pre-Protestantism, refers to individuals and movements that propagated various ideas later associated with Protestantism before 1517, which historians usually regard as the starting year for the Reformation era. The relationship between medieval sects and Protestantism is an issue that has been debated by historians.

John Resby was an English priest and supporter of John Wycliffe. He was executed by burning for heresy in Perth, Scotland, in 1407 or 1408, during the time when Henry Wardlaw was Bishop of St. Andrews. He is regarded as the first Protestant martyr in Scotland.