The British Church in the 14th Century In the summer of 1381 a large group of peasants led by Wat Tyler stormed London. These peasants, unwilling to pay another poll tax to pay for an unpopular war against France and discontent with unfair labor wages, freed prisoners from London prisons, killed merchants, and razed the home of John of Gaunt, considered the creator of the poll tax. Perhaps more important, however, was the rebels attack on the Temple, a symbol of the British Church’s wealth
devout observance, its fantastic emphasis on saints, relics and pilgrimages...” (4). These views were contrasted with the ideas of Lollards and the teachings of John Wycliffe. Their emphasis on sole aut... ... middle of paper ... ...n that Lollardy consists mainly of artisans and tradesmen. It seems that the rebellious ideas might have originated with educated individuals but were propagated by commoners. A. G. Dickens proves that social and economic prominence was significant in spreading
Prior to the 16th century, England was a country based around Catholicism. During the reign of King Henry VIII (1509-1547) England experienced a drastic religious change. The English Reformation of the Church used Protestant ideas that began to gain momentum throughout England in which Henry VIII was able to used these new radical ideas to benefit his own personal agenda. Henry worked to decrease the Church’s power, beginning with the realization that his wife, Catherine of Aragon, was unable to
The English Reformation During the reign of King Richard II "England was experiencing her first serious outbreak of heresy for nearly a millennium." This widespread heresy, known as Lollardy, held the reformation of the Catholic Church as its main motivation, and was based upon the ideas of John Wyclif, an Oxford scholar. "All kinds of men, not only in London but in widely-separated regions of the country, seized the opportunity to voice criticisms both constructive and destructive of the present
movements going on at the time such as the Lutheran movement and also Lollardry. This suggests that people were growing tired with the Catholic Church and therefore looking towards other religions. The Lollards were an active group based in England. Lollardy appealed to the lower and middle classes and its idea's closely matched those of Luther. They denied the existence of purgatory, rejected the pope and spoke out against war. It wished to see a reduction in church wealth and the bible translated
John Wycliffe and John Huss both are considered forerunners of the Protestant Reformation. John Huss is often considered a disciple of Wycliffe. They both believed in the sufficiency of scriptural authority and not the dual authority of scripture and tradition. Both also believed in a church of the elect, which is essentially hidden, believing society and secular occupations had similar attributes to the church, where the source of all authority is the sovereignty of God. Martin Luther is descendant
The Female Spell-caster in Middle English Romances: Heretical Outsider or Political Insider Historically, the relationship between heresy and spell-casting is difficult to define.1 For example, H. A. Kelly points out that sorcery and heresy were not formally linked in England.2 They were regarded as separate crimes, although burning (especially after the 1401 Statute passed by Parliament) could be the punishment for both crimes. Certainly, English romances from the fourteenth to the sixteenth
paper ... ...ars: traditional religion in England, c. 1400-c. 1580 (Yale University Press, 2005). Fletcher, A., ‘Unnoticed Sermons from John Mirk’s Festial, Speculum, Vol. 55, No. 3 (Jul., 1980), 514-522. Ford, J., John Mirk's Festial: Orthodoxy, Lollardy, and the Common People in Fourteenth-Century England (DS Brewer, 2006). Huizinga, J., The Waning of the Middle Ages (Dover Publications, 1999). James, T., Black Death: The lasting impact (BBC History, 2011). Langmuir, G., ‘Review: Sin and Fear:
The first Christians who challenged the doctrines of the Catholic Church had already pleaded their cases long before Martin Luther, the acclaimed founding father of Protestantism, ultimately broke away from the Catholic Church. Prior to the Reformation and official formation of Protestantism, many philosophers, theologians, and logicians who led the inquiry for greater knowledge and education, spoke out against the doctrines of the Catholic Church. Peter Abelard, John Wycliffe, Jan Hus, and Peter
The Controversial Margery Kempe Throughout history, there have been a select number of women with extraordinary talent, intelligence, and passion that have challenged and defied society's subjugation of women and have stood their ground under the pressure of patriarchy. The Middle Ages, in particular, generally cast women in a negative light. Some medieval women used their abilities in the arts to leave a lasting impression on a society that affiliated women with Eve, who was believed to be