Abstract

During the fourteenth century in England there began a movement referred to as Lollardy. Throughout history, Lollardy has been viewed as a precursor to the Protestant Reformation. There has been a long ongoing debate among scholars trying to identify the extent of Lollard beliefs among the English. Attempting to identify who was a Lollard has often led historians to look at the trial records of those accused of being Lollards. One aspect overlooked in these studies is the role civic authorities, like the mayor of a town, played in the heresy trials of suspected Lollards. Contrary to existing beliefs that the Lollards were marginalized figures, the mayors' willingness to defend them against Church prosecution implies that either Lollard sympathies were more widespread than previously noted or Lollards were being inaccurately identified in the court records. This contradicts scholars' previous view that English religious views were clearly divided between Lollards and non-Lollards, providing depth and additional support to very recent work emphasizing the complexity of religious identity during the period immediately preceding the Reformation.

Notes

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Thesis Completion

2012

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Graham, Emily

Degree

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Degree Program

History

Subjects

Arts and Humanities -- Dissertations, Academic;Dissertations, Academic -- Arts and Humanities

Format

PDF

Identifier

CFH0004177

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

5 years

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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