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The Lollards: Dawning star of the Reformation? |
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Predecessors to Protestantism?
The Lollards were “the first recognised critics of the established church since the Fifth Century” according to historian, Mike Ibeji. They were founded by John Wyclif, in the 1370s, and quickly found themselves victims of persecution from the Catholic Church, and the monarchy. In 1410, Henry IV gave royal assent to a statute which legitimised the burning of heretics, 'De haeretico comburendo'; the Lollards were victims of this aggression, because of their radical policies. Their belief that the Catholic Church was corrupt threatened the privileged position enjoyed by the priests and monasteries of England.
Lud's Church
© Stuart Band, Peakland Heritage |
The fact that the doctrines of Lollardy and Protestantism share many beliefs is well documented and widely accepted: the denial of transubstantiation (the transformation at Communion of bread into the body of Christ), the refusal to venerate saints and relics, the criticism of papal indulgences, the equation of the Pope with the Antichrist, and certainty in the authority of scripture, were all beliefs shared by Lollardy and Protestantism. The title of historian Anne Hudson’s study, ‘The Premature Reformation’, reveals the role she believes the Lollards played in the Reformation. However, other historians, including Richard Rex, contest the claim that the Lollards played an important role in the formation of the Church of England. Rex writes:
“the claims that Lollardy contributed to the rise of Protestantism remains implausible”
Rex argues in his book, ‘The Lollards’, that evidence supporting the belief that committed Lollards were instrumental in the Reformation is “scanty and inconclusive”. Why then did they acquire the subsequent reputation as the predecessor of the Reformation?
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