Lollardy

Lollardy

1. Beliefs

   • Heretics: challenged RCC doctrine
   • John Wycliffe: Bible in English
     • Oxford University
   • No transubtantiation
   • No papal headship
   • Rejected tradition in favour of sola scriptura

2. Location

   • Chiltern Hills = biggest group
   • Rural
     • Lower class artisans
   • Coventry, Cambridge, East Anglia, Cotswolds
   • None in the north, south or west

3. Historiography

   • Traditionalist
     • Smith: Lollardy was an important background force
   • Revisionalist
     • Elton: Lollardy had no part in Reformation

4. Impact

   • No unified beliefs
     • Ignorance?
     • The only record of beliefs is The Twelve Conclusions of Lollardy
       • Not authoritative
   • Lollardy grew after 1500
     • Heresy hunting?
   • Small, underground

5. Lollard is a derogatory term for uneducated people