Heresy, Lollards & Medieval Troubadours
Heresy is something that is rarely spoken about these days but in medieval times it was deemed a sin for which people were burned at the stake. Most of our medieval blog readers might have heard about the Cathar heresy and the brutal Albigensian crusade (AD1209-1229) which crushed it but 150 years later there was a heresy which grew in England - it became known as Lollardism and was started by John Wycliffe.
Just as for the Cathars, John Wycliffe argued against the wealth and prosperity of the Holy Roman Church. At this time the Pope was based in Avignon and the payment of Papal taxation was seen as a tax to the French which at the time of the Hundred Years War meant that there was a lot of sympathy with the Lollards.
Unfortunately, the support for Wycliffe began to falter. His primary sponsor, John of Gaunt, moved abroad as he pursued his claim to the Castillian throne. Then John Ball became one of the leaders of the peasants revolt in 1381 and he was also a supporter of Wycliffe. After this the ruling class started to see the heresy as a threat to their rule.
What were the legacies of the Lollards?
The art of medieval troubadours has close assocations with the Cathars - read more about medieval troubadours on our main website.
Just as for the Cathars, John Wycliffe argued against the wealth and prosperity of the Holy Roman Church. At this time the Pope was based in Avignon and the payment of Papal taxation was seen as a tax to the French which at the time of the Hundred Years War meant that there was a lot of sympathy with the Lollards.
Unfortunately, the support for Wycliffe began to falter. His primary sponsor, John of Gaunt, moved abroad as he pursued his claim to the Castillian throne. Then John Ball became one of the leaders of the peasants revolt in 1381 and he was also a supporter of Wycliffe. After this the ruling class started to see the heresy as a threat to their rule.
What were the legacies of the Lollards?
1. They had a tremendous influence on later reforms.
2. Wycliffe's bible translations between 1382 and 1395 started the movement to make the bible more readily available to the laiety.
3. Their ideas and beliefs were absorbed by the Protestants and coming after the reformation those who were baptists, puritans or quakers all carried a small part of this original heresy with them.
3. Their ideas and beliefs were absorbed by the Protestants and coming after the reformation those who were baptists, puritans or quakers all carried a small part of this original heresy with them.
The art of medieval troubadours has close assocations with the Cathars - read more about medieval troubadours on our main website.
Labels: cathars, john wycliffe, lollardism, medieval heresy, troubadours
posted by medieval-castle.com at
12:20 PM
