Lollard
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Who were the Lollards?
The Lollards were followers of John Wycliffe, an Oxford philosopher and theologian whose unorthodox religious and social doctrines in some ways foreshadowed the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. The name Lollard was a derogatory term derived from the Middle Dutch lollaert, meaning "mumbler".
Wycliffe's views included denying transubstantiation, stressing the importance of preaching, and emphasizing the primacy of Scripture as the source of Christian doctrine. The first Lollard group centered on Wycliffe’s colleagues at Oxford, but the movement gained followers among townspeople, merchants, and even some clergy. Lollards translated the Bible into English so that all men could have access to the Scriptures in their own language. Although the movement declined after a failed rising in 1414, Lollard revivals began around 1500, and before 1530, the old Lollard and new Protestant forces had begun to merge.
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When and where did the Lollard movement begin?
The Lollard movement emerged in late medieval England, around 1382, among the followers of John Wycliffe, an Oxford philosopher and theologian. The first Lollard group centered on Wycliffe's Oxford colleagues, led by Nicholas of Hereford. The movement gained followers beyond Oxford among townspeople, merchants, and even some clergy.
Wycliffe's unorthodox religious and social doctrines, which in some ways anticipated the Protestant Reformation, included the importance of preaching, the primacy of Scripture, and denial of transubstantiation. The name Lollard, derived from the Middle Dutch lollaert ("mumbler"), was initially a pejorative term.
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What did the Lollards believe about religion?
The Lollards, followers of John Wycliffe, held unorthodox religious views that challenged the established Church. They believed the Church in England was subservient to Rome and that the papacy lacked scriptural justification.
Key Lollard beliefs:
* Primacy of Scripture: They stressed the Bible as the source of Christian doctrine and translated it into English.
* Rejection of Transubstantiation: They denied the "feigned miracle" of transubstantiation and other rituals they saw as leading to idolatry and necromancy.
* Challenge to Clerical Authority: They opposed clerical celibacy, the need for confession to a priest, and the involvement of prelates in temporal matters.
* Opposition to Worldly Practices: They condemned warfare, special prayers for the dead, pilgrimages, offerings to images, and unnecessary arts and crafts in the church.1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Who was John Wycliffe, and what was his role in Lollardy?
John Wycliffe (c. 1330-1384) was an English theologian, philosopher, and church reformer who promoted the first complete Bible translation into English and whose unorthodox religious and social doctrines anticipated those of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation.
Wycliffe's followers, known as Lollards, propagated his controversial views, which included the denial of the doctrine of transubstantiation, stressing the importance of preaching, and the primacy of Scripture as the source of Christian doctrine. The Lollards traveled as lay preachers throughout England and Scotland in the 14th and 15th centuries. Although Wycliffe was never brought to trial, the Lollards faced repression, and their overt political influence ended in the early 15th century.
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How did the English Church and government respond to the Lollards?
The English Church and government harshly repressed the Lollards, followers of John Wycliffe, whose beliefs anticipated the Protestant Reformation. The accession of Henry IV in 1399 marked a period of repression, leading to the 1401 statute that ordered the burning of heretics. William Sawtrey was the first Lollard martyr burned under this act.
In 1414, a Lollard uprising, led by Sir John Oldcastle, was quickly defeated by Henry V, resulting in severe reprisals and the end of the Lollards’ open political influence. The movement was driven underground, operating mainly among tradespeople and artisans.
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How did the Lollard movement influence later religious changes in England?
The Lollard movement, initiated by John Wycliffe in the late 14th century, significantly influenced later religious changes in England. The Lollards emphasized the primacy of scripture and individual access to it, leading to the translation of the Bible into English. They also challenged the authority of the papacy and opposed practices such as transubstantiation, clerical celibacy, and the necessity of confession to a priest for salvation.
Although the Lollard movement faced repression and was driven underground, it helped facilitate the spread of Protestantism in the 16th century and predisposed the population to accept Henry VIII’s anticlerical legislation during the English Reformation. The Lollard Bible influenced William Tyndale’s translation of the New Testament and, later, the King James Version.
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Lollard, in late medieval England, a follower, after about 1382, of John Wycliffe, a University of Oxford philosopher and theologian whose unorthodox religious and social doctrines in some ways anticipated those of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. The name, used pejoratively, derived from the Middle Dutch lollaert (“mumbler”), which had been applied earlier to certain European continental groups suspected of combining pious pretensions with heretical belief.
At Oxford in the 1370s, Wycliffe came to advocate increasingly radical religious views. He denied the doctrine of transubstantiation and stressed the importance of preaching and the primacy of Scripture as the source of Christian doctrine. Claiming that the office of the papacy lacked scriptural justification, he equated the pope with Antichrist and welcomed the 14th-century schism in the papacy as a prelude to its destruction. Wycliffe was charged with heresy and retired from Oxford in 1378. Nevertheless, he was never brought to trial, and he continued to write and preach until his death in 1384.
The first Lollard group centred (c. 1382) on some of Wycliffe’s colleagues at Oxford led by Nicholas of Hereford. The movement gained followers outside of Oxford, and the anticlerical undercurrents of the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 were ascribed, probably unfairly, to the influence of Wycliffe and the Lollards. In 1382 William Courtenay, archbishop of Canterbury, forced some of the Oxford Lollards to renounce their views and conform to Roman Catholic doctrine. The sect continued to multiply, however, among townspeople, merchants, gentry, and even the lower clergy. Several knights of the royal household gave their support, as well as a few members of the House of Commons.
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The accession of Henry IV in 1399 signaled a wave of repression against heresy. In 1401 the first English statute was passed for the burning of heretics. The Lollards’ first martyr, William Sawtrey, was actually burned a few days before the act was passed. In 1414 a Lollard rising led by Sir John Oldcastle was quickly defeated by Henry V. The rebellion brought severe reprisals and marked the end of the Lollards’ overt political influence.
Driven underground, the movement operated henceforth chiefly among tradespeople and artisans, supported by a few clerical adherents. About 1500 a Lollard revival began, and before 1530 the old Lollard and the new Protestant forces had begun to merge. The Lollard tradition facilitated the spread of Protestantism and predisposed opinion in favour of King Henry VIII’s anticlerical legislation during the English Reformation.
From its early days the Lollard movement tended to discard the scholastic subtleties of Wycliffe, who probably wrote few or none of the popular tracts in English formerly attributed to him. The most complete statement of early Lollard teaching appeared in the Twelve Conclusions, drawn up to be presented to the Parliament of 1395. They began by stating that the church in England had become subservient to her “stepmother the great church of Rome.” The present priesthood was not the one ordained by Christ, while the Roman ritual of ordination had no warrant in Scripture. Clerical celibacy occasioned unnatural lust, while the “feigned miracle” of transubstantiation led men into idolatry. The hallowing of wine, bread, altars, vestments, and so forth was related to necromancy. Prelates should not be temporal judges and rulers, for no man can serve two masters. The Conclusions also condemned special prayers for the dead, pilgrimages, and offerings to images, and they declared confession to a priest unnecessary for salvation. Warfare was contrary to the New Testament, and vows of chastity by nuns led to the horrors of abortion and child murder. Finally, the multitude of unnecessary arts and crafts pursued in the church encouraged “waste, curiosity, and disguising.” The Twelve Conclusions covered all the main Lollard doctrines except two: that the prime duty of priests is to preach and that all men should have free access to the Scriptures in their own language. The Lollards were responsible for a translation of the Bible into English, by Nicholas of Hereford, and later revised by Wycliffe’s secretary, John Purvey.