The Gospel and Henry VIII
Evangelicals in the Early English Reformation

An appraisal of the religious policies of the final years of Henry VIII's reign.

Alec Ryrie (Author)

9780521036658, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 31 May 2007

332 pages, 4 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.494 kg

'Alec Ryrie has produced a fascinating work which will undoubtedly soon become required reading for anyone interested in the early history of the English Reformation. The Gospel and Henry VIII is an excellent work that sheds new light on a vital but neglected area of Tudor religious history.' Journal of Ecclesiastical History

During the last decade of Henry VIII's life, his Protestant subjects struggled to reconcile two loyalties: to their Gospel and to their king. This book tells the story of that struggle and describes how a radicalised English Protestantism emerged from it. Focusing on the critical but neglected period 1539–47, Dr Ryrie argues that these years were not the 'conservative reaction' of conventional historiography, but a time of political fluidity and ambiguity. Most evangelicals continued to hope that the king would favour their cause, and remained doctrinally moderate and politically conformist. The author examines this moderate reformism in a range of settings - in the book trade, in the universities, at court and in underground congregations. He also describes its gradual eclipse, as shifting royal policy and the dynamics of the evangelical movement itself pushed reformers towards the more radical, confrontational Protestantism which was to shape the English identity for centuries.

List of figures
List of tables
Acknowledgements
Notes on the text
List of abbreviations
Introduction
Part I. The Regime and the Reformers: 1. A counter-reformation?
2. Fearing God and honouring the king
Part II. The Faces of Reform: 3. The exiles
4. Pulpit and printshop
5. The universities
6. The court
7. The evangelical underground
Conclusion
Appendixes
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Politics & government [JP], Protestantism & Protestant Churches [HRCC9], History of religion [HRAX], Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH], British & Irish history [HBJD1]