4.2.1

The Reformation

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The Beginnings of Reform

People began to question the Catholic Church in the 14th century. One of the biggest challenges came from the Lollards.

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John Wycliffe

  • John Wycliffe was the leader of the Lollards.
  • He was born in Yorkshire, England in the 1330s.
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The Lollards

  • The Lollards wanted to reform the Church.
  • The Lollards did not believe in ‘transubstantiation’.
    • This is the idea that the substance of the wine and bread in communion becomes Christ's body and blood.
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Limited success

  • The Lollards did not successfully reform the Church.
  • The Lollards were called ‘heretics’ (someone who believes in something different from the established Church) by the State.
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Impact on the Reformation

  • Whilst Lollardy was not successful in itself, Wycliffe and his followers openly criticised the Church.
  • This would continue and build up to the Reformation.

Jump to other topics

1The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

1.1Anglo-Saxon England

1.2The Contest for the English Throne

1.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

1.4King John

1.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

1.6The Black Death

2Worldviews

3The Empire of Mali

4The Renaissance & Reformations, 1500-1598 AD

5The British Empire, 1583-1960 AD

6The Peasants' Revolt

7Religion in the Middle Ages

8Slavery, 1619-1833 AD

9The English Civil War, 1642-1660

10The Industrial Revolution, 1750-1840

11US Independence, 1775-1783

12The French Revolution, 1789-1815

13The British Empire, 1857–1930

14Suffrage

15World War 1, 1914-1918

16The Inter-War Years, 1919-1939

17World War 2, 1939-1945

18The Cold War, 1947-1962

19Civil Rights in the USA, 1954-1975

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