The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional Religion in England, 1400-1580
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- Author：Eamon Duffy
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Summary
This prize-winning account of the pre-Reformation church recreates lay people’s experience of religion， showing that late-medieval Catholicism was neither decadent nor decayed， but a strong and vigorous tradition。 For this edition， Duffy has written a new introduction reflecting on recent developments in our understanding of the period。
“A mighty and momentous book: a book to be read and re-read， pondered and revered; a subtle， profound book written with passion and eloquence， and with masterly control。”—J。 J。 Scarisbrick， The Tablet
“Revisionist history at its most imaginative and exciting。 。 。 。 [An] astonishing and magnificent piece of work。”—Edward T。 Oakes， Commonweal
“A magnificent scholarly achievement， a compelling read， and not a page too long to defend a thesis which will provoke passionate debate。”—Patricia Morison， Financial Times
“Deeply imaginative， movingly written， and splendidly illustrated。”—Maurice Keen， New York Review of Books
Winner of the Longman-History Today Book of the Year Award
“A mighty and momentous book: a book to be read and re-read， pondered and revered; a subtle， profound book written with passion and eloquence， and with masterly control。”—J。 J。 Scarisbrick， The Tablet
“Revisionist history at its most imaginative and exciting。 。 。 。 [An] astonishing and magnificent piece of work。”—Edward T。 Oakes， Commonweal
“A magnificent scholarly achievement， a compelling read， and not a page too long to defend a thesis which will provoke passionate debate。”—Patricia Morison， Financial Times
“Deeply imaginative， movingly written， and splendidly illustrated。”—Maurice Keen， New York Review of Books
Winner of the Longman-History Today Book of the Year Award
Reviews
Simon Harrison
，
It's long and difficult， yet still does a grand job of presenting the communal benefits that were lost through the English Reformation It's long and difficult， yet still does a grand job of presenting the communal benefits that were lost through the English Reformation 。。。more
Emg
，
3。5 Mostly very interesting but loaded down with repetitious details in some sections。
Ephrem Arcement
，
An important corrective to many assumptions about the English Reformation， even if it is at times ideologically slanted。
Siria
，
One of those classics of late medieval/early modern history that it's assumed anyone in the field has read， and that I've thus long felt guilty for never having done so。 In my defense it is a brick of a book， crammed full of evidence for the vitality of religious life on a personal and parochial life in an England on the verge of the Reformation。 Eamon Duffy marshalls a wide array of sources—wills， journals， liturgies， and more—to I think successfully make the case that， contra many centuries of One of those classics of late medieval/early modern history that it's assumed anyone in the field has read， and that I've thus long felt guilty for never having done so。 In my defense it is a brick of a book， crammed full of evidence for the vitality of religious life on a personal and parochial life in an England on the verge of the Reformation。 Eamon Duffy marshalls a wide array of sources—wills， journals， liturgies， and more—to I think successfully make the case that， contra many centuries of historiography that was Protestant in its sympathies， Catholicism in late medieval England was far from moribund， at least at a grass-roots level。 I would also agree with him that the shift of the general population's religious convictions， identities， and preferences took place over a span of generations and was not so abrupt as had often been assumed。 As for Duffy's framing of the actions of the reformers overall actions and the chronological framework he employs， your feelings about it will probably be shaped by whether your allegiances lie with Rome （as Duffy's clearly do） or against。 。。。more
Pollymoore3
，
"On certain feasts objects to be blessed might be brought up at this point: candles at Candlemas， butter， cheese， and eggs at Easter， apples on St James's day"。 A serious piece of historical research that also makes me feel vividly present in late medieval England， joining in the feasts and penances and rituals， and later on helping to hide the church treasures when they were banned。 There's no doubt reform was needed， but I believe this traumatic break， a cultural revolution imposed from above， "On certain feasts objects to be blessed might be brought up at this point: candles at Candlemas， butter， cheese， and eggs at Easter， apples on St James's day"。 A serious piece of historical research that also makes me feel vividly present in late medieval England， joining in the feasts and penances and rituals， and later on helping to hide the church treasures when they were banned。 There's no doubt reform was needed， but I believe this traumatic break， a cultural revolution imposed from above， was a massive blow to the English psyche from which it has never really recovered。Deservedly popular， this book was always going out on request from the public library where I worked。 。。。more
Jessica
，
I'm not Christian and not British （or Irish）， so I couldn't have less of a stake in the polemical parts of this book。 But for some reason I still found it to be a fascinating and compelling read。 The first half of the book in particular is quite beautiful in its depiction of the lay world of late medieval Christianity， with its "lush affective piety" and "charming" folk practices。One can feel some sympathy for the Lollards who rejected the over the top adoration of the eucharist in that period （ I'm not Christian and not British （or Irish）， so I couldn't have less of a stake in the polemical parts of this book。 But for some reason I still found it to be a fascinating and compelling read。 The first half of the book in particular is quite beautiful in its depiction of the lay world of late medieval Christianity， with its "lush affective piety" and "charming" folk practices。One can feel some sympathy for the Lollards who rejected the over the top adoration of the eucharist in that period （not to mention the Jews who were treated as hardly human by their Christian neighbors）， while at the same time appreciating how the traditional faith and the liturgical cycle at its core could give and express meaning and a sense of belonging and purpose for many people。Duffy also highlights a few issues affected by the Reformation which I had not given much thought to。 One is how guilds and the abundance of different masses and cults for saints gave lay people a degree of control over their religion。 Another is how the traditional and reformed religions viewed death and the dead。 Of course indulgences are famously controversial and Duffy treats those with criticism for their excess， while rejecting the view of traditional Christianity at the end of the Middle Ages as a "religion of the living in service of the dead。" But more novel （to me） is Duffy's description of how traditional practices such as the bede roll and funeral services， as well as the concepts of purgatory and indulgences， led to a view of human community made up of the dead and living together， bound by ties of kinship or otherwise and responsibilities to act for each other that did not end simply because one person was dead and another was living。 Some of the most moving passages in the book describe how inscribed bronze plates from graves were sold off by the hundredweight during the Edwardine spoliation: a concrete expression of the reforming theological changes that severed the tie between living and dead， and the idea that the living could do anything or bear any obligation for the souls of those who had died。In the second section of the book， Duffy shifts from a mostly timeless traditional world into the chronology of Henry's bid for supremacy and its aftermath down to about 1580。 This part of the book is a little bit less successful for me; in part perhaps because I am not the target audience for this book。 The basic facts and timeline of events like the controversy over Henry's divorce are often skipped over or mentioned in passing， which is probably reasonable for the academic or at least invested reader who is more likely to pick up this book。 But a small amount of scaffolding to that effect would have helped anchor the discussion。More serious is the fact that Duffy's partisan side comes out a little more clearly here。 The ambitiously revisionist chapter on Mary's rule is a particular case in point， with its attempts to portray Mary as a forerunner of the Counter-Reformation and its lengthy discussion of the primers printed during her rein， while the large number of Protestants tortured to death on her orders is depicted as an unfortunate error of judgement that's not worth dwelling on。 Some questionable and occasionally unlovely moments also occur in passing epithets in this half of the book， such as the reference to Edward as a "puppet king" or a resolute Protestant woman as a "termagant。" 。。。more
Almachius
，
Oh， hell， what tragedy！ England， what did you do？Two books in one， really。 Would have been better perhaps， in two volumes， and certainly easier to read whilst walking around with a baby on the hip。 Anyway。 It's a masterpiece of scholarship， bursting with detail， but accessible。I've come away more fervent in my traditionalism and yet also feeling less hostile toward my conformist ancestors。 Reading about massive top-down change and government-backed thought-control in the past has an eeriness to Oh， hell， what tragedy！ England， what did you do？Two books in one， really。 Would have been better perhaps， in two volumes， and certainly easier to read whilst walking around with a baby on the hip。 Anyway。 It's a masterpiece of scholarship， bursting with detail， but accessible。I've come away more fervent in my traditionalism and yet also feeling less hostile toward my conformist ancestors。 Reading about massive top-down change and government-backed thought-control in the past has an eeriness to it that it wouldn't have had had I read this a few years ago。I hadn't realised just how much history is gleaned from wills， though it's obvious really。I would have liked more references to music。 。。。more
Kate
，
Outside the Bible， what is the most significant book you have ever read？ How did it impact you？This is a super-nerdy one， but a book on the English Reformation titled "The Stripping of the Altars" that I read my first year of Grad School。 It was written by a Catholic scholar and profoundly changed the way I thought， as a believer and a scholar， about empathy and understanding where others might be coming from。 （Jason Eldred） Outside the Bible， what is the most significant book you have ever read？ How did it impact you？This is a super-nerdy one， but a book on the English Reformation titled "The Stripping of the Altars" that I read my first year of Grad School。 It was written by a Catholic scholar and profoundly changed the way I thought， as a believer and a scholar， about empathy and understanding where others might be coming from。 （Jason Eldred） 。。。more
Jeremy Wright
，
omgosh finally finished hahaha
Tim O'mahony
，
A long hard read but full of fascinating detail。 Essential reading for anyone interested in the Reformation in England
Becca Edney
，
Stripping of the Altars by Eamon Duffy is what I often call a "weighty tome"。 It deserves to be as long as it is because it is an extremely comprehensive look at Catholicisim in England in the run-up to and during the Reformation， showing a tremendous amount of nuance and complexity。Traditional religion during this period is often treated as ignorant， based on people repeating words they don't understand as if the sounds have magical significance in themselves。 Duffy goes into huge detail about Stripping of the Altars by Eamon Duffy is what I often call a "weighty tome"。 It deserves to be as long as it is because it is an extremely comprehensive look at Catholicisim in England in the run-up to and during the Reformation， showing a tremendous amount of nuance and complexity。Traditional religion during this period is often treated as ignorant， based on people repeating words they don't understand as if the sounds have magical significance in themselves。 Duffy goes into huge detail about how people actually practiced their religion， including the place it had in society and everyday life and attempts that were made to educate people and remove rituals that the Church felt were a little bit pagan。The section on how the Reformation and especially the religious reforms carried out by a succession of Tudor monarchs are in many ways very upsetting because of the way Duffy has laid out what was being destroyed and its importance in people's lives。I recommend it， though it is definitely an investment in time and attention。 。。。more
Maxwell Ladhoff
，
The portrait of Catholic England provided by the author brings to life a world easily obscured and forgotten， a time when Christ was everything and shaped the lives of everyone。
Judith
，
Extremely detailed especially about Catholicism leading up to the Reformation， which makes this book rather heavy going。 Reading through the whole of this cover to cover was probably not the best idea。 However， I am now a lot better informed on why the Reformation happened。 There’s more to the dissolution of the monasteries than Henry Vlll’s marriage problems。 And Mary Tudor comes out of this better than I thought she would。 One thing I’ve never said about a book before: it’s physically the most Extremely detailed especially about Catholicism leading up to the Reformation， which makes this book rather heavy going。 Reading through the whole of this cover to cover was probably not the best idea。 However， I am now a lot better informed on why the Reformation happened。 There’s more to the dissolution of the monasteries than Henry Vlll’s marriage problems。 And Mary Tudor comes out of this better than I thought she would。 One thing I’ve never said about a book before: it’s physically the most obliging book I’ve read in a long time - it stayed open without having to be held， which meant I could knit at the same time！ 。。。more
Michael Bully
，
Certainly a classic work in looking at the The Reformation in England。 The author tries to build a case to show that the late medieval Church was popular， woven into the fabric of people's lives and its devotions showed regard for the weak and the poor。 The Church was engaging well with the rise of printing， new religious literature appearing。 The Reformation is presented as an ongoing process starting with Henry VIII， but becoming more strident under the reign of Edward IV ， then triumphing und Certainly a classic work in looking at the The Reformation in England。 The author tries to build a case to show that the late medieval Church was popular， woven into the fabric of people's lives and its devotions showed regard for the weak and the poor。 The Church was engaging well with the rise of printing， new religious literature appearing。 The Reformation is presented as an ongoing process starting with Henry VIII， but becoming more strident under the reign of Edward IV ， then triumphing under the reign of Elizabeth。 The brief return to Catholicism under the reign of Mary 1553-1555 is shown as being a move which certainly appealed to many English people。 In other words The Reformation is cast as a move that was essentially unpopular and imposed from above， not as a welcome relief from a decadent and corrupt church。The book is very thorough， wills， church warden accounts， devotional literature， visual art， are among the source material used。 Religious practices in many different towns and regions are mentioned。 And this is a long book， probably not to be read as a basic introduction to the English Reformation。 And has emerged as a leading text in defence of the Late Medieval church。 But many issues arise。 A Protestant ， who opposes the religious practices such as the intercession of saints， the veneration of relics， and prayers for souls in purgatory， will probably not be won over by arguments that these beliefs were popular and part of the culture。 Those who find Medieval Catholicism repressive are unlikely to be convinced 。。。。the author's understating of the persecution of heretics during the reign of Mary I ， do not help his case。 One criticism has been made is that the book says little about religious houses， and groups like the friars。 Virtually nothing about the role of the pardoner and the summoner ， who of course appear in Chaucer。 The use of source material can be questioned。 The author draws on 'The Book of Margery Kemp' without mentioning that there is so little evidence that this work was actually read or even circulated at the time of its creation。 But this book has made a significant contribution to the ongoing debate surrounding the English Reformation 。 And deserves to be read。 。。。more
Kurt
，
An enlightening read。
Ilya
，
This mammoth of a book is often labeled as a “revisionist” history， which is a meaningless shorthand unless one knows the subject under revision。 That subject is the notion that， on the eve of the English Reformation， Catholicism was a spent force， a hodgepodge of superstition and clerical corruption。 In this view， Reformation could not come fast enough to this world of incomprehensible prayers in a language unknown to the vast majority of the people; of idolatrous worship and veneration of imag This mammoth of a book is often labeled as a “revisionist” history， which is a meaningless shorthand unless one knows the subject under revision。 That subject is the notion that， on the eve of the English Reformation， Catholicism was a spent force， a hodgepodge of superstition and clerical corruption。 In this view， Reformation could not come fast enough to this world of incomprehensible prayers in a language unknown to the vast majority of the people; of idolatrous worship and veneration of images; of a venal trade in indulgences; of a separation between clerical and lay pieties， between devotions affordable for the rich and merely accessible for the poor。 Duffy dismantles this view。 For him， late medieval Catholicism in England was a vibrant， coherent set of communal beliefs and practices， largely shared by the elites and the common folk alike。The scholarship is staggering in scope and detail; at times， it is exhausting。 Indeed， the first half of the work is a veritable encyclopedia of medieval Catholicism。 In some places， it reads like a tour guide to every parish church in England; in others， it undertakes a thoroughgoing survey of wills and churchwarden accounts; elsewhere， it describes contemporary primers and other devotional materials。 At every step， however， Duffy offers a fierce， unremitting apology for the lay devotional practices his sources describe。So compelling， so rich is this account， it has the effect of enlisting one as a fervent partisan of the world in which these practices flourished。 In that world， Duffy argues， both the upper classes and the simpler folk believed in the same things， they participated in the same communal rites， they drew on -- regardless of their literacy -- the same religious literature， and they expressed their piety in similar ways。 As their wills attest， their means might have been different， but the concerns were often very much alike。 Especially when it came to death。 How to die properly was perhaps the main preoccupation of late medieval piety -- as， of course， it had to be when one considers how much depended on it。 At a minimum， one had to die in communion， but for any "even cristen" that was only the beginning。 Those spared eternal damnation still had to endure the pains of Purgatory， and to do so for unknown lengths of time。 Still， the ordeal could be shortened， if not altogether bypassed， through the intercession of the Virgin， the saints or the diligent prayers of the survivors。 Winning that intercession was the goal of the ars moriendi， or the doctrine of proper death， and it was an endeavor that claimed the energies， the thoughts and the resources of countless men and women， no matter their rank， wealth or education。 It was the reason that gilds， by pooling the resources of their members， endowed chantries where Masses could be sung for their dead。 It was the reason why even the poorest among the parishioners left money for wax to be used as light before the image of their patron saint， or why the household items， no matter how cherished in life， were left to be repurposed for church service。 But it was not only about commuting time in Purgatory。 Rather， this much-derided "cult of the dead" reflected a common understanding that death is the one truly lonely experience， as well as an equally common fear that the living may not do a good job of remembering their dead。 An institution of a Mass or a bequest of household linen were not merely about ensuring swift transit through Purgatory; they were also about retaining a connection， however tenuous， to the community where one had lived the life about to run out。 Duffy renders this world with so much affection and so little interest in even-handedness， that the omissions in his account — chiefly， the structural problems of the indulgence economy — seem beside the point。 His concern is not with those structural issues; it is with the libel of “superstition” thrown at people who， even at their most superstitious， simply did their level best to interpret and reinterpret what was nothing less than the official teaching of their church。 Besides， the very history of the Reformation in England， with its progress and reversals， seems to speak quite clearly that today’s superstition is yesterday’s dogma。 And vice versa。 In any event， by the time Duffy gets to the relatively vegetarian Henrician settlement， and then the brutal acceleration of reform under Edward VI， it becomes impossible not to lament the wholesale destruction and the systematic erasure of the culture he so lovingly portrayed — to not rue the whitewashed rood screens， the defaced images of the saints， the stripped altars。 。。。more
Vegetable Person
，
classic
David Bruyn
，
Toooooo much information。 But the thesis is undeniably proven: medieval English Christianity was healthy， robust， and affected every nook and cranny of life。
Dave Cutler
，
Wonderfully evocative of what happened when medieval Catholicism was painfully dug out by all the weirdness zooming around during the English Reformation。
Shaun
，
I will admit that I had to heavily skim this one to get through it in a timely manner， but I feel that Duffy puts his argument out enough times in prominent places that I have understood much of what the book is trying to say。 Duffy's book is a elegiac piece of historical writing that attempts to recapture the spirit and historical fact of "traditional religion" in England。 The traditional religion here is to me a bit misleading， as it asserts a primacy of Christian religion in the isles， even a I will admit that I had to heavily skim this one to get through it in a timely manner， but I feel that Duffy puts his argument out enough times in prominent places that I have understood much of what the book is trying to say。 Duffy's book is a elegiac piece of historical writing that attempts to recapture the spirit and historical fact of "traditional religion" in England。 The traditional religion here is to me a bit misleading， as it asserts a primacy of Christian religion in the isles， even as paganistic religions existed as a more "traditional" form。 Mainly， the traditional religion to which Duffy refers is Catholicism before and during the Reformation， with some digressions as to the strict definitions of Catholic belief。 He is attempting to reconstruct a world of mystery and tradition that many writers of religious history miss in late medieval/Reformation England。 Often， as Duffy asserts， historians see the time before the Reformation as a weakening of the Catholic hold on English lay people。 In addition， it was widely believed that religion was not practiced in the same way by lay aristocratic people as it was by lay peasants and merchant class people。 Duffy dismantles these commonly held gems of academic knowledge and demonstrates effectively that late medieval Catholic religion was in fact practiced by all in the community and served an important performative， social， and personal role in the lives of people。 Duffy takes a deep dive into the individual practices of Catholic England， and demonstrates effectively， if often tediously， the pervasiveness of religion in the lives of everyday people。 Duffy tackles religious primers， offerings， death rites and wills， and all sorts of other religious images to illustrate how all-encompassing the religious experience of the late medieval world was。 Often I feel Duffy is simply pushing a counter-narrative rather than fully interrogating the other historians he is disputing。 Often Duffy will toss aside an assertion by saying "It should not be overestimated"。 The views he presents are somewhat totalizing， and often leads to a strong sense of historical bias。 The book is certainly important and Duffy presents his case compellingly， but the writing is less balanced than I would like。 The book does eventually turn to the "stripping of the altars" of the Reformation。 The book then shows how much （sometimes it was not much as all） resistance to these changes by Henry VIII and his court actually occurred。 Often， Duffy points out， people were unwilling to give up the religion they had cherished for their whole lives， and were eager to restore their traditional practices once Mary came to to power。 The march towards a Protestant England is restored in the end by Queen Elizabeth， and Duffy takes this as a moment to write poignantly about what has been lost。 This shows his hand a bit， and reveals he might be writing from a less than historically neutral place， but overall I felt his interpretation of much of the evidence was largely objective。 Some of the analysis slanted towards a highly pro-Catholic rhetoric， but otherwise the book presents a comprehensive understanding of Pre-Reformation England。 The book is comprehensive and oftentimes very difficult to read through because of this。 Duffy has a plurality of examples for each phenomena he describes， and writes thoroughly through each piece of evidence。 He necessarily uses a wide range of textual and artistic sources to prove his point， and because of this gives a varied and textured account of the history。 However， as a nonspecialist， I found the thoroughness often very difficult to engage with。 Overall， the book was informative， and presents a strongly differing opinion than my own about the religious practices of the period。 It has informed a newish perspective because of this， but overall the book was just fine for me。 。。。more
Whiskey Tango
，
Duffy uses original documents to explore what it meant to ordinary Englishmen and Englishwomen when Henry VII's Reformation swept away the Church they loved。 Duffy uses original documents to explore what it meant to ordinary Englishmen and Englishwomen when Henry VII's Reformation swept away the Church they loved。 。。。more
Ed Crutchley
，
This is a monumental book and it certainly helps to have been exposed to Catholicism in order to wade through and appreciate all the detail。 Using a vast wealth of documentary evidence （quoted in the original English）， as well as photographs， the author argues against the perception that the English people’s devotion to Catholicism in the late Middle Ages was in a bad way by the time of the Reformation of the 1530s and 1540s。 In the first two thirds of the book he winds his way in detail through This is a monumental book and it certainly helps to have been exposed to Catholicism in order to wade through and appreciate all the detail。 Using a vast wealth of documentary evidence （quoted in the original English）， as well as photographs， the author argues against the perception that the English people’s devotion to Catholicism in the late Middle Ages was in a bad way by the time of the Reformation of the 1530s and 1540s。 In the first two thirds of the book he winds his way in detail through a multitude of examples of religious practices before the dramatic changes initiated by Thomas Cromwell under Henry VIII， citing many examples from East Anglia in particular。 He argues that Lollardy had already seen its apogee and decline long before。 Traditional Catholic customs formed an important part in moderating everyday life and binding all levels in communities。 The author stresses the importance of liturgical calendar and the hold it had on people’s lives on fasting， abstaining from work and attending services。 Much activity was set on ensuring a smooth passage through Purgatory through donations and bequests in wills in return for prayers and making sure that one’s name was on the bede roll of dead benefactors （“Catholicism at the end of the late Middle Ages became in large part a cult of the living in the service of the dead”; people “bought post-mortem fire life insurance”）。 Proof of a thriving Catholic culture is that during the 150 years prior to the Reformation around two thirds of English parish churches were rebuilt。Henry VIII sought separation from Rome and removal any references to the Pope， but he did not want to provoke revolution。 Cromwell， and then Cranmer （who also led the changes through the reign of the juvenile Edward VI） went much further is dismantling and reshaping the liturgical practices and calendar。 Latin was replaced by English。 Symbolism was replaced by Bible reading。 They attacked of the cult of saints， abolishing a multitude of national， local and saint’s days associated with occupational patrons。 They did away with local gilds。 They outlawed burning of candles before images and the use of rosaries。 Prayers for the dead were abolished。 Pilgrimages and processions were banned。 Eventually even altars were removed。 All the paraphernalia and riches of churches， much of it left by parishioners， was first inventoried and shortly afterwards confiscated。The arrival of Catholic Queen Mary， who reigned for 5 years before Protestant Queen Elizabeth， showed that Protestantism had not had its way as much as has been assumed。 There occurred a telling rapid resurgence of Catholic elements in wills as well as a flood of printed primers that reflected a reversion to more traditional catholic practices。 Returns from diocesan visitations during Elizabeth’s reign， even in strongly Protestant Kent， showed how much was yet to be done to firmly establish Protestantism once and for all。 。。。more
Ioseph Bonifacius （Ioannes）
，
A book every person interested in the history of mankind should read， I heard many saying that it is a book that is very moving especially for a Catholic。
Joseph Sverker
，
Great book， changes much of my view on pre-reformation England。
David Kenvyn
，
It is a long time since the first publication of “The Stripping of the Altars” and in that time it has become a classic account of the spirituality and religious practices of 15th century England。 On re-reading it， there is a nagging doubt in my mind。 There is only passing reference to the political background in which this spirituality developed。 In the period from 1399 to 1509， there were eight kings of England。 Three of them were deposed and murdered （Richard II， Henry VI and Edward V）。 Two d It is a long time since the first publication of “The Stripping of the Altars” and in that time it has become a classic account of the spirituality and religious practices of 15th century England。 On re-reading it， there is a nagging doubt in my mind。 There is only passing reference to the political background in which this spirituality developed。 In the period from 1399 to 1509， there were eight kings of England。 Three of them were deposed and murdered （Richard II， Henry VI and Edward V）。 Two died prematurely creating a succession crisis （Henry V and Edward IV）。 One of them was killed in battle （Richard III）。 Henry IV reigned from 1399 to 1413， having usurped the throne from his cousin， Richard II， and Henry VII reigned from 1485 to 1509 having killed his predecessor， Richard III， in battle。 The fate of England was decided at major battles at Shrewsbury， Towton， Barnet， Tewkesbury and Bosworth。 It was also a period that saw the final defeat of England in the 100 Years War。 This was a period of political turmoil and it is hardly surprising that people turned to the consolation of religion。 This is barely mentioned。Two of the more extraordinary cults that developed during this period were those of Richard le Scrope， Archbishop of York， and of Henry VI。 Archbishop Scrope was executed after taking part in a rebellion against Henry IV， and Henry VI was murdered after the Lancastrian defeat at the Battle of Tewkesbury。 In both cases they became the objects of intercessory prayers， their help being requested to deal with specific problems。 In both cases this happened when their political enemies held the monarchy。 It may be that the north Yorkshire centre of the cult of Archbishop Scrope was too far away from royal authority， but the cult of Henry VI was centred on his birthplace， Windsor which is still one of the great royal centres of England。 It does seem unlikely that Edward IV was unaware of the cult of his deposed and murdered predecessor。 Exactly what this tells us about the bravery of the individuals concerned and the limitations on the power of the monarchy， I do not know。 It is， however， certainly an interesting indication of the situation in fifteenth century England and， as spirituality develops in part from the situation in which people find themselves living， I expect some comment on this background。 It is not there。Another factor defining the development of spirituality in the fifteenth century was the Black Death。 The worst ravages of the disease had taken place in the latter half of the fourteenth century， but it was endemic， and quite clearly a factor in the development of the religious approach to life。 There are three mentions of the Black Death in the Index。 Now it has to be said that it is probably not possible to quantify the effects of royal instability and the Black Death on the growth of spirituality in fifteenth century England。 What Duffy produces is more than ample evidence that the spirituality of the time centred on the Crucifixion， not the Resurrection， on the wounds of Jesus and Mary standing at the foot of the cross， not the rolling away of the stone and the Assumption。 It is a religiosity that is centred on pain and sacrifice and death， as the means of obtaining eternal life。 It is a culture centred on Purgatory and indulgences as a means of escaping Purgatory。 It saw prayer as a means not of approaching God， but of escaping punishment for sin。 The question then becomes this: is this a culture that could withstand the onslaught of the proclamation of justification by faith alone？What Duffy demonstrates is that in the pre-Reformation period there was a vibrant Christian culture in England based firmly around the liturgical year of the Church and the cult of death。 Presumably the Black Death had concentrated minds on the latter because thousands upon thousands of people had died unprepared and， more importantly， unconfessed and unshriven。 A whole culture developed around the idea that， to put it crudely， God could be bribed to forgive the dead for their sins。 Primers and prayer books were published which stated quite clearly that the saying of so many Paternosters or Abe Marias or other suitable prayers would reduce the time of the departed in Purgatory。 To be even more mercenary， the Church could be bought to say Masses for the souls of the dead。 It was this kind of sordid transaction that earned the fury of Martin Luther and of his predecessors John Wycliffe in England and Jan Hus in Bohemia。 [There is a well-documented connection between Wycliffe and Hus， possibly brought about through the marriage of Anne of Bohemia to Richard II]。 The church authorities in England， under the guidance of Archbishop Arundell of Canterbury， responded be passing the act De Haeretico Comburendo （Of the burning of Heretics） through Parliament。 Fortunately， only two or three dozen people met their deaths in this way， and the act went into abeyance until the reign of Queen Mary。 This was possibly because the threat from Wycliffe’s followers， the Lollards， was not that great。 In Bohemia the church authorities launched crusades against the Hussites， having burnt Hus to death， despite his safe conduct， at the Council of Constance。 These crusades were defeated， and Bohemia became the first Protestant state。 Duffy does not discuss this European dimension。England however， as Duffy rightly points out， remained quietly and confidently Catholic until William Tyndale， copying the Lutheran example， translated the Bible into English。 This merits two mentions in the whole book， including one in which it is stated that the Tyndale translation was made illegal。 The fact that hundreds， if not thousands， of these bibles were smuggled into the country is glossed over。 This was the beginning of the Reformation in England and it took place before the marital troubles （or rather succession difficulties） of Henry VIII came to a head。 The essentially conservative king took the Byzantine view of the connection between the monarchy and the church， with the King as the Supreme Head。 This， of course， led to the rejection of the role of the Papacy and that in turn led to the King seeking allies amongst those who would support the Royal Supremacy。 Henry VIII was essentially cautious about embracing Protestant ideas。 There were two areas in which he definitely did so。 First， saints like Thomas Becket who had supported the idea of the Papal supremacy against the power of the King became persona non grata， no longer to be venerated。 This caused many churches where he was specially venerated， not least Canterbury Cathedral， some difficulty。 Secondly， the King authorised the translation of the Bible into English， insisting， not necessarily successfully， on the introduction of the Myles Coverdale translation of the Bible to churches across the land。 This was to be decisive because it introduced the concept of Holy Writ in a language as Cranmer put it in the 1549 Prayer Book “understanded of the people”。What is significant， and Duffy does not discuss the reasons for this， is that the Catholic uprisings when they came were in remote areas of the country and did not threaten the centres of power。 This is not to undermine the importance of the Pilgrimage of Grace， in the reign of Henry VIII， the Cornish uprising in the reign of Edward VI nor the Rising of the North in the reign of Elizabeth I。 The latter， indeed， could have had very serious consequences if they had managed to release Mary， Queen of Scots and proclaim her as the rightful Queen of England。 They did not。 The Wyatt Rebellion in Kent， on the other hand， in the reign of Mary I came close to overthrowing the Queen。What is interesting as Duffy demonstrates with a large number of examples is that， rather than destroy vestments， missal books etc following the instructions from Edward VI’s regency council， people hid them and when Mary I， an inveterate Catholic became Queen， they were brought out of their hiding places to be used again。 Duffy does not make the analogy but it was like a country under occupation。 People conformed outwardly to survive， but secretly they preserved what was banned。Another interesting point is that there were no mass persecutions to death。 There were high profile victims such as Sir Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher， but it was not until Mary I revived the statute De Haeretico Comburendo that hundreds of people went to the flames for their religious beliefs。 This， of course， was recorded in detail in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs。 It is hardly mentioned in Duffy。 We hear a great deal about the attempts by Bishop Bonner and Cardinal Pole to reimpose Catholic orthodoxy。 It would be interesting for their to have been some discussion of why they thought that the Fires of Smithfield， in Bonner’s own diocese， assisted with this process。 Nor is there any discussion about how， when the Protestants returned from exile in Frankfurt and Geneva in the reign of Elizabeth I， that these fires coloured their actions when， in turn， they reimposed Protestant orthodoxy on the Church of England。Despite all these criticisms， Duffy has written an important book。 The Church in the reign of Henry VII was not moribund。 The introduction of printing had led to the blossoming of the availability of primers， prayer books， books of hours， lives of the saints and many other religious works。 Many of these were printed in English， and some in English and Latin。 I do not know enough about the life of Tyndale， but I can only wonder if the availability of prayers in English， based on Biblical texts， set him on the dangerous path of translating the Bible into English。 Archbishop Arundell， back at the start of the 15th century， had persuaded Parliament to make this illegal， and to condemn it as heresy。It seems to me that it was the work of Tyndale and Coverdale in translating the Bible into English that was the key factor in the transformation of the religious life of 16th century England。 It was significant that， when the Rising of the North took place in 1569， the leaders ordered the burning of English bibles， as Duffy notes， and that their followers refused to do it。 As with the vestments and missal books in the reign of Edward VI， English language bibles were hidden。 By then， they had been in use in churches for 30 or more years。 They had become part of the religious fabric of England。Duffy is right。 Religious practice cannot be changed by decree。 It is embedded in the hearts and minds of ordinary people。 If Elizabeth I had died of smallpox and Mary， Queen of Scots， had succeeded to the throne， we do not know what would have happened。 Elizabeth’s longevity was an important factor in deciding the religious life of England， but in my view， it was the translation of the Bible into English that was decisive 。。。more
Cecilie Larsen
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To start off， you're expected to be able to read Middle English and possibly a few latin words。 There's a lot of old English quotes used to make certain point and if you can't read them you lose out。You really have to have some （somewhat thorough） knowledge of general Christians rituals and terms to understand what is going on most of the time。 I though I did， but apparently not， and as so I was lost through most of the lengthy descriptions of rituals and traditions。 Were this a book about medie To start off， you're expected to be able to read Middle English and possibly a few latin words。 There's a lot of old English quotes used to make certain point and if you can't read them you lose out。You really have to have some （somewhat thorough） knowledge of general Christians rituals and terms to understand what is going on most of the time。 I though I did， but apparently not， and as so I was lost through most of the lengthy descriptions of rituals and traditions。 Were this a book about medieval Catholic ceremonies it would have fulfilled its purpose， but as it's not， but rather trying to make the point that Catholicism wasn't unpopular and 'on its last leg' before the Reformation stirred things up， many pasages could have been cut for space （the book is a brick）。 It would probably also had helped to make the points more clear。 As it is they get lost and seems particularly vague。 the author describes things a lot and you just keep wondering where its leading， why it's relevant， will there be a point？he claims he wanted an overview of traditional religion before the Reformation， but he keeps giving the reader individual stories and then makes general remarks based on these 2-3 stories and we don't actually get to know why they're representative most of the time。It's not just the lack of clear points and general direction （which is present in the introduction and the just vanishes） it's also an overall lack of structure。 There are subheadings but they make no sense - they are just inserted in the middle of the text and it's clear that the text was meant to be coherent and not divided by headings。 it's very clear when a new section are started with "but" or however" but it also shows in other ways that the text wasn't meant to be divided and seems like a sloppy last minut attempt to do so because your teacher told you it had to have subsections and you just put some in randomly w/out making any changes in the text。This structure and vagueness can make the reader feel lost。 While there is some interesting assertions， you don't now were any of it is leading and nothing really sticks。 。。。more
Patricia Finney
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First he rebuilds for us the way the English Medieval churches worked， packed tight with altars， figures of saints， rich reliquaries （caskets） for alleged saints' bones and teeth， elaborate roodscreens to hide the high altar， paintings and jewelled and embroidered banners。 Churches must have looked like the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts！Each of the astonishing number of sacred things had its use and meaning， its symbolism and its story， now mostly forgotten。 Many of them were "apotropaic" - a First he rebuilds for us the way the English Medieval churches worked， packed tight with altars， figures of saints， rich reliquaries （caskets） for alleged saints' bones and teeth， elaborate roodscreens to hide the high altar， paintings and jewelled and embroidered banners。 Churches must have looked like the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts！Each of the astonishing number of sacred things had its use and meaning， its symbolism and its story， now mostly forgotten。 Many of them were "apotropaic" - a word I had to look up which means "supposedly having the power to avert evil influences or bad luck。" [Oxford dictionary]。As literacy increased with the beginning of the 16th century， innumerable manuscript and later printed primers helped people to navigate the sacred， with their Paternosters （Our Father）， Aves （Hail Mary）， Credos （Creed） and Offices and their saints' stories。 The rubrics explained exactly how many days or years you， or the dead person you were praying for， would be let off from Purgatory if you prayed the Fifteen Oes or the Little Office of the Virgin。 But you didn't have to be able to read to understand it all because everything was actually designed to make the stories accessible to the illiterate。There were multiple priests saying masses in the churches most days。 Attached to each parish were many laypeople's gilds that took responsibility for buying wax candles for the altars， to put around the saints' statues， to light the dead。 The gilds acted out mystery plays so that the illiterate ordinary folk would know the vital stories， collected money to buy handsome black velvet vestments for requiem masses and to send members on pilgrimage to holy places like Canterbury and Walsingham。Every Medieval church was the centre of a busy social and economic world available to and involving the rich， middling and poor of every village， town and city。 For example， most places had a Maidens Gild of young unmarried women who bought candles for the Lady altar。 It was a world that gave everyone a defence against the Devil in holy water， sacred images and prayers。Of course， 90% of it had no foundation at all in the Bible， and some of the saints had started as pagan gods and goddesses。 Famously there were enough relics of Splinters of the True Cross in Medieval Europe to build a fleet of ships。Then along came the English Reformation and， in less than thirty years， swept it all away: the saints， the altars， the banners， replacing them with。。。 The Word。 Unadorned English words， a communion table， a Bible。Iconoclasm and greed destroyed the saints and paintings， the banners and vestments， the gold chalices and patens and pyxes， and disbanded the lay associations that had kept it all running。 The reformers were seldom happy because their swingeing reforms never went far enough for them。 They simply could not understand why people would hide statues of saints in their attics and baptismal fonts in their fields。The ordinary people probably weren't happy either， deprived of their exciting processions and calming rosaries， but nobody asked them。 Now they had to stand and listen to endless words of English scripture and homilies， in churches stripped of everything that made them friendly and beautiful。 Only a few candles were left on the communion table and all the music was obsolete。Of course， rationally I can understand the reformers' urge to get rid of the thousand years of superstitious accretion around the Bible， though I wonder if they realised just how radical and revolutionary the newly available New Testament was。Speaking irrationally， like Eamon Duffy， I too can remember when the Catholic church also fell prey to reformers after the Second Vatican Council， who changed the Mass from Latin to ugly bad English and stripped out many saints and festivals while failing to reform the church's attitude to women， for example。 At least， unlike the 16th century reformers， they didn't indulge in self-righteous destruction and wholesale theftBut to lose so many stories and the familiar Latin Mass was an emotional shock that I still remember。 In fact， as I read the closing words of Duffy's masterly account， I had tears in my eyes。 。。。more
George McCombe
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While the United Kingdom is these days Protestant in name only， centuries of ingrained anti-Catholicism continues to leave a profound mark in many aspects of its culture， not least the mainstream perception of England’s separation from Rome at the Reformation。 While there has always been a dissenting minority who challenged the established view， the myth of a glorious Reformation， freeing shackled Englishmen from the yoke of Roman tyranny and superstition， has survived for a very long time witho While the United Kingdom is these days Protestant in name only， centuries of ingrained anti-Catholicism continues to leave a profound mark in many aspects of its culture， not least the mainstream perception of England’s separation from Rome at the Reformation。 While there has always been a dissenting minority who challenged the established view， the myth of a glorious Reformation， freeing shackled Englishmen from the yoke of Roman tyranny and superstition， has survived for a very long time without serious opposition。 Thankfully， this is starting to change， and much of this is due to the exceptional research put forward by Professor Eamon Duffy ， particularly within the pages of this monumental study of the English Church at the time of the Reformation。Is it the case that English Christians festered under Roman rule？ Is it the case that English Christians felt burdened rather than uplifted by the ecclesiastical structure， with its liturgical seasons， feasts， fasts， and a ready ritual to almost any and every aspect of one’s life？ Is it the case that English Christians longed for the day when they would be freed from notions of Purgatory， prayers for the dead， Masses， and devotion to the Saints？ The established view is that they were。 As far as Duffy is concerned， this perception is pure fantasy。 Such revolutionary aspirations may have existed among a subsection of the elite and a small collection of radicals， but for the vast majority of English people， the prevailing view was one of contentment with the existing Church structure。 Far from being resented or opposed， English Catholicism was embraced， providing structure， meaning， and occasion。 Far from a church being governed by iron-rod wielding clergy， Duffy presents a nation of laity firmly attached to the parish system; indeed， exercising a great deal of control over its management。 Immense pride was taken in all things from memorized prayers， to decorated Altars and shrines， all representing the piety and devotion of the people。 Duffy focuses a great deal of effort into revising the pre-Reformation approach to the Sacraments， particularly the Mass。 The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass--the foundation of the liturgical and spiritual life of the Church--was not merely ‘observed’ by a passive congregation， but， like all Sacraments， was actively participated in through the faith and devotion。 Ingrained pious practices were dear to the people， particularly devotion to individual Saints， as well as the much derided ‘cult of the dead’ （the system of praying for the souls in Purgatory， and knowing that people would be praying for your soul after your own death）， which provided comfort in an often precarious existence。 The Catholic Church in pre-Reformation England was a Church that was intertwined in the lives of ordinary English people， and these same ordinary people gave the Church their support and dedication。The Reformation was not， therefore， a deliverance from an unpopular system， but was rather the imposition of an alien faith that ruptured the traditional religious practices in England， and which subsequently left a deep void in the collective spirituality of the nation。‘The Stripping of the Altars’ is a masterpiece in legitimate historical revisionism， and should be read by any who wishes to accurately understand the religious transformation in England during the Reformation。 。。。more
Richard Morrison
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Eamon Duffy's definitive history of the state of Catholic worship in England in Tudor times has cultivated a large following since the first edition was published in 1992。 Originally intended to refute the widespread belief that traditional religion was spiritually exhausted and unpopular with the ordinary people in England at the time of the Henrician Reformation， the only reason that its thesis is arguably less compelling today is that it has tilted the entire landscape of historical scholarsh Eamon Duffy's definitive history of the state of Catholic worship in England in Tudor times has cultivated a large following since the first edition was published in 1992。 Originally intended to refute the widespread belief that traditional religion was spiritually exhausted and unpopular with the ordinary people in England at the time of the Henrician Reformation， the only reason that its thesis is arguably less compelling today is that it has tilted the entire landscape of historical scholarship in its direction over the last quarter century。Duffy carefully examines a large range of 15th and 16th Century documents to show how the traditional liturgies and practices of Catholic England were， in fact， closely observed and jealously defended by the majority of the population， even as a largely alien， elite intellectual strain of Protestantism gained political power （and faced some reversals） from the time of Henry VIII through the reigns of his three children: Edward， Mary， and Elizabeth。 The book contains fascinating lessons teased out from the phrasing of wills， parish registers， letters， and records of episcopal visitations， and presents carefully-reasoned corrections to competing interpretations by previous generations of scholars。This is a detailed and exhaustively-researched study that rewards attentive reading。 Because of its length （approx 600 pages） and rigor， however， it's not recommended for someone looking for a beach read。 If you watched "The Tudors" mostly to see Jonathan Rhys Meyers with his shirt off， it might prove insufficiently engaging。 If you were fascinated by the machinations of vicegerent in spirituals Thomas Cromwell while reading Hilary Mantel's "Wolf Hall" and "Bring Up the Bodies，" however， it might be just the thing。 One final warning: Duffy quotes many passages from period documents， almost none of which are presented with modernized spelling， so be prepared for passages like "Moche people。。。go nyghe and about the aulter and stond so nyghe the aulter that they trouble oftimes the preest for the dissolucions that they doo in spekyng in lawhing。" 。。。more
Andrew
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