“Lollardy”, “orthodoxy”, and “resistance” in pre-Reformation England
Abstract
„Lollardy”, „orthodoxy”, and „resistance” in pre-Reformation England
Conflicts between „orthodoxy“ and „heresy“ within the medieval church are generally understood as instances of authoritarian repression, with „resistance“ being treated as the prerogative of the heretics. Drawing on the history of relations between Lollards or Lollardy (loosely-defined) and the ecclesiastical authorities in England between the 1370s and 1530s, this paper argues that that specific confrontation should be understood as an instance of mutual or reciprocal resistance, with each side on the defensive – and on the attack – against the other, yet generally challenged and weakened by the imprecise definitions and understandings both of what they were defending, and what they were resisting. It suggests more generally that „resistance“ should be treated as an ambivalent concept when analysing conflicts within or between religions, where both sides may in fact be engaged in resistance to each other.
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