Can Lollardy be considered a vigorous movement in the later fifteenth Essay

Can Lollardy be considered a vigorous movement in the later fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries - Essay Example The Lollard movement started when the followers of John Wycliff, after the death of Wycliff in 1384, started circulating Lollard doctrine around different regions of the world such as Southern and central England. Continuing its connections to Oxford and considerable gentry support, Lollardy was recognised as a small but persistent sect during the fifteenth century. Different scholars have been presenting different views regarding Lollards movement. Some consider Lollards movement as a small-scale movement resulted as a response to Wycliff teachings however, some scholars consider it as a coherent reform movement that prefigured sixteenth-century changes (Amold and Lewis 2004).2 After the emergence of Lollards movement in the fourteenth century, there has been always a dilemma regarding the nature of Lollards movement. Therefore, the aim of this report is to evaluate whether Lollards movement be considered as a vigorous and coherent movement in the fifteenth and sixteenth century. Various studies have been conducted to cover the concepts of Lollards movement. Historians and scholars have been always keen to evaluate the impact on Lollardy. Before presenting arguments, analysing the work of historians and scholars is very essential. Lollard is a problematic label and there are many issues regarding the origins, coherence and affect of this movement.3 There are two extreme views regarding the Lollards movement. The first view argues that not all but most of the Lollard writings are written by Wycliffe. Therefore, Lollardy as an incoherent movement was encouraged by social and economic grievance. This movement was primarily started to spread the thought of Wycliffe and it can be termed as either Lollardy or Wycliffism. On the other hand, the other extreme view suggests that Lollardy is not a movement but it is a projection of the anxieties of monarchies or churches. The second view considers Lollardy as a coherence of diverse beliefs and practices