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8/3/2019 History 3140 Term Paper Tudor England
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The impact of Print and Publishing on Politics in Tudor England.
Submitted by: Dylan Harrington T00016053
History 3140
Professor Anne St. John-Stark
November 24 2011
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The three great elements of modern civilization: Gunpowder, Printing, and the Protestant
Religion Thomas Caryle
The impact of Print and Publishing on Politics in Tudor England.
With the invention of the printing press books and newspapers were
no longer exclusive to the upper classes. The aspect of printing
pamphlets allowed the spread of literacy and ideas to greater numbers
of Londoners who were better informed of the pending issues of the
day. These pamphlets were often critical of both the Catholic Church
and the English Crown. The Catholic Church was against the increase of
pamphlets or books that were critical of the church. The Catholic clergy
believed that their lifes work ---the interpretation of the bible-- was
exclusively the domain of the church. The church trained only clergy
members to read and interpret the ancient Latin texts that held the
word of god. Furthermore the church disliked Tyndales Englishtranslation of the New Testament bible since it contained pro
Protestant language translations. The power and influence of the early
press in Tudor England (1485 -1603) was immense; the impact of
printing allowed all classes to learn how to read.
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Across the Channel in Europe, Johannes Gutenberg (1397-1468)
1
printed a variety of manuscripts, but most were were still written by
scribes and circulated in many Catholic countries, because there was no
profitable market for them outside of the Catholic Church. Only when
the first printings of the bible were pressed against parchment or
vellum these gave Guttenberg a substantial profit. He was then able to
print up many copies in less time than hand written versions. After
Gutenbergs death his invention remained the mainstay for more than500 years, and the system he invented gradually contributed to the
literary changes in London during the Tudor era. There was very little
religious learning before the printing of bibles, and that was confined to
the nobility or clergy. Only those who were trained at University in
theology were permitted to decipher the ancient Latin texts; a full copy
bible was extremely expensive and cost more than the average
clergymen could afford to spend. Hence, the small amount of people
who could both read and write in Latin. Printing press technology
lowered the overall cost of printing books, pamphlets and newssheets
making them affordable to a wider audience. A priest named William
Tyndale2
(Tyndale) who was a graduate from Cambridge University was
inspired by Martin Luthers German translation of the New Testament
bible; decided to translate the original Latin translation into common
1Father of the modern printing press. David Daniel, William Tyndale A Biography (Yale University Press, New
Haven, Connecticuet,1994), 62
William Tyndale was born in Gloucestershire in 1494. For about ten years he studied at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, a
college with a reputation for advanced studies in Latin and Greek. He was ordained into the Roman Catholic
Church which at that time reigned supreme. Site Geoff Thomas,William Tyndale and 'The Obedience of aChristian Man, http://www.banneroftruth.org/pages/articles/article_detail.php?328 (06/01/2003)
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English and create a New Testament bible written in English3. The word
of God ceased to be sealed up in Latin; a language which very few of
the faithful could ever manage to read. When translated into English
the uneducated and faithful; could now study the bible in their ownfreedom without the interpretation of the clergy. Tyndale believed the
church was corrupt and wasnt teaching what was said in the bible.
Tyndale thought the best thing to do, was to give the poor citizens of
England gods word directly without needing the help of an
intermediary.
This idea clashed with the Catholic Church; the existing church said to
its parishioners you can rely on us to speed you into heaven.
Tyndale went against the wishes of the Catholic Church and even while
on the run from secular authorities continued to pursue his translation
of the bible into English. Tyndale had a dream of a common ploughboy
knowing more of the scripture than the average priest4, his dream was
about to come true.
London had become active in all aspects of the book trade. The
advancement of print press technology allowed greater number of
pamphlets, newspapers and books to be produced per month. Literacy
rates increased greatly among the lower classes. The Stationers
Company and Registry, an old guild formed in 1404. The Company later
received a Royal Charter to print all books except those printed from
3Tyndale first approached Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall who rejected Tyndales idea due to his devout Catholic faith in
the belief that only the educated clergy had the right to read and interpret the bible. He banned Tyndale from
going ahead with such a translation. David Daniel, William Tyndale A Biography (Yale University Press, New Haven,
Connecticuet,1994)4'If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause that a boy that driveth the plough shall know more of the
Scriptures than thou dost.' John Foxe,The Book of Martyrs, (John Day, London, England, 1563)
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the university presses5. The amount of printers based in London
reduced the cost of books. The demand for books increased, which
sped the advancement of the technology needed to print the items.
The once sluggish advance of book printing technology was now redhot as books, newssheets and pamphlets were printed, sold and
distributed to coffee houses and other vendors every day. There were
multiple printers and new print houses sprang up daily or weekly.
The profit margin was there to print many different pamphlets,
newssheets and books not just religious or scientific texts in Latin; early
modern romance such as Histories of Troy6
was accredited as being
the first book printed in English.
In 1525 Tyndale had left London to seek a publisher for his works in
Europe. He printed a translated English version of the New Testament
and had it smuggled it into England. Tyndales new bible was a huge
success; it was said that people were learning how to read just in order
to understand Tyndales book. Tyndales English bible became quite
popular7; the clerical and secular authorities in England did not like
Tyndales translating enterprise; his word usage implicitly supported
the reformers. His translations of Latin phrases into English were
explicit in promoting Lutheran doctrine. The new bible allowed the
illiterate to read study and ultimately form their own religious opinions
without the aid of the Catholic Church. This new book was subverting
the churches power over the people and ultimately over the King of
England.
5The Stationers and Registers Company was to enforce and set regulations of book publishing. All books publishers
had copyright over their works and no other publisher could publish the same book. John Stephen Morrill ed., The
Oxford Illustrated history of Tudor and Stuart Britain (Oxford University Press, 1996)6
William Caxton, The Recuyell Of The Histories Of Troy (London, England 1475) Publisher unknown7
Tyndales English New Testament Bible was reprinted in1526, 1530 and 1534. John Stephen Morrill ed., TheOxford Illustrated history of Tudor and Stuart Britain (Oxford University Press, 1996) 397-399
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Bishop Turnstall prohibited Tyndales New Testament English version
bible in 1526. Later the same year 6,000 copies were seized and later
burned by the Bishop Turnstall8. King Henry VIII (Henry) later banned
Tyndales New Testament English bible in 1530 in a royal proclamation
along with other books by the German scholar Martin Luther. Tyndale
wrote a paper entitled The Practyse of Prelates which opposed King
Henrys divorce from Catherine of Aragon.
Henry set aim directly at Tyndale for publishing a paper opposing his
grounds for a divorce and asked his most trusted advisor Sir Thomas
More9
(More) to bring him back to England. More labelled Tyndale a
heretic and his life was in grave danger from here on. He had angered
not only the Catholic Church but the King of England as well10
. With
Henrys support behind him More set about to control the hereticalbooks that were being printed and distributed throughout England.
Mores efforts led to a number of arrests and burnings of heretics. For a
while there was great cooperation between the church and the crown
against any criticism or opposition to the king. It appears Henry was
becoming quite sensitive to any opposition or criticisms to his
upcoming marriage to Anne Boleyn.8
This was the second recorded book burning by the Catholic Church in London, England; the first recorded event
was the burning of books by Martin Luther a few months before. David Cressy, Book Burning in Tudor and Stuart
England Sixteen Century Journal, XXXVI/2 (2005): 362.9Thomas More was a devout Catholic, lawyer and later one of King Henry VIII closest advisors. David Daniel,
William Tyndale A Biography (Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticuet,1994)10
William Tyndale was later caught in Antwerp in 1535 tried for heresy and executed by burning at the stake.
David Daniel, William Tyndale A Biography (Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticuet,1994)
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Before the letter incident Tyndale was looked upon favourably by some
of Henrys inner circle since in his translation of the bible, it was written
that Kings should be the head of the church11
. Henry at this time was
seeking a divorce from his wife and wanted to marry Anne Boleyn.Anne Boleyn was a Protestant. The Pope declined Henrys request for a
divorce. Henry went ahead and married Anne in 1532. With Anne now
Henrys wife she had greater influence on Henry to reject the Catholic
Church and accept Tyndales English bible.12
In 1534 King Henry VIII broke with the Church in Rome with the Act of
Supremacy which made him the head of the newly formed Church of
England. All men were expected to swear their loyalty to the king and
the new church, forsaking their allegiances to the Roman Catholic
Church. In 1535, Sir Thomas More refused to submit to the Act of
Supremacy and was executed for refusing to acknowledge Henry VIII as
head of the English Church13
14
. King Henry issued the first official Act of
Supremacy in 1534. Henry declared that the King of England is the only
true head of the Church of England on earth
15
. Henry issued theTreason Act of 1534, which made it punishable by death to refuse to
acknowledge the king as such. With the new English Church came a
11 William Tyndale, The obedience of a Christian man (1528) publisher unknown,12
It is believed that Anne was the one to give King Henry VIII a copy of Tyndales book The Obedience of a Christian
man in 1529. David Daniel, William Tyndale A Biography (Yale University Press, 1994) 246-25113
John Stephen Morrill ed., The Oxford Illustrated history of Tudor and Stuart Britain (Oxford University Press,1996) 271.
14Sir Thomas More refused to attend Anne Boleyns coronation, this was seen as a snub to Anne. Thomas More
refused to take the oath of supremacy before King Henry. He was brought up on charges of treason for his
refusal and executed in 1535. David Daniel, William Tyndale a Biography (Yale University Press, 1994) 247
15John Stephen Morrill ed., The Oxford Illustrated history of Tudor and Stuart Britain (Oxford University Press,
1996) 271.
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new group of advisors to the king. Thomas Cranmer (Cranmer) was
appointed by Henry to be Archbishop of Canterbury. Anne Boleyn and
Cranmer petitioned Henry to have a bible placed in every church in
England. In 1537, the Mathew Bible16
appeared. It was not a newtranslation but simply a combination of older bibles put together; it was
more scholarly and obviously protestant. It caught on quickly and was
soon found to be the more popular bible out there. Henry made the
royal injunction of September 153817
. Now three years after Tyndales
death a translated English bible has been placed in every church in
England by King Henry VIIIs royal proclamation.
Henrys death, and Edward VI succession as King of England held the
Protestant faith together and prevented England from sliding
backwards into schism.
Edward VI succession to the throne was a catalyst for a number of
crucial Protestant improvements in the English Church.18
The reign of
Edward VI only lasted six short- but important- years. Edward VI
signature act was founding the Protestant Church structure in England
modeled after the ones in Switzerland and Germany, brought about by
Archbishop Thomas Cranmer and the Duke of Somerset. Edward VI
reign was short lived. The measures put in place for the new Protestant
16It was called the Matthew Bible because it was said to be authored by Thomas Matthew which was a pen name
for John Rogers who was in turn a close friend of William Tyndale. John Stephen ed., The Oxford Illustrated history
of Tudor and Stuart Britain (Oxford University Press, 1996) 52
17 The proclamation of 1538 required that all English books be licensed by the PRIVY COUNCIL or its designee
before printing and distribution. This was to ensure Henry VIIIs particular brand of reformation. This Proclamation
was endorsed by both Edward VI and Mary I. John Stephen ed., The Oxford Illustrated history of Tudor and Stuart
Britain (Oxford University Press, 1996) 397
18Edward VI was raised a Protestant and introduced the Book of Common Prayer and the Thirty Nine Articles these
gave the Protestant Church a distinct separate identity and structure from the Catholic Church. Anna Whitlock
Mary Tudor Princess, Bastard, Queen (Random House, New York, NY, 2010) 208
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English Church had not been able to form a solid foundation19
before
his death and the succession of his sister Mary Tudor.
Mary Tudor obtained the throne in 1553. Mary was a devout Catholic
and implemented a number of reforms on Protestant England. She
returned to public book burning and the burning of Protestant heretics.
She used the printing press to produce multiple copies of a new Sarum
primer that had her personal stamp of approval; all copies were printed
from her personal printer. Queen Marys regime was not opposed to
peoples possession of the Bible but possession of the Protestantversion was suspect and those who were found in possession of it were
subject to punishment. Most of the queens religious advisors were
more of the mind that, the true way of the Church, was to have the
people absorb the faith through the liturgy and have the people indulge
themselves in the ceremonies and sacraments of the Church, not in the
readings of the scripture.20
A few days after her coronation during a service at a London Church a
chaplain was dragged out of the pulpit by vagabonds and beaten. The
following Sunday the crowds were met by 200 soldiers to protect the
preacher. Derogatory anti catholic pamphlets littered the streets
around London calling upon Protestants to take up arms against Marys
government. The leading Protestant reformists clergy were arrested
and imprisoned, including Cranmer.
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In 1557 Mary used the Company of Stationers to enforce what the anti-
protestant laws that she had re-established21
. Mary worked hand in
hand with the Catholic Church to seize any printed works that were
critical of her or the Catholic Church.
One example of how the printingpress enabled opposing voices to be heard was the pamphleteer Martin
Marprelate; a fanatical Puritan who defied the licensing system, and set
up a private press22
. He printed off hundreds of copies of his pamphlets
opposing the Catholic bishops, mocking them with humour and witty
statements. His pamphlets quickly gained the attention of both the
people, and the church a second pamphlet appeared even bolder than
the first. In all seven pamphlets were published before the secret presswas shut down in 1589
23.
The acts of punishment did not seem to work. The burnings of heretics
were meant to scare the Protestants into submission to recant their
Protestant beliefs. But there burnings only seemed to draw the dead as
martyrs for the Protestant cause. Many Protestants chose to flee
England for other countries as colonies of Protestants quickly emergedin Geneva, Switzerland helping to keep the faith alive on the continent.
Many who fled England continued to struggle against Queen Marys
rule and published pamphlets attacking her.
One notable example is John Knox's book "First Blast of the Trumpet
against the Monstrous Regiment of Women" in which he rallies against
21Mary had parliament revive the Hersey Acts of 1382 which stated that heretical preachers should be arrested.
Anna Whitlock Mary Tudor Princess, Bastard, Queen (Random House, New York, NY, 2010) 103
22Martin Marprelate was a puritan and the puritan faith believed that the bible held the answer to the everyday
problems in life. They also believed that the Church of England was too close to Catholicism. BYU Broadcasting
Fires of Faith online streaming video running time:51 minutes: 57 seconds last accessed Nov.18 2011
(http://byutv.org/watch/410aac43-ef61-46a2-874d-0101c1baa0c3)
23The two culprits John Perry and Job Thorgmorton were caught and only John Perry being executed.
John Bennett Black The reign of Elizabeth 1558-1603 (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1969) 201-202
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women ruling over men.24
Queen Mary ordered anyone caught with
this book be sentenced to death without trial. Mary seemed to realise
that the harsh sentences imposed upon Protestants was causing more
harm than good, instead of bringing people back to the Catholic Churchthe burnings of heretics were harming her rule and the public opinion
of the Catholic Church in England. Marys rule ended in 1558....
In conclusion, there are three key points that can define how print and
publishing changed the bearing of politics in Tudor England. The first
point being the burning of books deemed heretical only caused them to
increase; in fact these books were now in high demand by the public.
The publicity of the book burnings only increased the value of thebooks and a greater effort was made to acquire them. There was
money to be made for the printing press operators from the European
mainland to publish books from condemned authors, due to the
Catholic Church creating a black market by outlawing them.
My second point, the quick output of printing runs and the selection of
print tracts available to be distributed quickly and cheaply. There was
very little to no chance of getting caught being the sole distributor ofthe material due to its small size. The pamphlets were circulated among
Londoners; this being precisely the modulus operandi wanted by the
author.
24 John Knox was not only attacking Queen Mary Tudor but also the other female rulers such as Mary of Guise,
Dowager Queen of Scotland and her daughter Mary, Queen of Scots. John Knox The first blast of the trumpet
against the monstruous regiment of women (publisher unknown, 1558)
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