| Summary: | This thesis aims to provide a general overview of the
crime of heresy in England from about the year 1520 until
the death of Mary I in 1558. It begins by examining some
of the problems inherent in heresy, chiefly its definition
and identification, which had special relevance during the
fluctuating religious climate of the period in question.
It then examines other concepts, namely the need for order,
unity and obedience, that profoundly affected the very
definition of heresy and the way in which it was viewed as
an offence I which in turn led to the adoption of one
particular method of addressing and resol ving the
si tuation, the policy of persecution. The remaining
chapters look at the legal structure that was implemented
as a result of these earlier considerations, and finally,
examines some of the major heresy cases of the period which
illustrate the extent to which the religious offence of
heresy could be linked to, and altered by, the political
climate and considerations of the day.
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