Political Protest and Prophecy Under Henry VIII

Great Britain: The Boydell Press, 1991. K5 - A first edition (First published 1991 stated) hardcover book in very good condition in very good dust jacket. Dust jacket has some wrinkling, chipping and crease on the edges, corners, and some sides, dust jacket and book have some bumped corners, light discoloration and shelf wear. 9.5"x6.5", 182 pages. Satisfaction Guaranteed. In 1538 a Yorkshire vicar called John Dobson was executed for numerous `crymes and defaultes', notably having prophesied that an eagle `would spread his wings over the realm', that a crumb `would be brought low', and that scallop shells `would be broken and go to wreck'. Dobson's case is not an isolated incident during the tumultuous decade of the1530s, when Henry VIII's matrimonial crisis had become only one issue in a series of more widespread theological, ecclesiastical, social and political controversies. In their resistance to the power of the king and his government, opponents cloaked themselves in the authority of reputed prophets like Merlin and employed the ancient traditions and techniques of prophecy. In the confrontation between royal prerogative and individual conscience, political prophecies were a justification, even a mandate, for resistance to the power of the king and his government. Political Protest and Prophecy Under Henry VIII examines public protest in the decade of the 1530s, focusing on cases like Dobson's. For the first time, the historical records of those accused of spreading prophecies and the literary texts of the prophecies themselves are laid side by side so that modern readers can evaluate the interrelationships of politics and literature in the 16th century.. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.