Saints, Sacrilege and Sedition: Religion and Conflict in the Tudor Reformations

A collection of essays and lectures exploring the English Reformation’s impact on Catholicism from the late medieval period through the Tudor era (roughly 1400–1600). Duffy, a Cambridge professor and Catholic historian, challenges the traditional Protestant narrative that the Reformation was inevitable due to a decaying Catholic Church, arguing instead that Catholicism was vibrant and deeply rooted in English society before Henry VIII’s break with Rome in the 1530s.

The book is divided into four parts. Part I, "Reformation Unravelled," critiques historical accounts of the Reformation, emphasizing how Protestant identity shaped England’s national narrative while downplaying Catholic resilience. Part II, "The Material Culture of Early Tudor Catholicism," examines physical evidence like rood screens and church goods, showing how communities invested in Catholic practices even after reforms began, and how iconoclasm destroyed much of this heritage. Part III, "Two Cardinals," focuses on John Fisher, a martyred bishop who resisted Henry VIII, and Reginald Pole, the last Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury, highlighting their roles in defending Catholic unity. Part IV, "Catholic Voices," traces the persistence of Catholic sentiment into Shakespeare’s time, interpreting his Sonnet 73 line "bare ruin’d choirs" as a lament for monastic ruins and the lost Catholic past.

Duffy argues that the Reformation was a cultural rupture, not a liberation, imposed through royal tyranny rather than popular demand. He portrays Henry VIII’s reforms as driven by political motives, not theology, noting the king’s rejection of Protestant doctrines like justification by faith while enforcing royal supremacy. The book highlights the lived experience of Catholics, from parish life to militant resistance, and their sense of loss as England’s religious identity was forcibly reshaped. While praised for its scholarship and vivid prose, some critics note Duffy’s Catholic perspective can overshadow Protestant voices, and the essay collection format lacks a cohesive thesis, ending on a reflective rather than conclusive note.