| Abstract |
This paper is a continuation of the debate on the English Reformation. Present researches focus on “cooperation”, considering which as the key factor for the success of “the Official Reformation” held by Henry VIII. This paper asserts that apart from cooperating with the government, the English society has also expressed its opposition to the king’s reformation policy. The political prophecy issued by Elizabeth Barton, the Holy Maid of Kent, was a good example. Barton, a nun living in a remote corner of Kent, by way of personal or ecclesiastical networks, disseminated her prophecy of opposition, in oral and written forms, to audience of different regions, ranks, and genders; Barton’s prophecy in the end created a strong voice of opposition. Henry VIII soon went for Barton and her adherents: the nun and her “accomplices” were executed, and everyone who had ever contacted with Barton was interrogated. In Barton’s Case, Henry VIII showed his close surveillance over his subjects. “To monitor beforehand and to punish afterwards”, the device successfully suppressed the sounds of opposition, which can hardly formed a strong enough power to shake the regime. Barton’s case reveals the voice of disagreement coming from the English populace, but it also paradoxically explains the success of the Henrician Reformation. |
