The burning time : Henry VIII, Bloody Mary, and the Protestant martyrs of London

Introduction: setting the scene -- Boiling, burning and ambition -- Fuel for the fire -- The making of martyrs -- Recantations and reversals -- Dissolution and discipline -- "Lo, faithless men against me rise" -- Denunciations and near-escapes -- Protestantism in the ascendant -- "Turn, and turn, and turn again" -- Dominicans in Smithfield -- Ceremonies of martyrdom -- "I will pay my vows to thee, oh Smithfield" -- Matters of conscience -- Constancy and conflagration -- Epilogue: "By the light of burningmartyrs".

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Rounding, Virginia, author.

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Summary

Smithfield, settled on the fringes of Roman London, was once a place of revelry. Jesters and crowds flocked for the medieval St Bartholomew's Day celebrations, tournaments were plentiful and it became the location of London's most famous meat market. Yet in Tudor England, Smithfield had another, more sinister use: the public execution of heretics.

The Burning Time is a vivid insight into an era in which what was orthodoxy one year might be dangerous heresy the next. The first martyrs were Catholics, who cleaved to Rome in defiance of Henry VIII's break with the papacy. But with the accession of Henry's daughter Mary - soon to be nicknamed 'Bloody Mary' - the charge of heresy was leveled against devout Protestants, who chose to burn rather than recant.

At the center of Virginia Rounding's vivid account of this extraordinary period are two very different characters. The first is Richard Rich, Thomas Cromwell's protégé, who, almost uniquely, remained in a position of great power, influence and wealth under three Tudor monarchs, and who helped send many devout men and women to their deaths. The second is John Deane, Rector of St Bartholomew's, who was able, somehow, to navigate the treacherous waters of changing dogma and help others to survive.

The Burning Time is their story, but it is also the story of the hundreds of men and women who were put to the fire for their faith.

Author Notes

VIRGINIA ROUNDING is a writer, critic and former RLF Fellow at the Courtauld Institute of Art. Author of biographies of Catherine the Great, Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra, and of Grandes Horizontales , a study of French courtesans, she also contributes to a number of newspapers and magazines, such as the Daily Telegraph and the Financial Times .

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

British biographer and critic Rounding (Alix and Nicky) delves into the tumultuous Tudor era, ably recounting the hunt for heretics who failed to change their beliefs in accordance with the change of monarch. Numerous innocents were killed and there were cases of powerful persecutors becoming the persecuted. Rounding complements her gift for storytelling with letters and official records to flesh out stories of specific victims (such as Protestant martyr Anne Askew), noting how many underwent a process of first trying to avoid self-incrimination but then gained a near fearlessness once they realized the futility of resistance. Descriptions of executioners' preparations and the physical process of burning human flesh prevent the long list of lives lost from becoming mundane; instead, the burned victims serve as examples of how the Tudors feared religious dissent could devolve into treason. Rounding shows that Henry VIII's actions kept Catholics and Protestant reformers off balance, while "Bloody" Mary I channeled her grandmother Isabella's inquisitorial passions into her own constant-if ineffective-persecutions. Edward VI's truncated reign receives less attention, comparatively. Rounding closes with an extended-some readers might say misguided-consideration of 21st-century terrorism and religiosity. The end aside, it's an excellent account of 16th-century religious persecution and martyrdom. Illus. Agent: Clare Alexander, Aitken Alexander Associates. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

With this latest work, Rounding (Catherine the Great) provides an in-depth look at the volatile conditions Catholics and Protestants alike experienced during the reigns of Henry VIII and Mary I as people were forced to test the strength of their faith against the constantly changing religious dogma that threatened their lives. Through stories of the Smithfield martyrs, Rounding comprehensively examines what brought about this dark period in history, while also making connections to the current religious climate and the possibility of learning from the past to end these conflicts. While many books exist on some of the major players featured in these pages, such as William Roper's The Life of Sir Thomas More, this work stands apart by delving into the lives of Lord Chancellor Richard Rich, a protégé of Thomas Cromwell intent on gaining power, and John Deane, rector of the Anglican church St. Bartholomew's. VERDICT Recommended for history buffs interested in religious impacts on society, as well as those wishing to learn more about the Tudor dynasty. However, because of the many martyrs discussed, Rounding's descriptive writing may make it difficult for some readers to get hooked.-Katie McGaha, County of Los Angeles P.L. © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.