The Study Of The Lollards In The Late Middle Ages

The Lollards,which originated in the late 14 th century,was the only native heresy in England,but the reform ideas put forward from the Lollards were progressive at the time because they violated the interests of the ruling class and the Catholic Church at that time.The Lollards were designated as a heresy.The purpose of this paper is to examine the background of the rise,main ideas,activities,causes of decline and the impact of the Lollards.The text consists of four parts.The first part mainly discusses the background of the emergence of the Lollards,which is closely related to the growing corruption of Catholicism in addition to the personal influence of Wickliffe.The ideas of the Lollards mainly include the supremacy of the Bible,the advocacy of simplifying religious rituals,and the restriction of the power of the Pope and clergy.The second part mainly discusses the composition of the Lollards,including intellectuals,aristocrats and civilians,and makes an analysis of the rights and status of the female members of the sect.According to the geographical distribution of the Lollards,the distribution of the sect in the early and late stages is analyzed,and the distribution differences are summarized.The third part deals with the practical activities carried out under the guidance of the Lollards’ ideology,including the practice of religious rites,missionary,preaching,and prayer.It also analyses several large-scale movements of the Lollards,and discusses the relationship between Lollards and the 1381 uprising.The fourth part analyses the reasons for the decline of the Lollards,mainly from the incompatibility with the needs of the ruling class,the oppression of the Orthodox Church on the Lollards and its own reasons,and explores the impact of the Lollards.