In the 16th and 17th centuries notions of Christian unity in Western Europe were forever changed by the process of Reformation: multiple religious groups claimed to represent the ‘true Church’. In the course of the conflicts that followed, thousands of men and women died for their faith. The status of these people – and which of them could be claimed as ‘martyrs’, as those who has died for the true faith – was much discussed, and much disputed. This course takes the powerful cultural ideal of ‘martyrdom’ both as an important topic in its own right and as one window into broader processes of religious conflict and change in early modern Western Christianity.
Beginning with a consideration of late medieval concepts of martyrdom, the course will include sessions devoted to both Protestant and Catholic martyrs, allowing us to compare and contrast across time and across different religious traditions. One session will focus particularly on martyrologies (written accounts of martyrs), and the ways that ideas about those who had died for their faith spread and were communicated. This session will be held in Cambridge University Library and students will be able to view a range of early modern printed books connected with the topic. In a final session, we will reflect on the significance of martyrdom in Europe and beyond, and the long legacy that these early modern conflicts over the dead created.
Taught through a mixture of lecture and class discussion, in this course we will examine a huge range of contemporary source materials, both written and visual. Throughout we’ll try and address some important questions together: why were martyrs so contested? What did they represent to early modern people? What can they tell us about the world in which they lived – and died?
What our students say
"Dr Law was an exceptional teacher. She engaged well with the class and took her time to explain details in a way that really showed her depth of knowledge in this field. It was a wonderful experience."
