Proclaimer Blog
The fragility of the English Reformation: a lesson for today
I’ve just finished reading Philippa Gregory’s latest Tudor novel retelling the story of Katheryn Parr, The Taming of the Queen. I’ve not particularly got into any of her books in the past, finding them a little contrived. And, sure enough, this one had a few flaws. For one thing, I think she is keen to rewrite historical women to make them more 21st Century, as though Germaine Greer was herself in the court of the king. This is not just Gregory’s flaw: it’s common enough in historical fiction.
Amazingly, you don’t really need to do this with Queen Katheryn. She was an extraordinary figure anyway, producing a translation of the psalms and, after Henry’s death, an amazing book detailing her Protestant convictions (Lamentations of a sinner). Who knows what might have been had she lived beyond labour (she remarried shortly after Henry’s death). All this is true and her Protestant convictions well documented. However, Gregory has her as co-author of the Prayer Book alongside Cramner, something for which, as far as I am aware (and I would be happily corrected) there is not a jot of evidence (interestingly, in her author’s note, whilst she admits to licence in some areas, she does not do so in this one).
Gregory makes Katheryn stronger still by having her give a young and doting Elizabeth advice on how she must be a king for her nation, were she ever to become Queen. Neat, huh? I find it a little tiresome, I’m afraid.
But, overall, the book is excellent and captures the fragility of the Reformation in England. Henry is presented as a flawed monster, playing people off against one another to his own end rather than serving the cause of any faith. Unlike Gregory’s take on the Prayer Book, this is all well documented.
It’s good to be reminded that our heritage is not solid. The Protestant Reformation was very fragile, very fragile indeed. It could have faltered at many stages, and very often nearly did. It was – humanly speaking – highly dependent on the vagaries of individuals and rulers, often those with no care for biblical truth. And yet, here we are. God has been sovereignly good and we have benefitted from his merciful and gracious providence to bring us to this place.
And, we should remind ourselves, he continues to be just the same, yesterday, today and forever.