William Tyler
The English Reformation and its Export
Summary
William Tyler discusses the English Reformation and explains why it was a huge event in global history. Specifically, he details how the Reformation was exported to the English colonies in, what became, the United States.
William Tyler
William Tyler has spent his entire professional life in adult education, beginning at Kingsgate College in 1969. He has lectured widely for many public bodies, including the University of Cambridge and the WEA, in addition to speaking to many clubs and societies. In 2009, William was awarded the MBE for services to adult education, and he has previously been a scholar in residence at the London Jewish Cultural Centre.
No, history is always rewritten. It’s rewritten for two reasons. One, because more information becomes available. So in English history, in my lifetime, we know a great deal about Saxon England that we didn’t know before because of DNA. We know that most of us don’t carry Saxon blood as our predominant D, in our DNA, but Celtic blood and we know that the conquest was not bloody, but was a peaceful conquest. The other reason that history is rewritten is that every generation seeks to understand it in the context of themselves, this is why the issue of black and white America is so strong, because it’s an issue that’s raised largely by black Americans and liberal white Americans saying, “We can’t go on teaching what we’ve done because there’s another part of the story. So we’re refining the story. I suppose historians would argue that each generation seeks to refine it, but they also seek to interpret it in the light of them, their own experiences.
Well, the answer is human nature is human nature. And no, nothing that doesn’t surprise me in the least. The other example thinking about Massachusetts is Salem, they took beliefs about witchcraft with them and there were prosecutions for witchcraft in New England later than in England itself, where we had become more than a little sceptical about the reasons for witchcraft and if you know the story of Salem, you know it’s not to do with religious belief. Well, religious beliefs are used to get hold of the people whom they describe as witches.
Nothing, I shouldn’t of think at all. Well, except now and that’s not true. That’s a glib answer In Elizabeth reign when we faced the might of Catholic Europe and Spain at the Armada, it was seriously considered that we should approach the salt arm in Constantinople to attack Spain from the rear on the basis of my enemy’s enemy is my friend. It didn’t come to anything and I don’t think they would’ve bothered at all, they would. No, I don’t think that would’ve registered.