Marprelate Controversy

Marprelate controversy refers to the debate between one or more Puritan writers and the Church of England in the 1588 / 89th

Trigger of the Marprelate controversy were published between October 1588 and September 1589, Puritan satirical pamphlets, which were printed under the pseudonym Martin Marprelate secretly and the Church of England and its bishops like John Whitgift, Archbishop of Canterbury, attacking sharp. The name of Martin Marprelate (also spelled Mar - prelate ) can translate into German as " Martin Hau - the - priest " or " Martin mixing the - parsons - on ".

During this time, the following pamphlets have been published:

• October 1588: Oh Read Over Dr. John Bridges - The Epistle ( John Bridges was Dean of Salisbury )
• November 1588: Oh Read Over Dr. John Bridges - The Epitome; Certain Mineral and Metaphysical School Points
• March 1589: Hay Any Work for Cooper ( Thomas Cooper, Bishop of Winchester Hay any work for Cooper was the alarm call of the London tinker. )
• July 1589: Theses Martinianae and Martin Junior's Epilogue; The Just Censure and Reproff of Martin Junior
• September 1589: The Protestation of Martin Marprelate

It is seen as no coincidence that the first pamphlet was published a month after the death of the Earl of Leicester. Leicester was close to the Puritans. His protégé, the theologian Thomas Cartwright, was the great opponent of John Whitgift and the voice of the Puritan direction within the Anglican Church. With the disappearance of Leicester's patronage Thomas Cartwright lost its importance and to the left by him vacuum met Martin Marprelate, who posed as the new opponent of John Whitgift, no longer taught and solemn tone of theology but on bizarre mocking Art Archbishop Whitgift was for Martin Marprelate not My Lord or My Grace, but has often been addressed under various nicknames, such as Pope of Lambeth. Lambeth Palace was the London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Martin also did not hesitate, the words of Christ on the cross, Eli, Eli, lama asabathani ( " My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?") (Matthew 27:46 ) to take advantage of puns: " ( Bishop of ) Eli, Eli, why have you forsaken me " In Hay Any Work for Cooper, he defended his approach :" the Lord has both created the fun as the seriousness. And then it shall not be lawful for the sake of truth these times and times to choose that path, especially if the circumstances so true that it is legit? "

Presented for the bishops such attacks a solitary " fun Archangel " an attack on their dignity is and pulled her into a confrontation in which they threatened to lose face if they got involved on Martin Marprelates rules. Not even the favored Martin Whitgiftgegner Thomas Cartwright took a liking to this cabaret version of theological dispute. In a letter to the Lord Chancellor of the Exchequer Burghley he condemned Martin's " Untidy discourse " and expressed regret " over this sloppy approach " from ..

The English Church commissioned secretly contemporary writers to write against these documents with similar satirical means. As the initiator of the plan to " official " counteroffensive applies Whitgifts Kaplan, who later became Bishop of London and from February 1604 successor to Whitgift, Richard Bancroft. There writers were hired, which is now itself Martin home paid with the same coin, and partly in pamphlets ( which are preserved ), partly in stage plays (which are not preserved, but alludes to the Martin). Certainly, John Lyly, Thomas Nashe and Anthony Munday may have involved, maybe Robert Greene. Only Anthony Munday is mentioned by Martin Marprelate.

The pamphlets of the anti - Martinist were divided by Ronald B. McKerrow into five groups:

• I. The pasquil pamphlets

• II Papp with a Hatchet ( " porridge with the ax " )

• III. Martin's Month 's Mind ( " Martins month memorial mass " )

• IV An Almond for a Parrot ( " An Almond for a parrot " )

• V. Mar -Martin, A Whip for at Ape ( " A whip for an ape " )

The exact identity of Martin Marprelate has never been clarified. Very long one has kept John Penry, a Puritan from Wales, for the author. Penry was sure somehow involved in the Martin Marprelate writings, certainly the printer Robert Waldegrave, who managed to get away to Scotland. John Penry also fled to Scotland, but returned, was sentenced to death and executed.

Recently, the consensus has moved toward the person Throckmortons job, a Junkers from Warwickshire and members of parliament. He, too, was suspected by the authorities. Sufficient evidence found, the authorities never. But stylistic studies have confirmed the suspicion against him.

The Martin Marprelate scandal was at that time one of the most obvious rebellion against the Church of England and against repressive tendencies in Elizabethan England. Curiously, Martin Marprelate but, contrary to his intention, exerted a more consistent influence on the literary because the religious development. He coined a style that people like Robert Greene and Thomas Nashe took over. And Shakespeare's Falstaff to some that stood with him in debt in the opinion. A very interesting idea, which is not so far-fetched.