c. 1330–1428

John Wycliffe and the Lollards

The Oxford philosopher John Wycliffe criticized the church's wealth. At first this criticism suited the government, and he was protected by John of Gaunt. After the start of the Great Western Schism in 1378 he became sharply radicalized.

He placed the Bible above all tradition and church authority. He taught that unworthy power forfeits its right to "dominion" and called the pope a possible Antichrist. In 1380 he attacked transubstantiation as a kind of docetism. He held that bread remains bread while Christ is present only spiritually.

He organized "poor preachers" – the future Lollards. He also inspired the translation of the Bible into English, with the New Testament completed by 1380. In 1381, after the Peasants' Revolt, he was barred from teaching. He withdrew to Lutterworth, where he died in 1384. He was posthumously condemned by the Council of Constance (1415). In 1428 his remains were exhumed, burned, and thrown into the River Swift.

The Lollards faced persecution, including the suppressed Oldcastle revolt of 1413–1414. Even so, they survived centuries of persecution and merged into the English Reformation in the 16th century.