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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 10 page research paper that discusses the use of torture in the power struggle that was being played out between the Catholic Church and the rising tide of Protestantism. The writer argues that it was used quite successfully by both sides. The Catholic Church used torture via the various tribunals of the Inquisition to successfully suppress even the mildest hints of disobedience to church authority, while 16th century author John Foxe used descriptions of torture against Protestant martyrs to cement the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in England as well as insuring the continuation of Protestantism within that country. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
Page Count:
10 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_Torture.doc
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
Catholic Church used torture via the various tribunals of the Inquisition to successfully suppress even the mildest hints of disobedience to church authority. However, by describing atrocities committed against Protestant
martyrs, John Foxe created a pivotal book that helped to cement the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in England as well as insuring the continuation of Protestantism in that country.
Torture was reserved by the Church for major offenses such as blasphemy, heresy, and sorcery (Haliczer, 1987). Although modern societies have difficulty seeing beyond the cruelty of the sentences
that were handed down, they provided a distinct political function (DeDieu, 1987). Each sentence sent a message to the wider society that served to reinforce the power of the Church.
However, Elizabethan author John Foxe used this legacy of torture to generate support for Protestantism in England and, thus, successfully used accounts of torture as propaganda against the Catholic Church.
Foxes The Book of Martyrs was first published around 1559 (Haller, 1963). By the end of the century, it had become one of the most popular and widely read
books in English history. Haller (1963) estimated that, by the end of the seventeenth century, there were at least ten thousand copies in existence. The book had been in continuous
circulation for a period of over a hundred years. This was more "than any other book of similar scope except the Bible" (Haller, 1963, p. 14). As Haller points
out, it is irrelevant as to whether or not Foxes historical account was accurate. Likewise, whether or not Foxes religious views were correct is also of no real importance. The
relevance of this volume lies in the fact that its historical importance has never been questioned. During the reign of Elizabeth I, Englishmen came to accept this book as an
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