The Scottish Reformation

This sweeping study of the Scottish Reformation follows the movement through its decisive turning points, from the early witness of Patrick Hamilton and George Wishart to the commanding influence of John Knox. It sets religious conviction against political upheaval, showing how reformers and opponents struggled over the shape of Scotland's future while a new confessional identity, church order, worship, discipline, education, and poor relief took form. Alongside this historical narrative stands Knox's own reforming vision: a national system of schools and colleges, overseen for the public good, where children of every class would learn grammar, Latin, Greek, logic, and rhetoric, and be trained in virtue as well as knowledge. The book also examines the burdens borne by tenants and laborers, condemning clerical and feudal exactions and arguing that true reform must ease the suffering of the poor rather than deepen it. Rich in scholarly detail, it traces the organization of the early Reformed Church, the tensions between ecclesiastical and civil authority, and the harsh realities of discipline and dues. The closing pages turn to Knox's final, embattled years, ending with his forced departure from Edinburgh to St. Andrews, where his Protestant ministry first began. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.