John Knox and the Religious Strife

John Knox became something of a spokesman for Protestantism in Scotland in the 1540s. Initially he was accompanying George Wishart on his preaching tours, but Wishart was captured and handed over to Cardinal David Beaton in St Andrews. There he was tried and burned on the stakes in 1546 for spreading Protestant heresy. Three months later Cardinal Beaton was murdered in revenge by Protestants. When John Knox arrived in St Andrews about a year later he was persuaded by scholars at the university to preach in the town. In June 1547, French assistance to fight the Protestants arrived and the castle of St Andrews which capitulated on terms that were later not kept. Knox and others were carried off to slavery in the French galleys but due to English intervention Knox was released 19 months later. He could, however, not return to Scotland and continue his preaching but had to stay under the protection of the English and had a large influence on the forming of the English Puritanism. He stayed in England until the Catholic Mary Tudor ascended the throne, at which time he thought it wise to flee to the continent. There he formulated his view that God-fearing magistrates and nobility have both the right and the duty to resist, if necessary by force, a ruler who threatens the safety of true religion. In 1559, he again was able to return to Scotland and was astounded by the progress made by the Reformed cause and by the eager reception given to him by all classes in the community.