ABSTRACT
The Norman Conquest brought with it a papal yoke. This is how Foxe opens the fourth book of the Acts and Monuments. This chapter examines history from William I to Henry II, examining how Foxe looked at kingship, dealt with unruly Archbishops’, and how he understood the persecution of heretical groups. He begins by showing that corruption had begun to emerge in the Church at this time. Important to that argument were the contentions of archbishops in England. Foxe focuses his attention on Lanfranc, Anselm, and Thurstan, seeing them as similar archetypes to Thomas Becket. Once again, Becket takes up the most pages. Foxe is still keen to argue that he was no martyr or saint, but a traitor to his king. Using his sources, Foxe explains why it is dangerous for the realm when nobles or bishops challenge the king. Thus this history is about individuals, but equally about Foxe giving example and anecdote to influence the present. This provides us with an interesting glimpse into the sense of past that Foxe provides in his pre-Lollard history.
