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Artwork    •    The Execution of Mary Queen of Scots at Fotheringhay Castle on 8 February 1587, drawn by Robert Beale (1541-1601), Clerk of the Privy Council to Queen Elizabeth I, who wrote the official record of the execution to which he was an eyewitness. 

The evening before the execution he had read-out to Mary her death warrant and informed her that she was to be executed the following morning. 

Key to numbers: George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury and Henry Grey, 6th Earl of Kent are seated to the left (1 & 2) and Sir Amias Paulet, one of Mary's guards, is seated behind the scaffold (3)

  •   Christum wir sollen loben schon, 1586     · Württemberg Chamber Choir 

Lyricist: Martin Luther.  Composer: Lukas Osiander.

Martin Luther initially adapted his melody from the Latin hymn melodies associated with 'A solis ortus cardine' by Caelius Sedulius to make it suitable for his German verse. 

The chorale text and melody first appeared in print in Erfurt 'Enchiridion' in 1524.

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This podcast focuses on history, particularly the English Separatist movement and its ties to the broader evolution of the Christian faith. 

At its heart is a story that describes the progression and global impact of the Protestant faith. 

It records how an emerging movement reshaped core Christian beliefs, partitioning Western Christianity into Catholicism and the new Protestant groups. 

In series 2, starting in 1585, we explore a time when a Protestant movement was starting to falter in Holland.  

We'll also dive into the events leading up to the execution of a Queen, and uncover another important yet lesser-known figure named Martin. 

These fascinating developments will bring us to the reign of King James I, the son of Mary Queen of Scots, who ruled both England and Scotland. 

Artwork •                    Simeon's Song of Praise by Aert de Gelder, around 1700–1710.

Music     •                    The Nunc Dimittis • 'Now lettest thou depart'. 

Composer Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625). 

From 'The best of choral and organ works', Oxford Camerate.

It is known as the Song or Canticle of Simeon.

A canticle taken from the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke, verses 29 through 32.

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The podcast, focuses on history, particularly the English Separatist movement and its ties to the broader evolution of the Christian faith. 

 At its heart is a story that describes the progression and global impact of the Protestant faith. 

It records how an emerging movement reshaped core Christian beliefs, partitioning Western Christianity into Roman Catholicism and new Protestant groups.

The narrative is organised chronologically, beginning in the early 16th century with Martin Luther's excommunication and ending in 1620 at Plymouth Harbour, highlighting the transformative journeys of ordinary people.

 The first series consists of twelve episodes, featuring figures like Robert Browne, known for founding the first Congregational church. 

The podcast aims not to influence beliefs but to explore significant historical events.

The artwork is Exsurge Domine,  'Arise, O Lord'.

It is the cover page of the Papal Bull promulgated or ‘exposed to public view’, on 15 June 1520 by Pope Leo X.
It was issued in response to Martin Luther's teachings, which contradicted the beliefs upheld by the Catholic Church.

The Music accompaniment is Dies Irae, or The Day of Wrath'. 

This is a medieval Latin poem, best known for its use in the Roman Rite Requiem, Mass for the Dead, and funeral Mass.

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The Artwork is a Painted portrait of Martin Luther, 1528

Artist:Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472–1553)
Painting Location: The Coburg Fortress, a medieval fortress, situated above the town of Coburg, in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany.

The Music is Kyrie,  from the Gregorian Plainsong Mass, Missa Orbis Factor.

This episode examines the origins of a Protestant movement that significantly altered fundamental Christian beliefs.

The term "Protestant" originated from the Protestation at Speyer in 1529, where nobles opposed the decrees from the Diet of Worms that threatened the forfeiture of property for supporters of Lutheranism.

Martin Luther, a German priest, theologian, religious reformer, author, and Augustinian friar, was born on November 10, 1483, in Saxony. He was a key figure in the 16th-century Protestant Reformation and is often regarded as the pivotal leader of the movement whose followers became known as Lutherans.

Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam was one of the leading activists and thinkers of the European Renaissance. A man of remarkable intellect, he played a significant role in defining the humanist movement in Northern Europe.

At this point, it is also important to understand the concept of predestination. The Puritans believed that at the time of the world's creation, God had already predetermined who would be saved or condemned.

Lastly, it is essential to mention William Tyndale, who is widely regarded as the greatest English biblical scholar.

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The Artwork is: The cover page of the Coverdale Bible, which was first printed in 1535.

The Music is: Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, 'A Mighty Fortress Is Our God'; Composer: Martin Luther.

In this episode, we discuss the life and death of Thomas More, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. 

We then focus on Myles Coverdale, an important English Bible translator and reformer.

Working alone, Coverdale carried out his mission independently, successfully creating the first fully printed English Bible, commonly known as The Coverdale Bible.

Our story then leads us to Thomas Cranmer, who was born in Nottinghamshire to a family with connections to the local gentry. 

Printed in Antwerp in 1537, the Matthew Bible was an early compilation of English translations of the Bible's books. 

The Great Bible of 1539 was the first edition of the Bible in English, authorised by King Henry VIII of England to be read aloud in the church services of England. 


Three key English Bibles - the Great Bible published in 1539, the Bishops' Bible in 1568, and the King James Bible in 1611 - were all significantly influenced by Tyndale's biblical translations. 

His work profoundly influenced later English translations and played a crucial role in the development and widespread use of the English language.

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The Artwork is The Family of Henry VIII, c. 1543-1547

The Music is     John Taverner: Quemadmodum , Psalm 42, c.1540.

In 1547, King Henry VIII's nine-year-old son, Edward VI, became the first English monarch raised as a Protestant.

John Calvin, a notable French Protestant reformer, was a key figure in the second wave of the Protestant Reformation. He published his influential work, "Institutes of the Christian Religion." 

During the 16th-century Protestant Reformation, Anabaptism emerged as a movement that distinguished itself from the Catholic Church through its unique principle of adult baptism.

John Calvin was born on 10 July 1509 in Picardy, France. He was a French theologian and pastor in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. 
As the leading French Protestant reformer, he played a crucial role in the second generation of the Protestant Reformation. 
His interpretation of Christianity, presented in "Institutes of the Christian Religion," first published in Basel, Switzerland, became a seminal work of systematic theology.

Ulrich Zwingli was born in the Swiss Confederation on 1 January 1484 in Wildhaus. 
He led the Reformation in Switzerland during a period of emerging Swiss patriotism, believing that the state was governed with divine sanction and that the church and state were subject to God's sovereign rule.

Peter Martyr Vermigli was born in Florence on 8 September 1499. He was a leading Italian religious reformer whose primary focus was Eucharistic doctrine.

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The Artwork is Portrait of Mary by Antonis Mor. c.1554

The Music is    The Lord is my light and my salvation (Psalm: 27) Anglican chant.

After Edward's death, Lady Jane Grey was proclaimed Queen on 10 July 1553 and was held safely in the Tower of London, awaiting her coronation.

Upon hearing of Edward's death, Mary Tudor, fearing for her safety, escaped to East Anglia, where she owned several estates.

On 1 October 1553, Stephen Gardiner, an English Catholic bishop, crowned Mary Tudor as Mary I, Queen of England and Ireland, at Westminster Abbey.

Mary was the first queen to rule England in her own right. She became known as "Bloody Mary" due to her persecution and execution of Protestants.

Throughout her reign, she ordered the execution of 280 Protestants by burning them at the stake as heretics, in a failed attempt to restore Catholicism in England.

Her reign led to the emergence of a clandestine Protestant church in London, as a reaction to her enforcement of Catholicism as England's official religion.

It was on waste ground beyond the ditch, now the site of Broad Street, that the three Protestant martyrs of Oxford, Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimerwere burned at the stake.

The trial of Thomas Cranmer began on 12 September 1555, held under papal jurisdiction, with Rome determining the final verdict.

The first Vestments controversy, or Vestarian Controversy, arose during the English Reformation concerning the wearing of vestments and clerical dress. 
This controversy marked the first significant attack in the Puritans' campaign for reform.

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The artwork is the cover from an original copy of the Geneva Bible dated 1560.

The Geneva Bible is one of the most historically significant translations of the Bible into English, preceding the Douay Rheims Bible by 22 years, and the King James Version by 51 years.
It was the primary Bible of 16th-century English Protestantism and was used by William Shakespeare, Oliver Cromwell, John Knox, John Donne and others.

It was one of the Bibles taken to America on the Mayflower and its frontispiece inspired Benjamin Franklin's design for the first Great Seal of the United States.
Benjamin Franklin's design for the Great Seal of the United States featured a scene from the Exodus in the Bible.
The design illustrated Moses parting the Red Sea with his staff, while Pharaoh and his chariots were submerged by the waters.
Franklin's design also included the motto:- "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God."

The Music is     I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art,
Sung by the  Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, D.C.
Author: Anonymous. 
Source: French, 1545; French Psalter, Strasbourg, 1545.


First published in 1560, the Geneva Bible was a groundbreaking work that represented a remarkable achievement in Renaissance scholarship, printing, and Reformation theology.

John Knox, a Scottish minister, theologian, and writer, played a crucial role in shaping the Church of Scotland.
His work and ministry also contributed to developing the Puritan movement in Elizabethan England.

John Calvin spent much of his life as a minister in Geneva.
His ideas, actions, and sermons greatly influenced the Protestant Reformation and transformed Geneva into Europe's intellectual capital.

Theodore Beza established the Academy of Geneva using Strasbourg's successful model.
By the end of the sixteenth century, many distinguished Englishmen had made Geneva an essential place to study.

In 1545, John Bale published his book, "The Image of Both Churches," which provides a detailed commentary on the Book of Revelation, the final book of the Christian Bible.

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The Artwork isa Portrait of Elizabeth I, Queen of England, by anonymous Artist.
It location is  The Rijks Museum, Amsterdam.

The Music is The Volta, a couples' renaissance dance.

The Protestant exiles, who had fled Mary’s revived heresy laws and executions, were beginning to return to England and campaign for ecclesiastical reforms. 

They sought to recreate the pattern of church life recorded in Scripture without vestments and prelates such as cardinals, abbots, or bishops.

When Elizabeth became Queen, she worked with the Privy Council, intending to devise a religious settlement that would unite the country under a single Church.

The Elizabethan Religious Settlement, introduced in 1558, aimed to bridge the gap between Catholics and Protestants and address the variations in their religious services and beliefs.

It attempted to make England Protestant again, without alienating a population that had previously supported Catholicism under her sister Mary.

Heinrich Bullinger was a Swiss reformer and theologian; he succeeded Ulrich Zwingli as head of the Zurich church and pastor at Grossmünster.

His publication “The Decades” was the most famous of the 150 treatises and manuscripts he wrote.

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The Artwork is   A Miniature of Mary Queen of Scots. c 1559 by François Clouet.

This exquisite miniature is related to a drawing by the artist François Clouet, held in the Bibliothèque nationale de France Paris, likely dated slightly earlier to 1555. 

Her clothing is updated in the miniature, particularly the detail of the ruff in the drawing, which is changed into an open-standing collar. 

The original drawing is only bust-length, whereas the miniature includes the sitter's hands, indicating their significance to the portrait's function. 

The gesture of placing a ring on the fourth finger of her right hand is thought to allude to Mary Queen of Scots's marriage to the French Dauphin, the future Francis the Second, in 1558. 

This portrait was commissioned by the French royal family from their court artist to commemorate the royal marriage. 

The size and details of the miniature are: A watercolour, 8.3 x 5.7 cm, on a canvas panel stretcher. 
The miniature was almost certainly Queen Elizabeth I's personal possession and would later become part of the Royal Collection. 

The Royal Collection of the British Royal Family is the most extensive private art collection in the world. 
It is held in trust by The King, as Sovereign, for his successors and the nation. 
He does not own it as a private individual. 
The Collection was formed mainly after the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660. 
Following Charles I's execution in 1649, most of the King's possessions were sold by order of the Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell. 

The Music is       Alas Madame. French, Bayeux Manuscript (English: Alas my Lady)

The Bayeux Manuscript is an illustrated manuscript that contains one hundred and three songs, and was compiled by Charles III, Duke of Bourbon, in the early 16th century.
These songs were composed in the late 15th century, shortly after the conclusion of the Hundred Years' War.
The manuscript is housed in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.

Some contents of the episode are:

 The Thirty-nine Articles of Religion. 

 The Convocation of 1563. 

 The second part of the Vestiarian Controversy. 

 Foxe's Book of Martyrs.