Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Introduction
- A note on the texts
- Further reading
- Principal events in Knox's life
- Biographical notes
- Abbreviations and references
- Glossary
- Part I The 1558 Tracts
- Part II Knox and Scotland 1557–1564
- Knox and the Protestant nobility, March–December 1557
- Knox to the Protestant nobility, 17 December 1557
- Letters to the regent and nobility, 22 May 1559
- The regent and the Congregation, August 1559
- The suspension of the regent, October 1559
- Knox and Mary Queen of Scots, September 1561
- The debate at the General Assembly, June 1564
- Index of scriptural citations
- Index of proper names
- Index of subjects
- Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought
Letters to the regent and nobility, 22 May 1559
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Introduction
- A note on the texts
- Further reading
- Principal events in Knox's life
- Biographical notes
- Abbreviations and references
- Glossary
- Part I The 1558 Tracts
- Part II Knox and Scotland 1557–1564
- Knox and the Protestant nobility, March–December 1557
- Knox to the Protestant nobility, 17 December 1557
- Letters to the regent and nobility, 22 May 1559
- The regent and the Congregation, August 1559
- The suspension of the regent, October 1559
- Knox and Mary Queen of Scots, September 1561
- The debate at the General Assembly, June 1564
- Index of scriptural citations
- Index of proper names
- Index of subjects
- Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought
Summary
[Shortly after his final return to Scotland on 2 May 1559, there was an outbreak of iconoclastic rioting in the town of Perth (St Johnston) inspired by Knox's preaching against idolatry. As a result Mary of Guise began to concentrate troops around the town to suppress the Protestant rebels. The following extract from Knox's History (Laing MS, fos. 113v–118r; Laing, vol. I, pp. 325–36; Dickinson, vol. I, pp. 164–72) shows the Congregation preparing their ideological defences in the form of letters to the regent and the nobility. It is not certain that Knox wrote them, but the style and content make it extremely likely.]
The certainty hereof coming to our knowledge, some of us repaired to the town again, about the 22 day of May, and there did abide for the comfort of our brethren. Where, after invocation of the name of God, we began to put the town and ourselves in such strength as we thought might best [serve] for our just defence. And because we were not utterly despaired of the queen's favours, we caused to form a letter to her grace, as followeth:
To the Queen's Grace Regent, all humble obedience and duty premised.
- Type
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- Information
- Knox: On Rebellion , pp. 149 - 156Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1994