Renaissance and Reform in Tudor England : The Careers of Sir Richard Morison [ electronic resource ] /
by Tracey Sowerby.
- Oxford Scholarship Online / 2010
Sir Richard Morison (c.1513–1556) was an accomplished scholar, propagandist, diplomat, theologian and politician. Based on extensive archival research, this book provides the first full historical treatment of Morison, contextualizing him within each of his careers: he is considered as a propagandist, politician, reformer, diplomat and Marian exile. Educated at Oxford and Padua, Morison was a cosmopolitan scholar and owner of an impressive library. His scholarly activities—from poetry to law reform—contribute to our understanding of English humanism. As Henry VIII's most prolific propagandist, Morison constructed theories of English kingship during the crucial years of Henry's Reformation. Yet he was not the servile ‘pet humanist’ of historical commonplace—his polemical tracts offer important new insights into Tudor politics and the English Reformation. Morison was a committed evangelical who adeptly negotiated the vicissitudes of Henry VIII's court. From Thomas Cromwell's client he became an influential political figure: a gentleman of the Privy Chamber and MP in Henry VIII's and Edward VI's reigns. Morison was involved in the English Reformation: in the 1530s he helped draft official doctrinal statements, translated works by leading reformers and composed theological treatises; in the 1540s he served on several Edwardian commissions. Morison's diplomatic career supplies new information on diplomatic training, methodology and culture, and foreign policy, portraying a relatively sophisticated diplomatic corps. In exile, Morison was a more significant figure than previously thought and was at the heart of the exile community in Strasbourg. This book is more than a biography. It is a series of interrelated micro‐studies, each of which makes a substantial contribution to its field.