"The early sixteenth century saw the dissolution of religious houses in England and the dispersion of thousands of monks, nuns, and friars. According to contemporary propaganda, religious houses were dissolved because they were nests of all imaginable vices and because their inhabitants were proud, vicious, and corrupt.

This book provides long-awaited answers to the question of how religious people were perceived during the reign of Henry VIII by focusing on themes such as obedience, poverty and riches, the body and sexuality, and the charitable activities of religious people. This fascinating investigation, using a wealth of sources, reveals a multi-layered conception of English culture and the role of the religious.

Marjo Kaartinen's exploration reveals that the Reformation essentially rested on ideas inherent in the late medieval and early modern English culture."--BOOK JACKET.