Women of the Reformation ~ Guest Post by Mattie May

 

Hey youth! 

Today is Reformation Day, and in honor of it Mattie May, author of the historical fiction novel "Everlasting Gold", has written us a post! 

Women of the Reformation

October 31st, 1517, was an important day in the history of the church. It is the day, one brave monk lifted his hammer to a nail, and it was in a sense it was heard all around the world. Some of you probably know exactly who I’m talking about, others might not. On October 31st, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. With the recent invention of the movable type printing press, the 95 Thesis spread quickly throughout Europe and most of the world. Although this historic event took place over 500 years ago, its effects are still seen today.

While many people are familiar with names like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and William Tyndale, we often forget the valuable women who also did great acts of faith; I’d like to highlight a few of my favorites with you today.

Lady Jane Grey:

This young lady is the one who inspired me to spend more time studying the women involved in the Reformation. Through a series of events, at age sixteen, Lady Jane was put on the throne of England after the death of her protestant cousin, Edward VI. Unfortunately, after a short reign of only nine days, she was beheaded by her Roman Catholic cousin Mary, known to most today as Bloody Mary. Lady Jane was beheaded for two reasons, 1) Mary saw herself as the rightful ruler of England, 2) Mary was a staunch Roman Catholic. Lady Jane died for what she believed.

Lady Jane is a personal hero of mine because at such a young age she was willing to stand up for what she believed and was willing to die for it. I’ve wanted to be like Lady Jane, she’s been an excellent role model for me as a Christian teen to look up to.

Charlotte de Bourbon:

Growing up in France during the 15th century wasn’t easy especially if you grew up in a home with a Roman Catholic father and a Protestant mother. Charlotte’s father, being fearful of his wife’s influence on his daughters, sent them to the Abbey where their aunt was Abbess. As Charlotte grew older, she soon took over her aunts’ position, and around the same time the works of the protestant reformers found their way in the abbey. Charlotte and a few of the nuns became protestant. In God’s providence on the night of August 23rd, 1572 the night of the St. Bartholomew’s eve massacre, the doors of the abbey were broken down and Charlotte fled, escaping to her uncle’s home. While staying with him, Prince William of Orange heard of her bravery and asked her to come to Holland so he could meet her. While there, the two fell in love and she married him. What makes this story so beautiful, is that this marriage was said to be the only one William did for love, and not to gain popularity, land, or money which was very uncommon at this time. After an attempt on William’s life Charlotte literally worked herself to death caring for her husband. She died shortly after William recovered.

Jenny Geddes:

Not much is known about Jenny as a child or young adult, but I’d like to share her story with you because although you might laugh at it now, because it is a bit funny, doing what she did almost cost her life if it hadn’t turned into a whole fight scene in a church.

When the Roman Catholic church tried to force their doctrines on the Presbyterians of Scotland, they ran into more problems than they might have bargained for. On the first Sunday when the priest began the service with a reading from The Book of Common Prayer, an infuriated milk maid threw her stool at him. Because of Jenny the rest of the congregation turned in an uproar and thus ended the service and the use of The Book of Common Prayer in Scotland. It is said that Jenny because of her daring act started three civil wars.

These women were incredibly brave, willing to stand up for what they believed. Although I would never recommend throwing your milking stool at a priest, we can admire Jenny for her courage.

I hope you enjoyed this post, which one of these women stood out to you the most? How can the past encourage you today? Would you be willing to die for what you believe in?

Have a lovely Reformation Day!

~Mattie May

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That's all for today. Many thanks to Mattie for writing this and posting it here. If you have a comment, thought, etc, please leave a comment below! 

Have a happy reformation day, and a happy halloween. 

-EJ