John Knox and the Reformation

Andrew Lang approaches Scotland's Reformation by testing the reputation of its most forceful preacher against the preacher's own account. His biography of John Knox opens with a challenge to inherited loyalties, questioning both sympathetic histories and romantic views of Queen Mary. Lang distinguishes Knox's kindness, friendships and concern for the poor from his conduct in public affairs, where conviction and political calculation often meet.

The narrative places religious change within negotiations involving Scottish nobles, England and France. During diplomatic negotiations, Knox acts as an envoy and secretary for the Congregation, while Lang compares his statements about a treaty with reports from English officials. Letters, historical records and disputed claims become part of the story itself. Readers interested in the Scottish Reformation will find a critical life that also asks how a participant's version of events becomes accepted history.