Social Networks and Ideological Movements in History :

1. Social Networks andIdeological Movements in History: Burning and the Rise of English Protestantism Andrew P. Roach & Paul Ormerod

2. Social networks and ideological movements in History: burning and the rise of English Protestantism

3. Social networks and ideological movements in History: burning and the rise of English Protestantism English Monarchs Henry VIII 1509 – 1547 Edward VI (minor) 1547 – 1553 Mary I “Bloody Mary”1553 – 1558 Elizabeth I 1558 – 1603

4. Social networks and ideological movements in History: burning and the rise of English Protestantism • How contemporaries thought of martyrdom as a way of influencing popular opinion • Weighted scale free networks to assess importance of burnings a) in population at large b) among reform minded “activists”

5. Source: R Whiting Local Responses to the English Reformation (London 1998)

6. Social networks and ideological movements in History: burning and the rise of English Protestantism Conversion Model characteristics • (Weighted) scale-free network – 500 individuals • Individual switches when > 2/3 of influence is in rival camp • Assumed - Catholic 92%; Reformed Protestant 7%; Freewiller (Other) 1% • 500 solutions

7. Social networks and ideological movements in History: burning and the rise of English Protestantism • Figure 1Percentage of population who end up as Catholics. Initially, 92 per cent are Catholic, 7 per cent Reformed Protestant and 1 per cent Freewiller. Initially everyone, including the most influential individuals, is allocated at random to these categories in the respective percentages

8. Social networks and ideological movements in History: burning and the rise of English Protestantism • Figure 2Percentage of population who end up as Catholics. Initially, 92 per cent are Catholic, 7 per cent Reformed Protestant and 1 per cent Freewiller. Initially everyone, except the most influential 0.2 per cent of individuals, is allocated at random to these categories in the respective percentages. The most influential 0.2 per cent are allocated as Reformed Protestants.

9. Social networks and ideological movements in History: burning and the rise of English Protestantism • Figure 3Percentage of population who end up as Catholics. Initially, 92 per cent are Catholic, 7 per cent Reformed Protestant and 1 per cent Freewiller. Initially everyone, except the most influential 0.4 per cent of individuals, is allocated at random to these categories in the respective percentages. The most influential 0.4 per cent are allocated initially as Reformed Protestants.

10. Social networks and ideological movements in History: burning and the rise of English Protestantism Conclusions • If no burnings then England may well have remained Catholic • Persecuted Protestants were right: Burnings helped conversion (not enough to make majority BUT enough people now likely to consider switching to weaken traditional religion) 3. Martyrdom of leading Reformed Protestants marginalised competing Protestant groups

11. Social networks and ideological movements in History: burning and the rise of English Protestantism

12. Social networks and ideological movements in History: burning and the rise of English Protestantism “Be of good comfort Master Ridley and play the man. We shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace in England, as I trust shall never be put out.” Hugh Latimer

13. Social networks and ideological movements in History: burning and the rise of English Protestantism • Andrew P Roach – Lecturer in History University of Glasgow • apr@arts.gla.ac.uk • Paul Ormerod – Director, Volterra Consulting • pormerod@volterra.co.uk

14. Social networks and ideological movements in History: burning and the rise of English Protestantism Further Reading • E. Duffy The Stripping of the Altars 2nd ed. (Cambridge, 2005) • F. Heal, Reformation in Britain and Ireland, (Oxford, 2003) • P. Ormerod & A.Roach ‘The medieval inquisition: scale-free networks and the suppression of heresy’, Physica A, 339 (2004), 645-52. • R. Whiting Local Responses to the English Reformation (London, 1998) • “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs” online at: http://www.hrionline.ac.uk/johnfoxe/index.html

15. Social networks and ideological movements in History: burning and the rise of English Protestantism Copies of presentation to be found at: www.history.arts.gla.ac.uk/staff/roach.htm