John Wycliffe

Born

1330

John Wycliffe was born in 1330 in Hipswell in North Riding of Yorkshire.

Oxford

1345

John Wycliffe was one of the many well-known people that attended Oxford. It is not known exactly when he first went to Oxford, but it was around 1345. He belonged to this school first as a scholar, then as a master. He attained the headship no later than 1360.

Trip to the Netherlands

1365

John Wycliffe was sent by the Parliament to the Netherlands with other representatives because the Parliament knew Wycliffe had previously disagreed with the Pope's ideas and intentions. While in the Netherlands he discovered the lies and greediness of the Pope's actions. Once John went back to England he told the public what he had discovered, which made Pope Urban V very upset.

Canterbury Hall

1365

Wycliffe was very well known for being an excellent scholar with a very good understanding of the law. This was recognized by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and he was made the head of Canterbury Hall in 1365.

Doctorate of Theology

1372

Because of the periodic eruptions of the Black Death, he was not able to earn his doctorate until 1372. By then, however, Wycliffe was already considered Oxford's leading philosopher and theologian.

Peace Congress

Oct 6, 1374

In 1374, Wycliffe served as a negotiator in the Peace Congress at Bruges.Here, the Great Council met at Westminster to consider the papal legates' proposals for peace between England and France. This grew Wycliffe's political influence.

The End of Wycliffe's Preaching

1382

John Wycliffe preached throughout the majority of his life. Some of the main topics he talked about were the corrupt church, that if your views didn't match the Bible they were wrong, no Pope or council was perfect, and that the clergy should help the people and lead them closer to Christ instead of thinking about being princes of the Church. The Bishop of London prohibited him from preaching in 1382.

Wycliffe Bible

1382

In 1382, Wycliffe began to translate the entire Bible from Latin to English. He wanted to make the law of God available for every man who could read. This Bible was very popular and is commonly referred to as the Wycliffe Bible.

Died

Dec 31, 1384

John Wycliffe passed away on December 31, 1384 in Lutterworth, United Kingdom

John Wycliffe after his death

1428

43 years after his death, officials dug up his body, burned his remains, and threw the ashes into the Swift River. Wycliffe's teachings and ideas continued to spread even with the effort the officials took to get rid of his body.