The Tudor Society

April 8 – A priest cat and the Second Martin

On this day in Tudor history, 8th April 1554, in the reign of Queen Mary I, there was an act of rebellion and religious defiance in London.

Someone who didn't like Mary's religious changes hanged a cat on the gallows at Cheapside. The cat was dressed as a Catholic priest and was holding a piece of paper to represent that communion wafer.

Find out more about what happened, the meaning behind it, and Mary's reaction to it...

Also on this day in history, 8th April 1586, Martin Chemnitz died in Braunschweig in Germany, at the age of 66. Chemnitz was a leading theologian and religious leader, and he became known as the Second Martin, with the more famous reformer and theologian Martin Luther being the first.

But what did Chemnitz actually do? What was his role in the Reformation?

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April 8 – A priest cat and the Second Martin