The Marian Persecutions were carried out against Protestant religious reformers for their faith during the reign of Mary I of England (1553–1558). The excesses of this period were recorded in Foxe's Book of Martyrs.
Protestants in England and Wales were executed under anti-Protestant legislation that punished anyone judged guilty of heresy against the Catholic faith. Although the standard penalty for those convicted of treason in England at the time was execution by being hanged, drawn and quartered, this legislation adopted the punishment of burning the condemned. At least 300 people were martyred in just five years. For purposes of comparison, the Holy See has recognized over 300 Catholic martyrs executed by British civil authorities in connection with the Protestant Reformation in England over a period of 146 years.
Read more about Marian Persecutions: Historical Context, Irony of John Rogers's Execution, Observations, Legacy
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“... so far from entrenching human conduct within the gentle barriers of peace and love, religion has ever been, and now is, the deepest source of contentions, wars, persecutions for conscience sake, angry words, angry feelings, backbitings, slanders, suspicions, false judgments, evil interpretations, unwise, unjust, injurious, inconsistent actions.”
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