**Contains story of a young male suicide**

Out of the devastation of the English Civil Wars, a radical new religious movement was born. The early Quakers, led by fiery and charismatic preachers, believed they had been chosen by God to save souls and purify a corrupt world. But the origins of Quakerism were far darker and more complex than the peaceful faith we know today. Convinced of divine purpose, Quakers performed failed miracles, disrupted services, defied the law, and faced imprisonment, all in pursuit of what they saw as God’s truth.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Erica Canela to uncover how religious zeal, fear, and desperation drove ordinary men and women to extraordinary, and sometimes terrifying, acts.

MORE

Voices of Thunder: Radical Women of the 17th Century

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

Heretic or Martyr? Tudor Poet Anne Askew

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here:

https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tudor True Crime: Who Murdered Lord Darnley?

Not Just the Tudors

Why Blow Up the House?

The AI-powered Podcast Player