J.H. Burns

It was in the spring of 1559 that ‘the uproar for religion’ began in Scotland; J.H. Burns introduces Ninian Winzet, a faithful cleric on the losing side.

J.H. Burns writes that few men have had a more decisive influence on the history of Scotland than John Knox. At what point in his career did he make up his mind to use his religious authority for political purposes, in order to bring down the “idolatrous sovereignties” that he saw around him? And why did he thus, almost unwittingly, become a revolutionary?

'Lead them to a habit of reflection and observation for themselves...' – J.H. Burns argues that a handbook for teachers written by a north-country schoolmistress in the 1790s has surprisingly modern echoes in its approach to teaching history.