William Warham, Lord Chancellor of England (1504--1515) and Archbishop of Canterbury (1503--1532), was Desiderius Erasmus's most generous and consistent patron; in Erasmus's words a "sacred anchor" for him. The relationship between the two men connected with and contributed to a complex process of historical change. First of all, Warham and Erasmus were both associated with the paradigm shift which we now call the Northern Renaissance. Warham's academic background and his travels on the continent motivated him to support the study of Greek, new research in theology and the revival of classical learning. His money and political support acted as a force enabling Erasmus to get his New Testament work completed and published. Erasmus's New Testament research in turn facilitated the biblical scholarship of the Reformation and definitely motivated William Tyndale, among others. The reform which the collaboration of Warham and Erasmus helped to unleash was hence more radical than either had ever anticipated. Once religious reform started, neither man could control its pace although each made an effort to do so. The aim of this thesis is to show the significance of their relationship to the two individuals themselves, and also, more importantly, to analyze the dynamics of their collaboration and to demonstrate how and why it acted as a catalyst for religious change in England. Books have been written about More and Erasmus and Colet and Erasmus; the absence of a book about Warham and Erasmus has meant that the nature and significance of their relationship have not, as yet, been fully understood.

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