Fox's Book of Martyrs

As a consequence adherents of one religion risked judicial execution by the State depending on the attitudes of the rulers. During Mary's reign common people of Christian faith were publicly burned at the stake in an attempt to eliminate dissension from Catholic doctrines. Foxe's account of Mary's reign and the martyrdoms that took place during it contributed very significantly to the belief in a distinction from the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope as a central aspect of English national identity. By compiling his record Foxe intended to demonstrate a historical justification for the foundation of the Church of England as a contemporary embodiment of the true and faithful church rather than as a newly established Christian denomination.