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Patrick HamiltonScottish Protestant martyr
Country:
 Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of Patrick Hamilton
Patrick Hamilton, a Scottish Protestant martyr, came from the aristocratic Hamilton family in Scotland. His maternal great-grandfather was King James II. He received his education at the University of Paris, where he was influenced by the new ideas of humanism and the Reformation. In 1527, he traveled to Germany and visited Martin Luther. Under the influence of Luther's ideas, Patrick Hamilton, upon his return to Scotland in late 1527, began preaching for the renewal of the church and a return to a true understanding of the Word of God.
Accusation and Trial
In 1528, Hamilton was accused of heresy and summoned to a church trial led by the Archbishop of St Andrews. At the trial, Patrick refused to renounce his beliefs and was sentenced to death. On February 29, 1528, Patrick Hamilton was burned at the stake. Harsh repression against Protestants and Hamilton's execution were not typical for Scotland, making his case an exceptional example of religious persecution.
