Editing Lollardy (section)

=== Legal response ===
[[File:Richard Wyche at the stake, 1440.gif|thumb|upright|Lollard Richard Wyche being burnt at the stake in 1440]]
Religious and secular authorities strongly opposed Lollardy. In eventual response to the revolting Lollards, the law ''[[De heretico comburendo]]'' was enacted in 1401 during the reign of [[Henry IV of England|Henry IV]]; traditionally heresy had been defined as an error in theological belief, but this statute equated theological [[heresy]] with [[sedition]] against political rulers.<ref name=kelly/>

By the early 15th century, stern measures were undertaken by Church and state which drove Lollardy underground. One such measure was the 1410 burning at the stake of [[John Badby]], a layman and craftsman who refused to renounce his Lollardy. He was the first layman to suffer [[capital punishment]] in England for the crime of heresy.