[Mr. Thorne]

Sorry, must clarify: "killed ... for treason, not for being Catholic."

That's what I was arguing for, or about. I see you're going for the burning part. Don't know about that, I was just going for the sanctioned-killing-on-religious-grounds part.

Thus, Cromwell.

[Restorer]

There is a fine line between the two, I agree. However, throughout the period of religious contention there were highly prominent Catholics in Britain, including nobility and courtiers. At times the persecution became intense. But much of the time it consisted mostly of monetary fines for not attending C of E services.

However, at least partially in reaction to the persecution, it is a fact that some Catholics engaged in treason. Various Catholic nobles plotted to kill Queen Elizabeth and replace her with Mary of Scotland. Guy Fawkes' conspiracy, which almost succeeded, would have wiped out the British equivalent of the President, both houses of Congress and the Supreme Court.

It is also a fact that the most prominent Catholic countries during this period did not have a level of limited tolerance for Protestants similar to that Catholics had in Britain, the Netherlands, Prussia and most other Protestant countries. Protestants were "cleansed" out of France (where a lot of them had engaged in treason, too). Any appearance of potential Protestantism was stomped on quickly in Spain or Italy.