This research is derived from my doctoral thesis, which provided the first in-depth comparison of printed representations of Catholic and Protestant martyrdom in Tudor England since the work of McGrath and Dickens during the 1960s. In this thesis, a martyr is defined as one who bore witness to persecution during the Tudor Reformation (c.1530–1600), and who ultimately died for his or her beliefs rather than abjure. The main themes discussed were issues of continuity and change: to what extent did Protestant depictions of martyrs draw upon pre-Reformation ideas? Were they a radical break from the past; or did they represent gradual evolution and transition in which some older beliefs were perpetuated, some were reinterpreted allegorically, and others were abandoned and replaced with new representations? Novel contributions to the historiography include the representation of non-martyrs (individuals who failed to gain full recognition in Catholic or Protestant martyrologies); Puritan efforts to supplant pre-Reformation rituals, relics and images with abstract, Old Testament inspired sermons; and the depiction of persecutors’ untimely deaths as evidence not only of divine providence, but also of the illegitimacy of rival churches. Additionally, I have examined depictions of the state’s dominance over the criminal’s body and the extent order was maintained through terror or, conversely, willing popular consent. Although firmly grounded in history, my methodology also incorporated elements from other disciplines, especially gender studies, death studies, religion, philosophy, and some aspects of art history. In particular, I have reassessed gender roles in the sixteenth century, and discussed the language of inversion, where exceptionally courageous female martyrs were portrayed with the masculine virtues of courage, analytical rationality or self-control; and allegedly negative feminine traits such as cowardice, treachery, or sexual misconduct were used to shame and discredit clergymen from rival sects. Closely linked to the theme of inversion are the symbolic animalistic depictions that I will discuss here, which represented adaptation and evolution from dehumanization to empowerment.