John Bale | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Church | Church of Ireland |
| See | Ossory |
| Appointed | 22 October 1552 |
| Installed | 2 February 1553 |
| Term ended | September 1553 |
| Predecessor | Milo Baron, OSA |
| Successor | John Tonory, OSA |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 November 1495 |
| Died | November 1563 (aged 67-68) Canterbury, Kent, Kingdom of England |
| Nationality | English |
| Denomination | Catholic Church, Protestant Christianity |
| Occupation | Churchman, historian and controversialist. Wrote Illustrium majoris Britanniae scriptorum, hoc est, Angliae, Cambriae, ac Scotiae Summarium (1548–49) |
| Alma mater | Jesus College, Cambridge |
John Bale (21 November 1495 – November 1563) was an English churchman, historian and controversialist, and Bishop of Ossory in Ireland. He wrote the oldest known historical verse drama in English (on the subject of King John), and developed and published a very extensive list of the works of British authors down to his own time, just as the monastic libraries were being dispersed. His contention that Joseph of Arimathea had brought a proto-Protestant faith to Britain that was purer than Catholicism was to have far-reaching ramifications; but his unhappy disposition and habit of quarrelling earned him the nickname "bilious Bale".