This book presents one of the first studies of the Renaissance notion of conscience, through examining theological manuals, legal treatises, letters and other sources of the period.

• Represents one of the few modern studies exploring developments in scholastic and Renaissance notions of conscience
• Synthesizes literary, theological and historical approaches
• Presents case studies from England and the Hispanic World that reveal shared traditions, strategies, and conclusions regarding moral uncertainty
• Sheds new light on the crises of conscience of ordinary people, as well as prominent individuals such as Thomas More
• Offers new research on the ways practical theologians in England, Spain, and France participated in political debate and interacted with secular counsellors and princes

Harald E. Braun is Lecturer in European History (1300-1700) at the University of Liverpool. His publications include Juan de Mariana SJ (1535-1624) and Early Modern Spanish Political Thought (2007).

Edward Vallance is Reader in Early Modern History at London's Roehampton University. His most recent publication is A Radical History of Britain: Visionaries, Rebels and Revolutionaries, the Men and Women Who Fought for Our Freedoms (2009).