Heresy
Lollardy Survives
Wyclif's ideas did not die with him. That they did not shows that his criticisms, even his most extreme criticisms, resonated with the general population. This is somewhat surprising, especially in a land where heresy had been all but unknown. The reasons are obscure, a matter of some historical debate, and cannot be explored here. I can, though, talk a little about how Lollardy survived.
The Church viewed Oxford as a hotbed of Lollardy and soon moved against it. While there were some ardent followers of Wyclif, many at Oxford were not so much in support of the man as they were opposed to outside interference from Rome. They wanted to be able to debate Wyclif's ideas, not necessarily to follow them. But in the charged atmosphere following the Peasants Rebellion, few were willing to take half measures. Sympathizers of Wyclif were purged from Oxford in 1382. That the decision was taken at something called the Blackfriar's Council shows the major role taken by the friars in suppressing Lollardy.
After that, the crisis seemed to have passed. Wyclif was relegated to obscurity, seemingly, and the peasants had been put in their place. Enforcement of the proclamations against Lollardy was put in the hands of the bishops of England and they were very uneven. The result was that pockets of Lollardy persisted, generally centered around one or two effective preachers. And various men continued to write, not least Wyclif himself, thereby creating a literature that could nurture the movement.
Finally, the pattern of Wyclif's life was repeated elsewhere for the next two or three generations. Lollards wrote and preached and gained followers. Some of those were among the nobility and were able to extend protection. A government council was created in 1388 to deal with Lollards, and in 1401 the Church authorized the burning of Lollard heretics, but because of spotty enforcement and some protection from barons, the heresy persisted.