Impostors and impostures featured prominently in the political, social and religious life of early modern England. Who was likely to be perceived as impostor, and why? This book offers the first full-scale analysis of an important and multifaceted phenomenon. Tobias B. Hug examines a wide range of sources, from judicial archives and other official records to chronicles, newspapers, ballads, pamphlets and autobiographical writings. This closely argued and pioneering book will be of interest to specialists, students and anyone concerned with the timeless questions of why and how individuals fashion, re-fashion and make sense of their selves.