Which biblical event is lamented in the 'Coventry Carol'?

The “Coventry Carol” laments the Massacre of the Innocents.

The biblical episode comes from Matthew 2:16–18, in which King Herod orders the killing of male children aged two and under in and around Bethlehem. Herod acts after the Magi fail to return and reveal the location of the newborn “King of the Jews.”

The carol presents the event from the viewpoint of mothers whose children are doomed. That perspective explains its unusually mournful lullaby character: “Lully, lullay” sounds gentle, but the words express grief and fear rather than celebrating the Nativity directly.

The song was part of *The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors*, a Coventry mystery play depicting the Christmas story. The oldest surviving written text was copied by Robert Croo in 1534, while the oldest known musical setting dates from 1591. The play was later suppressed during religious changes, but the text survived through later antiquarian transcription and publication.