the opposition of john fisher and thomas more

8/11/2019 The Opposition of John Fisher and Thomas More

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Rida Sohaib

Year 12


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Born in October 1469 to a well off merchant. Educated at Cambridge University, getting a

bachelors and a masters degree. Later appointed Chancellor of Cambridge

University, and held this position until 1535. Went into the Church. Appointed bishop of

Rochester in October 1505.


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Confessor to Lady Margaret Beauford, mother ofHenry VII.

Said to have been the tutor for Henry VIII. Famous in Western Europe for his well

constructed arguments against Martin Luther. A scholar and a priest, humble and conscientious.

Praised by Erasmus. A man of learning; associated with intellectuals

and political leaders. Elevated to sainthood after his death. Shares his

feast day with Thomas More.


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Fishers position:

The papacy was genuine. It was the duty of the

Church to condemn any claims that conflictedwith this.

Space for some reform but only from within the

Church.

The marriage between Henry and Catherine wasvalid.


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The Kings Great Matter Queen Catherines most trusted counselor and chief

supporter.

Preached publicly in favor of the marriages validityand against the annulment. Appeared in the legates court on the Queens behalf. Claimed to be ready to die on behalf of the marriages

indissolubility. Produced seven publications condemning the

impending divorce. Loathed by Henry never forgave him, even after the

case was moved to Rome.


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Attack on Church

When parliament first attacked the Church in

1529, Fisher warned the Parliament that thiswould result in the destruction of the Church.

In 1530, due to the continued attacks, Fisher and

some other bishops appealed to Rome. Henry

immediately passed an edict forbidding suchappeals, and the bishops were arrested and

imprisoned for a few months before release.


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Communicating with the Holy Roman Emperor

As early as 1531, Fisher was secretly communicating

with foreign diplomats. In 1533, he secretly met with Charles Vs ambassador

Chapuys and encouraged him to invade England

and depose Henry.


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Bishop Fisher was implicated in the HolyMaid of Kent affair. He was imprisoned for some time, then forced to

pay a heavy fine to obtain the Kings pardon. Act of Succession was passed in 1534 by the

Parliament.

It required every adult to swear an Oath ofSuccession. Fisher repeatedly refused and wassent to the Tower of London in April 1534 afterbeing stripped of his position as a bishop.


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The new Pope Paul III created Bishop Fisher Cardinal Priestin the hopes of convincing Henry to go easy on him. Theeffect was the opposite.

Henry forbade the cardinals hat to be brought in England.The trial was speeded up to 17thJune in Westminster Hall.He was charged with treason according to the Treason Act.The only testimony was that of Richard Rich.

Found guilty and condemned to be hanged, drawn and

quartered. Due to fear of public outcry, Henry speeded up the

execution to beheading.

Fisher met death with calm and profound courage.

He was executed on Tower Hill on 22

nd

June 1535.


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The public saw a sinister irony in the parallelsbetween John Fisher and his patron namesakeSt. John the Baptist.

This was the reason why Henry speeded up theexecution he didnt want Fisher to live through St.Johns feast day.

St. John was also beheaded, like Fisher was. Fisher was later canonized in 1935 after a

petition by English Catholics. The extent of public sympathy therefore

suggests that his opposition was effective in thatit caused outrage towards the government.


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However his opposition didnt actually causeany uprisings or amass open public support.

Also, his opposition didnt result in Henrystopping his pursuit of annulment. Thereforeit can be argued that his opposition was noteffective in achieving what he set out to do.


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Born in February 1478 in England. Attended oneof the best schools in London, and then went onto Oxford University.

As a youth, served as a page in the household ofthe archbishop of Canterbury.

Studied law. Became a full professional by 1501. Kept up with his literary and spiritual interests. Struck up a close and lifelong friendship with

Erasmus. Very famous for his book Utopia.


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Followed the lifestyle of a monk as closely ashe could.

Assisted Henry VIII in his book Defense of theSeven Sacraments. Treasurer of the English exchequer. Speaker

of the House of Commons. Henrys intellectual courtier, secretary and

confidant. Made chancellor after the fall of Wolsey.


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Mores position:

Supported Catholicism and saw Protestantism asheresy

Accused of torturing heretics during interrogation,but denied these claims.

Did not much care about the Great Matter, but began

to have qualms about the denial of Papal authority. Main motive for opposition was not political but

religious did not want to burden hisconscience.


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In 1530:

Refused to sign a letter to Pope demanding the

annulment of the marriage Quarreled with Henry over the heresy laws

In 1531:

Henry isolated More by purging most senior

clergymen who supported the papacy

More refused to take any oath denying the papacy


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In 1532: Act of Submission of the clergy was passed,

deeply bothering More.

More asked to be allowed to resign due to claimsof illness. Henry allowed him.

In 1533:

More refused to attend Annes coronationalthough he wrote Henry a letteracknowledging her queenship andcongratulating Henry.


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Mores refusal to attend coronation was seenas a snub and Henry was forced to act.

He was charged with accepting bribes, butthere was no evidence. In 1534, he was implicated in the Holy Maid

of Kent affair but he produced evidence tothe contrary.


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On 13thApril 1534, More was asked to appearbefore a commission and swear an oathaccording to the Act of Succession. More accepted Parliaments right to declare Anne

queen, but not to change the relationshipbetween the kingdom and Church in England.

Refused, along with Bishop Fisher, to upholdHenrys annulment and swear the oath.

Imprisoned four days later in the Tower ofLondon. Cromwell visited several times.


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On 1stJuly 1535, More tried by a panel of judges.

More believed that he couldnt be convicted of

treason if he remained silentrefused to answer anyquestions about his opinion on this.

Cromwell brought forth the solicitor Richard Rich totestify that More had denied the Royal Supremacy in

his presence. Very dubious testimony, since both witnesses denied

hearing something like this, and More didnt eventrust Rich.


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More was found guilty of high treason underthe Treason Act of 1534.

After the verdict, More freely said that he didntbelieve that any temporal man may be the headof spirituality.

Sentenced to being hanged, drawn and

quartered, but King speeded this todecapitation.

Executed on 6thJuly 1535.


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His steadfastness in refusing the oath and dignity attrial and execution lent a lot to his posthumousreputation.

Many foreign countries expressed dismay at his loss. He provides the revisionists with proof that the

reformation was not accepted by all importantmembers of society.

He was canonized along with Fisher in 1935. With time, he has been turned into something of a

legend. Many plays, books and films have been produced about

him.


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However, as in the case of Bishop Fisher, hisopposition didnt amass any public support oroutcry against the Supremacy.

His opposition also failed to hinder Henry inquest for Royal Supremacy and the annulment.

Additionally, it is hard to derive inspiration froma man who, though stuck to his morals, was too

afraid of the consequences to speak out publiclyagainst what he believed was heresy, andinstead tried to remain silent about his beliefs.

the opposition of john fisher and thomas more

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