Rida Sohaib

Year 12
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.

Confessor to Lady Margaret Beauford, mother of
Henry 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.
Fishers position:
The papacy was genuine. It was the duty of the
Church to condemn any claims that conflicted
with this.
Space for some reform but only from within the
Church.
The marriage between Henry and Catherine was
valid.
The Kings Great Matter
Queen Catherines most trusted counselor and chief
supporter.
Preached publicly in favor of the marriages validity
and 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.

Attack on Church
When parliament first attacked the Church in
1529, Fisher warned the Parliament that this
would 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 such
appeals, and the bishops were arrested and
imprisoned for a few months before release.

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.

Bishop Fisher was implicated in the Holy
Maid 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 of
Succession. Fisher repeatedly refused and was
sent to the Tower of London in April 1534 after
being stripped of his position as a bishop.
The new Pope Paul III created Bishop Fisher Cardinal Priest
in the hopes of convincing Henry to go easy on him. The
effect was the opposite.
Henry forbade the cardinals hat to be brought in England.
The trial was speeded up to 17
th
June 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.
The public saw a sinister irony in the parallels
between John Fisher and his patron namesake
St. John the Baptist.
This was the reason why Henry speeded up the
execution 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 that
it caused outrage towards the government.
However his opposition didnt actually cause
any uprisings or amass open public support.
Also, his opposition didnt result in Henry
stopping his pursuit of annulment. Therefore
it can be argued that his opposition was not
effective in achieving what he set out to do.
Born in February 1478 in England. Attended one
of the best schools in London, and then went on
to Oxford University.
As a youth, served as a page in the household of
the 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.

Followed the lifestyle of a monk as closely as
he could.
Assisted Henry VIII in his book Defense of the
Seven 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.
Mores position:
Supported Catholicism and saw Protestantism as
heresy
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 his
conscience.
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


In 1532:
Act of Submission of the clergy was passed,
deeply bothering More.
More asked to be allowed to resign due to claims
of illness. Henry allowed him.
In 1533:
More refused to attend Annes coronation
although he wrote Henry a letter
acknowledging her queenship and
congratulating Henry.
Mores refusal to attend coronation was seen
as a snub and Henry was forced to act.
He was charged with accepting bribes, but
there was no evidence.
In 1534, he was implicated in the Holy Maid
of Kent affair but he produced evidence to
the contrary.
On 13
th
April 1534, More was asked to appear
before a commission and swear an oath
according to the Act of Succession.
More accepted Parliaments right to declare Anne
queen, but not to change the relationship
between the kingdom and Church in England.
Refused, along with Bishop Fisher, to uphold
Henrys annulment and swear the oath.
Imprisoned four days later in the Tower of
London. Cromwell visited several times.
On 1
st
July 1535, More tried by a panel of judges.
More believed that he couldnt be convicted of
treason if he remained silent refused to answer any
questions about his opinion on this.
Cromwell brought forth the solicitor Richard Rich to
testify that More had denied the Royal Supremacy in
his presence.
Very dubious testimony, since both witnesses denied
hearing something like this, and More didnt even
trust Rich.
More was found guilty of high treason under
the Treason Act of 1534.
After the verdict, More freely said that he didnt
believe that any temporal man may be the head
of spirituality.
Sentenced to being hanged, drawn and
quartered, but King speeded this to
decapitation.
Executed on 6
th
July 1535.
His steadfastness in refusing the oath and dignity at
trial and execution lent a lot to his posthumous
reputation.
Many foreign countries expressed dismay at his loss.
He provides the revisionists with proof that the
reformation was not accepted by all important
members 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.

However, as in the case of Bishop Fisher, his
opposition didnt amass any public support or
outcry against the Supremacy.
His opposition also failed to hinder Henry in
quest for Royal Supremacy and the annulment.
Additionally, it is hard to derive inspiration from
a man who, though stuck to his morals, was too
afraid of the consequences to speak out publicly
against what he believed was heresy, and
instead tried to remain silent about his beliefs.