JOHN FISHER
JOHN FISHER
c. 19 October 1469 – 22 June 1535
John Fisher was an English Catholic bishop and cardinal.
King Henry VIII of England had attempted to have his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled and Fisher was the queen’s main supporter
Fisher refused to acknowledge Henry VIII as supreme head of the Church of England as well as upholding the Catholic Church’s doctrine of papal supremacy.
He was canonized by Pope Piux XI. In 1935, Pope Paul III created Fisher a Cardinal Priest in the hope of Henry VIII to go easy on Fisher, this made Henry VIII even more angry. Fisher’s trial took place in Westminster Hall, at the court was treated like any other commoner, those at his trial included Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Boleyn, the father of Henry VIII’s lover, Anne Boleyn. Fisher was found guilty of treason, for denying that Henry VIII was head of the church. He was found guilty and condemned to be hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn. Fisher gained public sympathy and support, due to public pressure, Henry VIII changed the sentence to beheading.
Fisher was executed on Tower Hill on 22 June 1535. He went to his death calmly and with courage, which impressed those present. His body was left on the scaffold until that evening, on Henry VIII’s orders. His body was then taken and placed on a pike and then thrown naked into a grave in the churchyard of All Hallow’s Barking. He was given no funeral. A fortnight later, his body was laid beside that of Thomas More in the chapel of St Peter ad Vincula within the Tower of London (where Anne Boleyn’s body was laid to rest). His head was stuck upon a pole on the London Bridge, it gained so much attention by the public that it was thrown into the Thames. They afterwards put Thomas More’s head onto the same pole, who was executed on 6 July.
John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, was also opposed to Henry’s religious policies. Henry VIII had several monks executed. Initially, Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell believed that John Fisher and Thomas More would change their minds to save themselves. Fisher was open about his views; however, More was careful to avoid confrontation and remained silent on the subject.
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