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famoustrials
thomasmore
galileo
bounty
johnbrown
oscarwwilde
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 When
More and Wolsey returned to England in September, after travelling
to France to ratify the new treaty, the king raised with More at
Hampton Court the issue of his marriage. According to More, "his
Highness walking in the gallery, brake with me of his great mater."
More reported that Henry "layer the Bible open before me, and then
red the words that moved" him to conclude his marriage was unlawful.
When More suggested a different interpretation of Leviticus, the
King ordered him to "commune farther" with royal advisers and read a
report--then in preparation--that made the case for annulment.
The failure of Cardinal Wolsey to secure a Church decision
annulling his marriage did not sit well with King Henry. In October
1529, Henry ordered Wolsey arrested for treason and stripped him of
the title of Lord Chancellor In his place, Henry chose Thomas More.
In the summer of 1533, Master Secretary Thomas Cromwell began an
investigation into the activities of Thomas More. One aspect of
Cromwell's investigation focused on More's relationship to Elizabeth
Barton, a nun who claimed to have experienced visions about a dire
future for England should Henry follow through on his plans to marry
Anne Boleyn. A proposed bill of attainder drafted by Cromwell
identified More as an accomplice of Barton. On the scaffold after
conviction for treason, Barton confessed that her revelations were
fraudulent, providing additional ammunition for those who would like
to use her guilt to tar More.
In November 1534, bills were introduced in Parliament that would
eventually lead to More's trial and execution. The Act of Supremacy,
the law enacted in 1535 declared Henry to be the supreme head of the
Church of England. The Treason Act made it a capital offence to
maliciously wish, will, or desire, by words or writing" to deny to
members of the royal family their "dignity, title, or name of their
royal estates."
Famous Trials
Thomas More Galileo
Mutiny on the Bounty
John Brown
Oscar Wilde |
