John Fisher

Timeline

1. 1469–1527Cambridge · CambridgeshireFisher studied at the University of Cambridge, later served as Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge and helped establish Corpus Christi College and St John's College. In 1504 he became Bishop of Rochester, actively promoting Renaissance humanist education and maintaining close scholarly correspondence with Erasmus, and was one of the most respected theologians in England at the time.
2. 1527–1534Rochester · KentWhen Henry VIII sought to divorce Catherine of Aragon, Fisher staunchly defended the queen, holding the marriage to be valid. He then opposed the Act of Supremacy, refused to swear recognition of the English king as supreme head of the English Church, was seen as the firmest defender of papal authority, and repeatedly spoke out against the Reformation in Parliament and in public.
3. 1534–1535Tower Hill · Greater LondonIn 1534 Fisher was imprisoned in the Tower of London for refusing to swear the oath. Pope Paul III granted him the title of cardinal, which only enraged Henry VIII. In June 1535 Fisher was convicted of treason and beheaded on Tower Hill at about the age of sixty-six; he was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1935.