Thomas More Beheaded: Martyrdom Over Royal Supremacy
Sir Thomas More served as Lord Chancellor of England, the highest legal office in the land, before resigning rather than support Henry VIII's break with the Catholic Church. When More refused to sign the Act of Supremacy recognizing the king as head of the Church of England, Henry had him imprisoned in the Tower of London for fifteen months. More maintained his silence, hoping the law would protect him since he never explicitly denied the king's authority. It didn't work. He was convicted on perjured testimony and beheaded on July 6, 1535. His last words reportedly asked the executioner to spare his beard, "for it hath done no treason." The Catholic Church canonized him in 1935.
July 6, 1535
491 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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