Today in History

March 21, 1556

The Archbishop is Executed

When Henry VIII required a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, he turned to his Archbishop in Canterbury. Thomas Cranmer thus became the chief architect of the English Reformation. Cranmer denied papal authority over the English Church, paving the way for Henry's divorce and essentially nullifying the threat of excommunication. Cranmer compiled the Book of Common Prayer, which became the basis for Anglican liturgy for some 400 years.

The wheel of fate turned, however when Queen Mary I reunited the Church of England with the Roman Catholic Church. Unfortunately for Cranmer, the Queen was the issue of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, whose divorce had been allowed by Cranmer. Queen Mary insisted on Cranmer's trial and execution for heresy. He was burned at the stake on this day in 1556.

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