On this day in Tudor history, 15th March 1532, King Henry VIII used what was described as “foul language” to William Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Henry VIII also threatened the poor man, and it is amazing that Warham kept his head as the king was furious.
What happened? Find out what Warham did to upset the king in this talk…
Also on this day in Tudor history, 15th March 1551, the Lady Mary, the future Mary I, caused quite a stir in London.
She rode through the streets of London with a large company of knights, gentlemen and ladies doing something that was illegal and an act of defiance against her half-brother, King Edward VI.
Find out more in this video…
What beautiful scenery Claire I’m envious, William Warham was described as a quiet intellectual man whom Henry V111 found useful for his diplomatic abilities and ecclesiastical skills, he had a long and interesting career albeit primarily in the church, he attended the Field of Cloth Of Gold, and was first involved in the proceedings along with Cardinal Wolsey of the validity of the kings marriage, yet it was he who many years earlier had married the young king and queen and now he must have been deeply troubled at his wish to have the marriage repudiated, being Catholic as well as Archbishop he opposed this which infuriated Henry V111, as we all know Henry V111 expected complete subjugation from his ministers layman and the ordinary people, yet Warham was no yes man and on this day the 15th March, he overstepped the mark in the House of Lords that day, we do not know what the king said to him unfortunately history is silent, we only know he brought forth a barrage of expletives from his royal tongue and it is quiet possible, due to his great age that the worry and stress brought on his demise not long after, he was a very elderly man considered ancient by Tudor standards, his great age saved him from the kings wrath but it was not the first time he had angered his master, he once likened him to Henry 11 during a protest at parliaments intervention in the submission of the church to the state, Henry V111 looked on him as a nuisance and by now Warham must have likened himself maybe to that other Archbishop of Canterbury the long dead martyr Thomas Becket, he expressed a wish that his body be interred in the north transept of his beloved Cathedral where it rests to this day he does have a fine tomb and really, he was fortunate he died when he did as further opposition to the king may well have seen him walk the path to the scaffold, as what happened to many of his contemporaries, he was an old man when the kings secret matter caused uproar in England and in Rome, and he secretly must have wished he could retire to live out his last years in peace, however, he did die in his bed and his is remembered chiefly for his quiet opposition to Henry V111’s desire for a divorce, and for the reducing of the powers of the church in government.