England: Sir Thomas More Resigns His Office as Lord Chancellor of England
Sir Thomas More was born on the 7th February 1478. More’s political career began modestly enough, but rose through the ranks of power to become Lord Chancellor in 1529. However, he eventually ran into conflict with the king over the issue of papal authority versus that of the king. It was to be his undoing before Henry VIII, as he was unable to accept the Act of Supremacy.
On this day in 1532, Sir Thomas More resigned his office as Lord Chancellor of England, citing health issues. The true cause of his resignation was undoubtedly his position on the royal claim to supremacy in England.
Eventually his position led to his total fall from grace and he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. He was then tried for treason and finally beheaded on the 6th July 1535.
More had been an aggressive and vocal opponent of the reformation within Henry VIII’s inner circle. He was a severe persecutor of the Protestants and the church, being a staunch Roman Catholic (recognized by Roman Catholicism as a saint) to the bitter end.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Leave a comment | tags: 1478, 1529, 1532, 1535, 16, 6, 7, accept, Act of Supremacy, aggressive, authority, become, before, began, beheaded, bitter, born, career, cause, Church, circle, citing, claim, conflict, end, England, fall, February, grace, health, Henry VIII, history, imprisoned, inner, issue, issues, July, king, led, Lord Chancellor, May, May 16, modestly, office, opponent, papal, persecutor, political, position, power, Protestants, ran, ranks, recognized, Reformation, resignation, resigns, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholicism, rose, royal, saint, severe, Sir Thomas More, staunch, supremacy, today, total, Tower of London, treason, tried, true, unable, undoing, undoubtedly, versus, vocal | posted in Act of Supremacy, England, Henry VIII, Protestantism, Reformation, Roman Catholic Church, Thomas Moore, Today in History, Tower of London
First Fleet Leaves England for Australia
On this day in 1787, 11 ships known as the First Fleet left England for Australia. On board were 1487 people, including 778 convicts. Their destination was Botany Bay in what was then known as New Holland. The expedition was under the leadership of Captain Arthur Phillip, soon to be Governor Phillip and later Admiral Phillip. The First Fleet arrived at Botany Bay from the 18th January 1788.
An account of the journey can be found at the Internet Archive. I am currently working on a copy of this work for the Tracing our History website.
A Narrative of the Expedition to Botany Bay, by Watkin Tench
http://www.archive.org/details/acompleteaccount03534gut
Like this:
Like Loading...
Leave a comment | tags: 13, 1787, 1788, 18, A Narrative of the Expedition to Botany Bay, account, admiral, arrived, Arthur Phillip, Australia, Botany Bay, Captain, convicts, copy, currently, destination, England, expedition, February, First Fleet, found, Governor, history, including, Internet Archive, journey, known, leadership, leaves, May, May 13, New Holland, people, ships, today, Tracing our History, under, Watkin Tench, website, work, working | posted in A Narrative of the Expedition to Botany Bay, Arthur Phillip, Australia, Botany Bay, Convicts, First Fleet, Internet Archive, New Holland, New South Wales, Today in History, United Kingdom, Watkin Tench
George VI Crowned King of the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth
Though reigning as king since the 11th December 1936, King George VI was not officially crowned until this day in 1937. His reign lasted until his death on the 6 February 1952, when he was succeeded by the current queen, Elizabeth II.
George VI was crowned King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth. He became king following his brother’s (Edward VIII) abdication in 1936.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Leave a comment | tags: 11, 12, 1936, 1937, 1952, 6, abdication, became, British, brother, Commonwealth, crowned, current, death, December, dominions, Edward VIII, Elizabeth II, February, George VI, history, king, lasted, May, May 12, officially, queen, reign, reigning, succeeded, today, United Kingdom | posted in Edward VIII, Elizabeth II, George VI, Today in History, United Kingdom