Archbishop Cranmer, the architect of the break with Rome and Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon, was executed in this week in history. He was burned at the stake in Oxford and his plight earned him a place in 'Foxe's Book of Martyrs'.
At Christmas 1602, Elizabeth I's godson had been shocked by her appearance. By mid-February she had retreated to her favourite home, Richmond Palace. As thoughts turned to how events may go when the Queen passes, which surely she was soon to do, she was all to aware that people were looking to her successor. Anxiety and melancholy dogged the Queen in her final weeks and after a fraught few days when the Queen refused to rest, she was moved into her bed. She died in the early hours of the 24th March 1603.
Links Mentioned in this livestream
British History Patreon (includes Book Club) - https://www.patreon.com/britishhistory
The Georgians Online History Festival - https://TheGeorgians2023.eventbrite.co.uk
Thomas Cranmer's Biography in Foxe's Book of Martyrs - https://www.exclassics.com/foxe/foxe334.htm
The Private Life of Anne Boleyn Tour - https://britishhistorytours.com/history-tours/on-progress-2023
The final days of Elizabeth I and the Execution of Archbishop Cranmer