William Warham

A champion of the English Church unfairly eclipsed by his great rivals Wolsey, Cranmer and Cromwell

Charlotte Gauthier

WILLIAM WARHAM, LAST PRE- Reformation archbishop of Canterbury, died just in time to avoid martyrdom at the hands of Henry VIII. In his final days, the elderly scholar-priest composed a magnificent speech in defence of the law and of the liberty of the English Church, then under threat through the King’s machinations in trying to obtain the annulment that would enable him to marry Anne Boleyn. Had Warham lived to make his speech, he would certainly have met the same fate — and obtained the same renown — as his friends Thomas More and John Fisher, who would later be executed for the same cause. Warham’s illustrious career in Church and government spanned 44 years; he remains the second longest-serving archbishop of Canterbury. As a lawyer, diplomat, and statesman as…

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The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, December/January 2025

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