19. A Cleric’s Rise
Hugh Latimer was an English Protestant bishop burned at the stake by Queen Mary during her campaign to restore England to Roman Catholicism. Mary’s father, King Henry VIII, had taken England out of the Catholic Church when the Pope refused to grant him a divorce from Mary’s mother. So he bypassed the Pope by taking his kingdom out of Catholicism, and established the Church of England, appointing himself as its head. However, Henry VIII kept many doctrines and practices of Catholicism.
Latimer had graduated from Cambridge University, was elected a fellow of its Clare College in 1510, and became a Catholic priest in 1515. He switched to Protestantism in 1524, and became a zealous advocate and defender of his new faith. He gained renown as a Protestant preacher, and was appointed a bishop in the newly formed Church of England. However, Latimer resigned in protest when the king refused to adopt Protestant reforms. Henry was succeeded by his underage son, Edward VI, a more staunch Protestant. During the son’s reign, England became decidedly more Protestant, and Latimer regained royal favor, was appointed court preacher, and became the young king’s chaplain.