The year was 1556. Mary Tudor had assumed the throne of England three years before. A fervent Catholic, Mary sought to undo the changes of the previous monarchs, who had begun a Protestant Reformation within England. The former Archbishop of Canterbury under the late Edward VI, Thomas Cranmer, had been one of the many proponents of the Protestant Reformation in England. He had been imprisoned since Mary had assumed the throne. For three years, theologians had debated him, urging him to reject Protestantism. At the age of 67, Cranmer was tired. He longed for a peaceful life and wanted to avoid his punishment, which was to be death by fire. Thus, he signed a paper recanting his Protestant beliefs.…
