She made a peculiar statement that while Henry was in France attending mass with King Francis in 1532, she was there in spirit to receive the communion host from the Virgin Mary who would not give it to Henry because “he was in a state of sin.” She continued by declaring to all and sundry that if Henry divorces his legal wife, Catherine, then he would lose his kingdom and immediately die a villain’s death and that Mary, his Catholic daughter by Catherine of Aragon would rule England. Elizabeth Barton even claimed that she had “seen the very place in hell” where Henry would go.
Now Henry at the best of times was a spectacularly suspicious man so this must have hit home.
Thomas More wrote to Elizabeth in 1533 warning her about the danger she faced if she continued discussing “princes’ affairs” or the “state of the realm” with anybody but she took no head and she was finally arrested a year later and this was due to a calculating plot on Henry’s part. Henry was biding his time and waiting for an opportune moment.
A Bill or Act of attainder is a devious piece of legislature declaring that a person or group of persons found guilty of a crime, such as treason, could be punished without a trial. The effect of this bill is to nullify the accused’s civil rights, including the right to life itself but most notably, the person would lose the right to own property, which would then pass onto the Crown and not to the remaining family members.
Tagged Elizabeth Barton, Henry VIII.
Thumbs up. Can you write about Anne Boleyn?