 Opposition to Henry 's religious policies was quickly suppressed in England . A number of dissenting monks , including the first Carthusian Martyrs , were executed and many more pilloried . The most prominent resisters included John Fisher , Bishop of Rochester , and Sir Thomas More , both of whom refused to take the oath to the King . Neither Henry nor Cromwell sought to have the men executed ; rather , they hoped that the two might change their minds and save themselves . Fisher openly rejected Henry as supreme head of the Church , but More was careful to avoid openly breaking the Treason Act , which ( unlike later acts ) did not forbid mere silence . Both men were subsequently convicted of high treason , however – More on the evidence of a single conversation with Richard Rich , the Solicitor General . Both were duly executed in the summer of 1535 . 
