Thomas More’s trial

The first attempt to punish me was when they tried to charge me with accepting bribes whilst in I was in office, but the charges had to be dropped because of lack of evidence. Then, early in fifteen thirty four, I was accused of conspiring with Elizabeth Barton a nun who had prophesied against the King’s annulment, but I was able to produce a letter in which I had instructed her not to interfere with state matters, so those accusations were dropped too. On the thirteenth of April of that year I appeared before a commission to see if I would swear my allegiance to the 1533 Act of Succession. Whilst I accepted Parliament’s right to declare Anne Boleyn the legitimate Queen of England I refused to take the Oath of Supremacy, which basically states that, the Pope in Rome together with his officers do not have power over the King to govern the Church of England and appoint its officials. It was because of this I was finally put on trial for high treason and found guilty within fifteen minutes, by a panel of judges that included Anne Boleyn’s father. So here I am, under sentence of death.