Richard Hunne dies in the Tower of London

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.03: English Writing and Culture: Renaissance (Elizabethan and Jacobean periods) , 1485-1625.
Vol. editors: William M. Hamlin (Washington State University), J A Roe (University of York), Virginia Mason Vaughan (Clark University), Ema Vyroubalova (Trinity College Dublin)

Domains

Catholic

Dates

Date of occurrence 1514-12-04

Places

England (Location)

Richard Hunne, a merchant tailor, dies in the Tower of London. Three years before, he had refused to pay the church the standard mortuary fee upon the death of his baby. In the ensuing legal battles, he justified his defiance with the argument that since the church court derived its authority from the papal legate, it was a foreign institution and therefore could have no authority over the King's subjects: an argument that was to be re-appropriated by Henry VIII in the dispute over his divorce. He was then accused of Lollardy, and died in 'Lollard's Tower'. Subsequent enquiries into his death provoked widespread anti-clericalism in London.

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107 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Richard Hunne dies in the Tower of London". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 November 2010 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=14215, accessed 23 November 2024.]

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Richard Hunne dies in the Tower of London

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