Henry VIII could call on the services of virtually the whole of the English state in his search for a way to end his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. But she wasn't without her supporters. One of the boldest was her chaplain Thomas Abell.
In the winter of 1528, Henry sent Abell on a mission to Catherine's nephew, the Holy Roman emperor Charles V, in Spain. Abell acted as a double agent, outwardly working for Henry, but secretly – and successfully – undermining the king's whole strategy on Catherine's behalf.
Three years later, Abell wrote what he called, with magnificent defiance, Invicta Veritas (Truth Unconquered and Unconquerable). In it, he attacked the verdict of the universities that provided the whole intellectual foundation of Henry's case. The book infuriated Henry, who scribbled objections throughout his copy, including: 'The whole basis of this book is false. Therefore the papal authority is empty save in its own seat.'
Abell was twice imprisoned in the Tower of London where, in Beauchamp Tower, he carved his name and a bell symbol on the wall of his cell. He was eventually executed as a traitor in 1540 – and in the end, the arguments that he published in Invicta Veritas fell on deaf ears.
|
|
 Thomas Abel
www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintt1m.h
tm
Brief biography of Catherine of Aragon's chaplain who published Invicta Veritas.
Channel 4 Television takes no responsibility for the content of third-party sites. |
|
