Hugh Latimer Religious reformer and martyr Born circa. 1485-1490 Thurcaston, Leicestershire, England Died October 16, 1555 Oxford, England

Hugh Latimer (c. 1485-October 16, 1555) was the bishop of Worcester, and by his death he became a famous martyr among Protestants and the Church of England. Events 456 - Magister militum Ricimer defeats the Emperor Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the western The Bishop of Worcester heads the Church of England Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury in England. The term martyr ( Greek μάρτυς martys "witness" is most commonly used today to describe an individual who sacrifices their life (or personal freedom Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican

Latimer was born into a family of farmers in Thurcaston, Leicestershire. Thurcaston is a village in Leicestershire, and was home to Bishop Hugh Latimer. Leicestershire (ˈlɛstəʃə(r or ˈlɛstəʃɪə(r abbreviation Leics From around 14 years of age he started to attend Peterhouse, Cambridge, and was known as a good student. Peterhouse is the oldest college in the University of Cambridge. After receiving his academic degrees and being ordained, he developed a reputation as a very zealous Roman Catholic. A degree is any of a wide range of status levels conferred by institutions of Higher education, such as universities, normally as the result of successfully completing In general religious use ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is set apart as Clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies At first he opposed the Lutheran opinion of his day, but his views changed after meeting the clergyman Thomas Bilney. Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther Education Bilney was born in or after 1495 at or near Norwich.

In 1510, he was elected a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge and in 1522 became university preacher. Clare College is a college of the University of Cambridge, the second oldest surviving college after Peterhouse. He became noted for his reformist teachings, which attracted the attention of the authorities. The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time He became a noted preacher more widely. In 1535, he was appointed Bishop of Worcester, in succession to an Italian absentee, and promoted reformed teachings in his diocese. The Bishop of Worcester heads the Church of England Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury in England. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest In 1539, he opposed Henry VIII's Six Articles, with the result that he was forced to resign his bishopric and imprisoned in the Tower of London (where he was again in 1546). Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion were established in 1563 and are the historic defining statements of Anglican doctrine in relation to the controversies of the Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower) is a historic monument in central London

During the reign of Henry's son Edward VI, he was restored to favour as the English church moved in a more Protestant direction, becoming court preacher until 1550. Edward VI (12 October 1537 &ndash 6 July 1553 became King of England and Ireland on 28 January 1547 and was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. He then served as chaplain to Katherine Duchess of Suffolk. Catherine Willoughby Duchess of Suffolk, suo jure 12th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby ( 22 March 1519 - 19 September 1580 However, when Edward VI's sister Queen Mary I came to the throne, he was tried for his beliefs and teachings in Oxford and imprisoned. Mary I (18 February 1516 &ndash 17 November 1558 was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 19 July 1553 until her death Oxford is currently bidding for the 2010 Wikimania Conference Oxford () is a city, and the County town of Oxfordshire, A prison, penitentiary, or correctional facility is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned and usually deprived of a range of In October 1555 he was burned at the stake outside Balliol College, Oxford. Execution by burning has a long history as a method of Punishment for Crimes such as Treason, Heresy and Witchcraft Balliol College (ˈbeɪlɪəl founded in 1263 is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.

Latimer was executed beside Nicholas Ridley. Nicholas Ridley (died October 16, 1555) was an English Clergyman. He is quoted as having said to Ridley:

Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out. ^[1]

The deaths of Latimer, Ridley and later Cranmer — now known as the Oxford Martyrs — are commemorated in Oxford by the Victorian Martyrs' Memorial which is located near the actual execution site. The Oxford Martyrs were tried for Heresy in 1555 and subsequently Burnt at the stake in Oxford, England, for their religious beliefs The Martyrs' Memorial is an imposing stone monument positioned at the intersection of St Giles', Magdalen Street and Beaumont Street in Oxford The Latimer room in Clare College, Cambridge is named after him.

Latimer's belief in Christ's return

Hugh Latimer said, "It may come in my days, old as I am, or in my children's days, the saints shall be taken up to meet Christ in the air, and so shall come down with Him again" (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4).

See also

Latimer preaching to a crowd, including Edward VI, in Westminster, from John Foxe's book (1563)

Burning of Latimer and Ridley, from John Foxe's book (1563)

• John Foxe
• John Knox
• Marian Persecutions
• Three Blind Mice
• Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury's book which quotes Latimer's final words

References

• This entry includes public domain text originally from the 1890 Pronouncing Edition of the Holy Bible (Biographical Sketches of the Translators and Reformers and other eminent biblical scholars). John Foxe (1517 &ndash April 18, 1587) martyrologist is remembered as the author of what is popularly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs John Knox (c 1510 – 24 November 1572 was a Scottish clergyman and leader of the Protestant Reformation who is considered the founder of the Presbyterian The Marian Persecutions refers to the persecutions of Religious Reformers Protestants and other Dissenters for their beliefs during the reign of Mary I of England Three Blind Mice is a children's Nursery rhyme and musical round. Fahrenheit 451 is a Dystopian Soft science fiction Novel authored by Ray Bradbury and first published in 1953
• Susan Wabuda, ‘Latimer, Hugh (c. 1485–1555)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [1], accessed 28 March 2008.

External links

• Hugh Latimer - Protestant Martyr
• Works by Hugh Latimer at Project Gutenberg
• Hugh Latimer - Prince and the Pauper Letter