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Saint John Fisher

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Religious Figure

The Resume

    (circa 1459-June 22, 1535)
    Born in Yorkshire, United Kingdom
    Bishop of the Catholic Church
    Executed on the orders of King Henry VIII for refusing to recognize him as the rightful leader of the Church in England and for refusing to recognize Henry's marriage to Anne Boleyn as legitimate
    Education: BA, MA, and PhD in Sacred Theology all from Cambridge
    One time President of Queens College
    Canonized on May 19th, 1935, along with co-martyr Thomas More
    Feast Day is celebrated on June 22

Why he might be annoying:

    He kept a skull on the altar when he said Mass and on the table when he ate.
    He ordered the arrest of one Thomas Hitton, a follower of William Tyndale who was tried, tortured, and executed for heresy.
    He conspired with Charles V, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, to overthrow Henry VIII.
    He was royalty.
    He tends to be overshadowed by Thomas More (and has to share a feast day with him).

Why he might not be annoying:

    To accede to Henry VIII demands would have required Fisher to reject the very basis of the Catholic Church.
    Talk about getting back at your teachers: Fisher was Henry's tutor when the future king was a child.
    He was also a close friend, chaplain, and confessor to Margaret Beaufort, Henry's mother, and when she and her husband, King Henry VII, died less than a year apart, Fisher preached both funerals.
    He was close to his family, especially his many brothers and sisters, half-brothers/sisters, and step-siblings.
    Under his leadership, Cambridge became the greatest university in Europe with scholars from all over Europe, most notably Erasmus, flocking to it and he later received a lifetime appointment as its Chancellor.
    He is so well thought that the protestant Church of England recognizes him as a saint.
    When he was executed, he was stripped naked, beheaded, left outdoors before his body was thrown into a common grave and his head stuck on a pike to be later thrown in the river Thames.
    This guy was also executed by a king for opposing divorce and remarriage.
    Erasmus described him thusly: 'He is the one now at this time who is incomparable for uprightness of life, for learning and for greatness of soul.'

Credit: tom_jeffords


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 10 Votes: 90.0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 222 Votes: 48.20% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 293 Votes: 58.70% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 172 Votes: 45.93% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 158 Votes: 44.30% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 159 Votes: 60.38% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 161 Votes: 48.45% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 67 Votes: 50.75% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 18 Votes: 83.33% Annoying