John Fisher

Life events

1. Born — 1469

   John Fisher was born at Beverley, Yorkshire, around 19 October 1469, the son of Robert Fisher, a prosperous mercer, and Agnes his wife. His father died in 1477, leaving Fisher, then eight years old, in the care of his widowed mother.

2. Educated — 1484

   Fisher enrolled at Michaelhouse, University of Cambridge, around 1482 and studied there from 1484 under the pastorally-minded theologian William Melton. He received a Bachelor of Arts in 1487, a Master of Arts in 1491, and a doctorate in sacred theology on 5 July 1501.

3. Ordained — 1491

   Having obtained a papal dispensation for being below canonical age, Fisher was ordained to the priesthood on 17 December 1491 and appointed nominal Vicar of Northallerton, Yorkshire. In 1494 he resigned this benefice to become proctor of the University of Cambridge.

4. Consecrated — 1504

   By papal bull dated 14 October 1504, Fisher was appointed Bishop of Rochester at the personal insistence of Henry VII. Rochester was the poorest diocese in England, normally a stepping-stone to higher preferment, but Fisher remained there for the remaining 31 years of his life.

5. Imprisoned — 1534

   Fisher refused the oath required by the First Succession Act and was imprisoned in the Tower of London on 26 April 1534. He remained there for over a year without access to a priest, subsisting on food sent by friends, while multiple efforts to induce him to submit failed.

6. Other — 1535

   In May 1535, Pope Paul III created Fisher Cardinal Priest of San Vitale, apparently hoping to induce Henry VIII to ease Fisher's treatment. Henry responded by forbidding the cardinal's hat to enter England, declaring he would send Fisher's head to Rome instead.

7. Martyred — 1535

   Fisher was tried for treason on 17 June 1535 in Westminster Hall, condemned on the sole testimony of Richard Rich, and beheaded on Tower Hill on 22 June 1535. His body was buried without ceremony in the churchyard of All Hallows Barking before being reinterred in the chapel of St Peter ad Vincula within the Tower.

8. Other — 1935

   Pope Pius XI canonized Fisher together with Thomas More on 19 May 1935, following a petition by English Catholics. Their shared feast day, 22 June, corresponds to the date of Fisher's execution.

Relationships

Documented claims

• Fisher was elected Chancellor of the University of Cambridge in 1504, re-elected annually for ten years, and ultimately received a lifetime appointment. Under his guidance, Lady Margaret Beaufort founded Christ's and St John's Colleges. (certain)
• Erasmus wrote of Fisher: 'He is the one man at this time who is incomparable for uprightness of life, for learning and for greatness of soul.' Fisher personally induced Erasmus to visit Cambridge, enabling the study of Greek there without the opposition it faced at Oxford. (likely)
• Fisher is identified as the only member of the College of Cardinals to have suffered martyrdom in the entire millennium-long history of the cardinalate, executed weeks after his elevation by Pope Paul III. (likely)
• Fisher kept a human skull on the altar during Mass and on the dining table during meals as a memento mori, a practice noted by contemporaries as emblematic of his severity of life. (likely)
• In a letter to Thomas Cromwell dated 22 December 1534, Fisher wrote 'And this our Lord God send you a mery Christmas'—identified as the earliest recorded use of the phrase 'Merry Christmas'. (plausible)