Fisher has openly rejected Henry as supreme…
December 1534 CE
Fisher has openly rejected Henry as supreme head of the Church, but More is careful to avoid openly breaking the Treason Act, which (unlike later acts) does not forbid mere silence.
More, while imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1534, writes A Dialogue of Comfort against Tribulation, a reflection on worldly power, the transience of pleasure, and the redemptive power of Jesus Christ.
It is cast in the form of a fictional dialogue, supposedly taking place in Hungary during the Ottoman conquests.
While it is a work of spiritual reflection, the treatment of themes of worldly power by a Christian humanist who had also been a leading statesman means that the book is also counted as a work of political thought.
It will see posthumous publication in 1555.
The king and queen are not pleased with married life.
The royal couple enjoy periods of calm and affection, but Anne refuses to play the submissive role expected of her.
The vivacity and opinionated intellect that had made her so attractive as an illicit lover makes her too independent for the largely ceremonial role of a royal wife and it makes her many enemies.
For his part, Henry dislikes Anne's constant irritability and violent temper.
After a false pregnancy or miscarriage in 1534, he sees her failure to give him a son as a betrayal.
Henry as early as Christmas 1534 is discussing with Cranmer and Cromwell the chances of leaving Anne without having to return to Catherine.