10 Traitors Who Were Proven Right
7. The Bible Is For Everyone - William Tyndale
Not content with brutalising and persecuting his wives, Henry VIII went after anyone who dared to challenge his authority, even if they had served him ably in the past.
Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Thomas Wolsely (yes, a lot of Thomases). All three had been faithful to the King. Each fell from grace when they were perceived to have disobeyed Henry, or failed him in some way.
William Tyndale's support for Henry VIII was less unequivocal. His 1528 publication 'The Obedience of a Christian Man' advocated for a decentralised Christendom. Tyndale believed each country's monarch should be the head of its church. This greatly influenced Henry's later decision to break with the Pope and Rome.
Tyndale had also begun a translation of the Bible into English. This might not seem like a big deal today, but this was seen as a treasonous act against the church and contrary to English laws at the time. It took some of the power away from priests and allowed the ordinary person to understand the Bible for themselves.
Tyndale also opposed Henry's plans to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Forced to flee to Europe to escape Henry's wrath, Tyndale lived in hiding until he was arrested by officers of the Holy Roman Empire, and executed on 6 October 1536.
Although Henry VIII did eventually get his annulment from Catherine and married Anne Boleyn, that union ended in disaster, with Anne beheaded after being found guilty of adultery and treason.
As for Tyndale's Bible? It formed the basis of the so-called 'Matthew Version', an English translation of the Bible printed one year after Tyndale's death. And who authorised its publication? Henry VIII, of course.