Thoughts of Freedom
A ray of sunlight flickers across my bench, how I wish that I might reach up and escape through the skylight. Instead I am incarcerated in this hovel of a prison. Who am I ?
I was once the Right Reverend John Paslew, now I am prisoner number 57492. Why was I defrocked ? Well I was accused of disrespect by an ungodly king. I am accused of turpitude, called vile, accused of concocting lies to desecrate. I am notorious for daring to speak out and joining the Pilgrimage of Grace. My abbey will be taken by the king!
Footnotes:
Abbot John Paslew was executed in the year 1537, he was the last abbot of a Cistercian Abbey at Whalley in Lancashire.
The Pilgrimage of Grace led to the gruesome executions of many nobles, abbots, monks and lay people,
This Post Has 22 Comments
Henry did have a valid point of view too, of course
Perhaps, but burning individuals tied to stakes etc, is beyond the pale. There have been much kinder leaders.
Fortunately those sort of powers don’t get used by our monarch these days!
I certainly hope not. Yet their will be many around the world who feel that their leaders are not a lot different.
What an interesting chapter from history.
I loved the Henry VIII miniseries Wolf Hall with Damian Lewis but was unaware of this uprising. What a nasty trick, to allow the “pilgrimage” or rebellion safe passage, and then use a pretext to arrest them and execute many.
This passage gives us a taste for how the personal conflict between allegiance to God (including to one’s unfavored religion)and allegiance to ones political leader that can arise, so to speak, when the head of both domains is one and the same. One cannot follow two masters!
That man (Henry Viii)was definitely a piece of work!
I started out writing fiction, but somehow history intervened. Yet I rarely feel I can trust historic accounts.
What a historically sad story. Great write!
Thank you bearmkwa. Human history is far too full of mayhem and violence,
Extremely well-written, though tragic, chapter in human history.
Thank you so much for your great comment
You are welcome, Michael.
Politics at it’s finest. Sometimes all we have is our conviction.
Thought provoking.
Thank you so much Tannille, human history is full of such episodes,
Sad but true
Dear Michael,
As you know, I enjoy a good bit of historical fiction. Very nicely done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thank you Rochelle. Human history can be a fascinating subject.
I always enjoys these historical bits. It is beyond sad to me what mankind has done to itself in the name of religion.
Thank you Granonine, Sadly to many individuals use religion for their own nefarious purpose
This was excellent, Michael. In every way 🙂
Thank you Dale for such a great comment, it is appreciated
A good story based on history, Michael. You made the reality vivid. How brutal people were. Some still are. —- Suzanne
Sadly some individuals go to the dark side and create really evil events. I do often wonder why