The book that I read was A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt. The character in opposition in this book was Sir Thomas More, a nobleman during King Henry VIII’s reign of England. Sir Thomas More was a man of morals, strong-willed, and clever, which allowed him to be a very good attorney. More was also a very religious man, taking God very seriously and placing his religious values above all others.
Sir Thomas More established himself as a scholar, a lawyer, and an ambassador, and was later appointed Lord Chancellor. Due to his strong-mindedness and strong beliefs, he found himself in a position against the King of England, which even his wits could not escape. Catherine, a princess of Spain, was married to King Arthur, who died shortly afterwards. Henry, who took his brother’s reign as King, married his widow Catherine, which the church strongly forbade until England and Spain requested special dispensation, which they received. Everything was working out fine until Henry was unable to produce male heirs with Catherine and started to fall in love with Anne Boleyn.
Then Henry wanted the marriage annulled because it was made by breaking a rule that shouldn’t have been (marrying your brother’s widow). So, Henry appointed a Bishop who saw to it that the divorce was granted. Soon after, King Henry demanded the public approval of all the Lords of England for him to marry Anne Boleyn. All of the Lords gave their approval regardless of their honest opinion to avoid punishment for high treason.
