POWELL, EDWARD (1478? - 1540), Roman Catholic theologian
Date of birth: 1478?
Date of death: 1540
Gender: Male
Occupation: Roman Catholic theologian
Area of activity: Religion
Author: Emyr Gwynne Jones
Born in Wales c. 1478 and educated at Oxford, where he graduated M.A., becoming a Fellow of Oriel College in 1495. In 1501 he was appointed rector of Bleadon in Somerset and later held livings at Salisbury, Carlton-cum-Thurlby, Lyme Regis, Bedminster, Bristol, and Sutton le Marsh. After Henry VIII's accession to the throne he preached a number of times at court. When Luther's doctrines spread to England they were fiercely opposed by Powell in a dissertation, Propugnaculum summi Sacerdotii Evangelici, published in 1523. He declared himself unequivocally opposed to Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon and to his marriage with Anne Boleyn. For this reason, and also because he was constantly preaching against the Protestant Movement, he lost favour at court, and when, in 1534, he refused to acknowledge the succession to the throne he was found guilty of high treason. He remained a prisoner in the Tower of London until July 1540 when he and five others were taken to Smithfield and executed.
Author
- Emyr Gwynne Jones, (1911 - 1972)
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and the authorities quoted therein
- T. P. Ellis, The Catholic Martyrs of Wales, 1535-1680, 10-14
Sources
- Wikipedia Article: Edward Powell
Further Reading
Published date: 1959
Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/
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