Latimer, << LAT uh muhr, >> Hugh (1485?-1555), was a leader of the English Reformation, a movement to establish Protestantism in England. He was one of the English theologians asked by King Henry VIII for support in the king’s attempt to annul (cancel) his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. The king later named Latimer a royal chaplain. In 1535, Latimer became bishop of Worcester. See Reformation (In England) .
In 1539, Latimer resigned as bishop because he opposed Henry’s insistence on the Six Articles, a document that reaffirmed Roman Catholic doctrine and practice. Latimer, a devoted Protestant, was prohibited from preaching. He again received a license to preach in 1547, when Edward VI became king. Latimer’s attacks on religious abuses and social problems made him a popular preacher. He proclaimed the rights of the poor with such bold statements as “The poorest plowman is in Christ equal with the greatest prince that is.” In 1553, Queen Mary, a devout Catholic, had Latimer arrested. He was burned at the stake on Oct. 16, 1555, along with Nicholas Ridley, another Protestant leader (see Ridley, Nicholas ). Their martyrdom (death for a belief) caused widespread sympathy for all persecuted Protestants.
Latimer was born in Thurcaston in Leicestershire. He studied at Cambridge University and was ordained to the priesthood about 1515.
