Edward Foxe | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Hereford | |
| Church | Church of England |
| Diocese | Diocese of Hereford |
| In office | 1535–1538 |
| Predecessor | Charles Booth |
| Successor | Edmund Bonner |
| Other post(s) | Archdeacon of Leicester,Archdeacon of Dorset,Dean of Salisbury |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1496 |
| Died | 8 May 1538 (age 41–42) |
| Buried | St Mary MounthawLondon |
| Education | Eton College |
| Alma mater | King's CollegeCambridge |
Edward Foxe (c. 1496 – 8 May 1538) was anEnglish churchman,Bishop of Hereford. He played a major role inHenry VIII's divorce fromCatherine of Aragon, and he assisted in drafting theTen Articles of 1536.
He was born atDursley inGloucestershire, and may have been related toRichard Fox,Bishop of Exeter andLord Privy Seal under KingHenry VII.[1] Foxe was educated atEton College and atKing's College, Cambridge.[2] After graduating in 1520, he was made secretary toCardinal Wolsey in 1527. In 1528 he was sent with BishopStephen Gardiner toRome to obtain fromPope Clement VII adecretal commission for the trial and decision of the case between KingHenry VIII and his first wife,Catherine of Aragon.[1]
Foxe served asProvost of King's College from 22 September 1528 until 8 May 1538, and in August 1529 was the means of conveying to the kingThomas Cranmer's historic advice that he should apply to the universities of Europe rather than to the pope.[3] After a brief mission toParis in October 1529, Foxe in January 1530 befriendedHugh Latimer at Cambridge and took an active part in persuading the English universities to decide in the king's favour. He was sent to employ similar methods of persuasion at the French universities in 1530–1531, and was also engaged in negotiating a closer league between England and France.[1]
Foxe served as the king'salmoner c. 1532 – 1537, and asprolocutor ofconvocation in April 1533 when it decided against the validity of Henry's marriage with Catherine. In 1534 he published his treatiseDe vera differentia regiae potestatis et ecclesiae, defending theRoyal Supremacy by use of the documents collated in theCollectanea satis copiosa.[4] Various ecclesiastical preferments were now granted him, including thearchdeaconry of Leicester (1531–1535), thearchdeaconry of Dorset (1533–1535), thedeanery of Salisbury (1533) and the bishopric ofHereford (1535). He was nominated to the See of Hereford on 20 August 1535,elected by thecollege of Hereford on 25 August,confirmed on 15 September, and ordained abishop on 26 September 1535; he received thetemporalities on 7 September and thespiritualities on 14 October 1535.[5]
In 1535–36 he was sent toGermany to discuss the basis of a political and theological understanding with theLutheran princes and divines, and had several interviews withMartin Luther, who could not be persuaded of the justice of Henry VIII's divorce.[1] Henry was unwilling to endorse theAugsburg Confession and, in 1536, the Wittenberg articles were drafted by Foxe and Lutheran clergymen as a compromise. The articles met strong opposition within convocation in June of the same year, leading Henry to personally intervene to bring about an agreement. This led to the drafting and passing of theTen Articles by convocation.[6] In 1536,Martin Bucer dedicated hisCommentaries on the Gospels to Foxe.
Foxe died on 8 May 1538 and was buried in the church ofSt Mary Mounthaw,London. Foxe is credited with the authorship of several proverbial sayings, such as "the surest way to peace is a constant preparedness for war" and "time and I will challenge any two in the world." However, the former is a paraphrase ofsi vis pacem, para bellum, while the latter is more usually ascribed toPhilip II of Spain.[1]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Pollard, Albert Frederick (1911). "Fox, Edward".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 10 (11th ed.). p. 765.| Academic offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Provost of King's College, Cambridge 1528–1538 | Succeeded by |
| Church of England titles | ||
| Preceded by | Bishop of Hereford 1535–1538 | Succeeded by |
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