1. Elizabeth Barton, a Catholic Nun, also known as the ‘Nun of Kent’, was executed for opposing Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn. She claimed to suffer from ‘visions’, in which divine truths were revealed to her. Her fame spread, to the point where she met with Cardinal Wolsey and the King in 1528. Her prophecies were tolerated by the authorities because they did not challenge the established order; in fact, she spoke out against heresy and rebellion at a time where the threat of protesting reformists was a cause for concern. However, when her prophecies began to obstruct Henry’s ambitions, she was not treated kindly. After a smear campaign designed to paint her as mentally unstable and promiscuous, she was arrested and hanged. Her head was skewered on a spike, like a delusional prophesizing human kebab, the only female in history to have received this dishonourable punishment.
Oliver Kadouchkine
Oliver Kadouchkine