A Man for All Seasons is a book written about the life and times of King Henry VIII of England. The story revolves around the King's decision seek approval from the Pope first to marry his brother's widow, Catherine of Aragon, and later to divorce Catherine. King Henry decided that when the marriage failed to produce a male heir that he would ask the Pope for permission to annul the marriage. Henry's plan was to marry is mistress, Ann Boleyn, who he hoped would produce a male heir. When the Pope refused to grant another dispensation, Henry was furious with his closest advisor, Cardinal Wolsey. When Wolsey died, the King appointed Thomas More as Lord Chancellor of England. Soon after, the King enacted legislation to undermine the authority of the Catholic Church throughout England. When the new Archbishop of Canterbury approved Henry's divorce and marriage to Ann Boleyn, Henry was excommunicated by the Pope. As a result, in 1534 the King convinced the Parliament to pass the Act of Supremacy which made Henry VIII the head of the Church in England.
Thomas More was opposed King Henry's desire to divorce Catherine of Aragon. Thomas More was a devoutly religious man who had given serious thought to joining a Catholic monastic order in his youth. More found it shocking that the King would question the doctrine of papal supremacy and papal infallibility. As Lord Chancellor, More had unabashedly pursued and punished those found to be heretics, and now the King of England was committing heresy. Thomas More's views quickly resulted in him losing favor with Henry. Initially, Henry told More that he would leave him alone provided that More did not speak against the divorce. More agreed to this arrangement. Ominously, the King told More that any of his subjects who opposed him would be guilty of treason. This implied that if More opposed Henry appointing himself head of the church that he would also be guilty of treason. More remi...