Blessed Adrian Fortescue
Blessed Adrian Fortescue (born 1476; died July 9, 1539) was an English knight, Dominican tertiary, and martyr executed under King Henry VIII for refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy acknowledging the king as Supreme Head of the Church of England. He is one of the English Martyrs of the Reformation period and was beatified by Pope Leo XIII on May 13, 1895. His feast day is July 9.
Adrian Fortescue belonged to a prominent Catholic noble family in England. He was a cousin of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII, which makes his martyrdom particularly striking — he died for refusing to recognize the ecclesiastical supremacy of the king who was his cousin's husband. He was a Knight of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem (the Knights Hospitaller) and a professed tertiary of the Dominican Order, known for his devout Catholic practice. When Henry VIII required English subjects to take the Oath of Supremacy in 1534–1535, Fortescue refused. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London and eventually executed on July 9, 1539.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Adrian Fortescue
| Blessed Adrian Fortescue | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | July 09 |
| Profession | Knight (Order of St. John); Dominican tertiary; English nobleman |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Order of St. John (Knights Hospitaller); Third Order of Saint Dominic |
| Patronage | English Martyrs; Dominican tertiaries; Knights of Malta |
| Attributes | Knight's armor; palm branch of martyrdom; Dominican habit |
| Birthplace | Stonor, Oxfordshire, England |
| Death Place | Tower Hill, London, England |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom — beheaded on Tower Hill for refusing the Oath of Supremacy |
| Primary Shrine | Venerated among the English Martyrs |
| Liturgical Class | Not included in the General Roman Calendar |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Birth
Adrian Fortescue was born in 1476 at Stonor in Oxfordshire, England, into the prominent Catholic Fortescue family. His family had long-standing connections to English Catholic piety and public life.
Early Life
Adrian received the education of an English nobleman and was knighted. He became a Knight of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem (the Knights Hospitaller) — a military religious order with its headquarters on Rhodes and later Malta — and was a professed tertiary of the Dominican Order, which indicates a deep commitment to Dominican spirituality and prayer alongside his active lay life. He married twice and had children.
He was a cousin of Anne Boleyn through family connections, which later placed him in an extraordinarily ironic position: he was a blood relation of the woman for whom Henry VIII broke with Rome, and yet he died for refusing to acknowledge the supremacy Henry claimed as a result of that break.
Occupation
Fortescue was a substantial English landowner and knight. He served the Crown in various capacities, including as a justice of the peace.
Vocation
Fortescue's vocation as a Dominican tertiary shaped his interior life and his approach to his obligations of faith. When the Act of Supremacy (1534) required English subjects to acknowledge Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of the Church of England — a claim that denied the authority of the Pope — Fortescue, like Saint Thomas More and Blessed John Fisher, refused to take the oath.
Death
Adrian Fortescue was arrested, imprisoned in the Tower of London, and charged with treason for refusing the Oath of Supremacy. He was beheaded on Tower Hill, London, on July 9, 1539. He died maintaining the supremacy of the Pope and the authority of the Catholic Church.
Significant events
- Born 1476 at Stonor, Oxfordshire.
- Knight of the Order of St. John (Knights Hospitaller).
- Professed Dominican tertiary.
- Cousin of Anne Boleyn; died refusing to acknowledge her husband's ecclesiastical supremacy.
- Refused the Oath of Supremacy; imprisoned in the Tower of London.
- Beheaded on Tower Hill, London, July 9, 1539.
- Beatified May 13, 1895 by Pope Leo XIII as one of the English Martyrs.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Stonor, Oxfordshire, England
Death location: Tower Hill, London, England
Notable location: His place of imprisonment before execution (Tower of London, London, England)
Notable location: His family estate (Stonor Park, Oxfordshire, England)
Notable location:
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Dynamic content
Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Blessed Adrian Fortescue have been added to the database yet.
Media
No media found for this saint.
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
No results
No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
List of shrines
- Venerated among the English Martyrs at Westminster; no dedicated shrine identified.
Canonization
Servant of God
Cause introduced after his death; recognized among the English Martyrs.
Venerable
Declared Venerable before beatification.
Beatification
Beatified May 13, 1895 by Pope Leo XIII.
Canonization
Not yet canonized; venerated as Blessed.
Miracles
Miracle for beatification
Miracles were approved for the beatification in 1895.
Miracle for canonization
Not yet approved.
Patronage
Blessed Adrian Fortescue is venerated among the English Martyrs and as a patron of Dominican tertiaries and the Knights of Malta.
Feast day
July 9
Veneration
Blessed Adrian Fortescue is venerated in England and throughout the Catholic Church as one of the Reformation-era English Martyrs who gave their lives in defense of the unity of the Church under the Pope.
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.
External links
References
- Camm, Dom Bede, O.S.B. Blessed Adrian Fortescue, Knight of St. John. London, 1921.
- Roman Martyrology (Martyrologium Romanum). Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2004.