Saints and Blesseds Carthusian Martyrs of London O. Cart. | |
|---|---|
 Vicente Carducho. Martirio de los priores de las cartujas inglesas de Londres, Nottingham y Axholme. c.1626 | |
| Martyrs | |
| Died | 4 May 1535 (John Houghton and 2 companions) - 4 August 1540 (William Horne) 7 died at Tyburn, 2 died at York, 9 died at Newgate Prison |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 15 were beatified by Pope Leo XIII on 29 December 1886 |
| Canonized | 3 were canonized by Pope Paul VI on 25 October 1970 |
| Feast | 4 May, various for individual martyrs |
| Attributes | martyr's palm |
The Carthusian Martyrs of London were the monks of the London Charterhouse, the monastery of the Carthusian Order in the City of London who were put to death by the English state in a period lasting from the 4 May 1535 until the 20 September 1537. The method of execution was hanging, disembowelling while still alive and then quartering. Others were imprisoned and left to starve to death. The group also includes two monks who were brought to that house from the Charterhouses of Beauvale and Axholme and similarly dealt with. The total was 18 men, all of whom have been formally recognized by the Catholic Church as martyrs.
At the outset of the "King's Great Matter," (the euphemism given to King Henry VIII's decision to divorce Catherine of Aragon, marry Anne Boleyn and break legal ties with the Pope) the government was anxious to secure the public acquiescence of the Carthusian monks, since they enjoyed great prestige for the austerity and sincerity of their way of life. When this attempt failed, the only alternative was to annihilate the resistance, since their refusal put the prestige of the monks in opposition to the king's will. This took the form of a long process of attrition.