Thomas Bourchier (Franciscan) facts for kids
Thomas Bourchier was an English friar who lived a long time ago, around the 1500s. He was a special kind of Franciscan friar, called an Observantine Franciscan. He was also a "martyrologist," which means he wrote about people who died for their religious beliefs.
His Life Story
Thomas Bourchier likely studied at Magdalen Hall, Oxford in England. However, we don't have records showing he finished his degree there.
When Queen Mary I was ruling England, she tried to bring back the friars. Bourchier joined a new group of friars in Greenwich. But when Queen Mary died, he left England.
He spent several years in Paris, France. There, he earned a special degree from the Sorbonne. After that, he traveled to Rome, Italy.
In Rome, he first joined a group of Franciscans at the church of S. Maria di Ara Coeli. He also taught in cities like Genoa and Turin. Later, he worked at the church of S. Giovanni in Laterano. His biographer, John Pits, said he sometimes saw Bourchier there. According to Pits, Thomas Bourchier died in Rome around the year 1586.
His Writings
Thomas Bourchier wrote several books. However, only one of his main works is still around today. It's called Historia Ecclesiastica de Martyrio Fratrum Ordinis Divi Francisci dictorum de Observantia. This long title basically means "A Church History of the Martyrdom of the Friars of the Order of Saint Francis, called the Observantines."
This book tells the stories of Franciscan friars who died for their faith. They suffered in England under King Henry VIII, in Belgium under Prince William of Orange, and in Ireland during Queen Elizabeth I's rule. The book covers events from 1536 up to 1582.
The first version of this book was finished in Paris in 1582. Other versions were printed in Ingolstadt in 1583 and 1584. More editions came out in Paris in 1586 and in Cologne in 1628.
He may have written another book called Oratio doctissima et efficacissima. This book was published in Paris in 1582 under the name Thomas Lancton. Some people think Thomas Lancton might have been another name Bourchier used.
Bourchier also wrote a book called De judicio religiosorum. This book was about religious people not being judged by everyday citizens. It was written in Paris in 1582, but it was only a manuscript, meaning it was handwritten and not printed. In 1584, he also helped edit and add notes to another book called Censura Orientalis Ecclesiæ.
