Thomas Johnson (monk) facts for kids
Thomas Johnson, O.Cart., was a Carthusian hermit who lived in Tudor England. He died on September 20, 1537, because he was starved. The Catholic Church honors him as a martyr, someone who dies for their beliefs. He has been declared "blessed" (this is called beatification).
Contents
Thomas Johnson's Brave Stand
A Monk's Life and a King's Demand
Thomas Johnson was a monk at the London Charterhouse. He and other monks were arrested because they would not sign the Oath of Supremacy. This oath said that King Henry VIII was the head of the Church in England, not the Pope. The monks believed the Pope was the true head.
Imprisonment and Suffering
After their arrest, Thomas Johnson and the other monks were put in Newgate Prison. They were left there to starve. A kind woman named Margaret Clement tried to help them. She dressed up in disguise and managed to bring them some food for a while.
However, King Henry VIII became suspicious when the monks kept surviving. He stopped the food from reaching them. Thomas Johnson was the last of the monks to die from starvation. Some people think he might have been given food again later, because the king planned to execute him in a different way.
Honored for His Faith
Another monk, a lay brother named Horne, survived this time. He was not executed until 1540.
Thomas Johnson and the other monks who died for their beliefs are known as the Carthusian Martyrs. They were declared "blessed" (beatified) by Pope Leo XIII in 1886. This means the Catholic Church recognizes them as holy people who died for their faith.
There is a painting of Thomas Johnson in a church called the Certosa di Bologna in Italy.
See also
