Thomas Cranmer, born in 1489, was a significant figure in the English Reformation and served as the Archbishop of Canterbury. He played a pivotal role in establishing the Church of England and was a chief architect of the Book of Common Prayer. His influence was profoundly felt during the reign of King Henry VIII and later under Edward VI. However, after the accession of Mary I in 1553, a staunch Catholic, Cranmer was arrested and compelled to renounce his Protestant beliefs on multiple occasions. These recantations were notably written to appease the Catholic establishment in hopes of saving his life, but his true convictions remained a matter of the heart.

As he awaited execution, Cranmer prepared to deliver a sermon, likely a final record of his faith and beliefs. Yet, in front of a large crowd gathered in Oxford, he dramatically diverged from the prescribed text. His statement, 'And as for the pope, I refuse him, as Christ's enemy, and Antichrist with all his false doctrine,' signified not just a recantation of his earlier recantations but also a powerful reaffirmation of his Protestant faith. His defiance in the face of death solidified his legacy as a martyr for the Reformation.

Cranmer's execution was carried out by burning at the stake, a common fate for heretics at the time, and he met it with courage. He famously placed his right hand that had signed the recantations into the flames first, symbolically rejecting the betrayals of his faith. This dramatic moment was significant, as it reverberated through the Protestant community and galvanized supporters of the Reformation in England.