EDMUND BONNER. — Bishop of London, whose origins are obscure and whose date of birth is uncertain (late 15th century), perhaps due in part to the slanders spread by his political enemies concerning the illegitimacy of his descent, which gained some credence. He earned doctorates in civil and canon law and in theology at the University of Oxford, was ordained a priest in 1519, and then entered the service of Cardinal Wolsey, who, appreciating his open intellect and skill in affairs, entrusted him with various important tasks. After the cardinal’s death, he was appointed—probably on Cromwell’s recommendation—chaplain to Henry VIII, becoming the king’s confidant and one of the most active negotiators in the matter of the divorce and the reforms of the Anglican Church. He was entrusted with several missions to the courts of Rome, Vienna, Paris, and Copenhagen, as well as the delicate one to Pope Clement VII—passing through Marseille—to inform him that Henry VIII would not accept the papal sentence against his divorce and would appeal to a general council (November 1533). B. was consecrated Bishop of Hereford in 1538 and transferred to the see of London in 1540. He was one of the signatories of the famous declaration against the Pope and wrote a preface to Gardiner’s treatise *De vera oboedientia*, in which the thesis of the monarch’s spiritual supremacy over the English Church was defended.
However, when, during the minority of Edward VI, the radical Protestant reforms desired by Cranmer began, Bonner—who, together with Gardiner, opposed them—was imprisoned and deprived of his see (10 October 1549). He was not released until 1553 by Queen Mary, who restored him to his see, and he accepted reunion with Rome. But when Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne (1558), he refused to submit to her religious reforms and was imprisoned, dying there in 1569. His principal writings include: *Letters and papers* (1536); *Responsum et exortatio in laudem sacerdotii* (1553); *Visites* (1554).