Editing Cuthbert Tunstall (section)

==Bishop of Durham under Henry VIII and Edward VI==
[[File:History of the great reformation in Europe in the times of Luther and Calvin.. (1870) (14765778105).jpg|thumb|Bishop Tunstall burning a translation of the Bible in London, 1870 illustration]]
On 22 February 1530, again by papal provision, Tunstall succeeded Cardinal Wolsey as [[Bishop of Durham]]. This role involved the assumption of [[County palatine|quasi-regal power and authority]] within the territory of the diocese, the [[County Palatine of Durham]]. In 1537, he was made President of the new [[Council of the North]]. Although he was often engaged in time-consuming negotiations with the Scots, he took part in other public business and attended parliament where, in 1539, he participated in the discussion on the [[Six Articles (1539)|Bill of Six Articles]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

In the question of [[Henry VIII of England#The King's Great Matter|King Henry's divorce]], Tunstall acted as one of [[Catherine of Aragon|Queen Catherine]]'s counselors. Unlike Bishop [[John Fisher]] and Sir Thomas More, Tunstall adopted a policy of passive obedience and acquiescence regarding many matters for which he likely held little support during the troubled years following the English Reformation. While Tunstall adhered firmly to [[Catholic church|Roman Catholic]] doctrine and practices, after some hesitation he accepted Henry as head of the Church of England, and he publicly defended this position, accepting a schism with Rome.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

Tunstall disliked the religious policy pursued by the advisers of King [[Edward VI of England|Edward VI]] and voted against the first [[Act of Uniformity 1549|Act of Uniformity]] in 1549. However, he continued to discharge his public duties without interruption and hoped in vain that the [[John Dudley|Earl of Warwick]] might be convinced to reverse the anti-Catholic policy of the [[Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset|Duke of Somerset]]. After Somerset's fall, Tunstall was summoned to London in May 1551 and confined to his house there. During this captivity, he composed a treatise on the [[Eucharist]], which was published in Paris in 1554. At the end of 1551, he was imprisoned in the [[Tower of London]], and a bill for his deprivation was introduced into the [[English House of Commons|House of Commons]]. When this failed, he was tried by a commission on 4–5 October 1552 and deprived of his bishopric.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}