The Pope's Excommunication Letter Demanded an Impossible Choice

Government Repression Stories · Oct 28, 2026 · 18m

A man’s faith makes him an outlaw in Elizabethan England. Loyalty to Rome or the Crown: the Pope's excommunication demands an impossible choice?

This episode explores the story of John Ingram, a man executed in 1594 for the crime of being a Catholic priest ordained abroad. It delves into the political climate of England in the 1580s and the difficult decisions individuals faced when their faith became illegal.

Person: John Ingram

Date: July 1594

Location: Gateshead, England

Event: Execution for high treason

Law: Jesuits Act of…

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