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{{short description|16th-century English Jesuit priest, martyr and saint}}
'''Saint Edmund Campion''' (1540-1581, ] priest, ] and ].
{{for|the Australian priest and historian|Edmund Campion (historian)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2012}}
{{Infobox saint
|honorific_prefix=]
|name=Edmund Campion
|honorific_suffix=]
|birth_date=25 January 1540
|death_date={{death date and age|1581|12|1|1540|1|24|df=y}}
|feast_day=1 December (individual with two companions)<br>4 May (all English Martyrs)<br>25 October (collectively with ])<br>29 October (one of the ])
|venerated_in=]
|image=Edmundus Campion.jpg<!-- jpg was mis-labelled by contributor -->
|imagesize=200px
|caption=Portrait of St Edmund Campion
|birth_place=], ]
|death_place=], Kingdom of England
|titles=]
|beatified_date=29 December 1886
|beatified_place=]
|beatified_by=]
|canonized_date=25 October 1970
|canonized_place=]
|canonized_by=Pope Paul VI
|attributes=Knife in chest, noose around neck, crucifix, holding a Bible, martyr's palm
|patronage= ]
|major_shrine=
|suppressed_date=
|influenced=]<br>]|issues=
}}
{{Jesuit}}
'''Edmund Campion''', ] (25 January 1540{{snd}}1 December 1581) was an ] ] priest and ]. While conducting an underground ministry in officially ] England, Campion was arrested by ]s. Convicted of ], he was ] at ]. Campion was ] by ] in 1886 and ] in 1970 by ] as one of the ]. His feast day is celebrated on 1&nbsp;December.


==Early years and education (1540–1569)==
Born in ] on 25 January 1540, Campion was the son of a bookseller in ], near ]. He received his early education at ] school and, at the age of 13, was chosen to make the complimentary speech when ] visited the city in August 1553.<ref>Simpson, Richard. ''Edmund Campion: a Biography'', (1867), p. 2.</ref><ref name=trhschap>Chapman, John H. ''Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'', Old Series Vol. 9 (1881), pp. 30–34. Retrieved 31 January 2013.</ref>{{rp|p30}} ], a governor of Christ's Hospital, took a special interest in him, and sponsored him as a scholar to ],<ref>G. Kilroy, ''Edmund Campion: A Scholarly Life'' (Routledge, 2016), .</ref> where he became junior fellow in 1557<ref>Simpson (1867), p.3</ref> and took the required ], probably on the occasion of his B.A. degree in 1560.<ref>Waugh (1935), p.26</ref> He took a master's degree at Oxford in 1564.<ref name="EB1911">{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Campion, Edmund|volume=5|pages=136–137|first=Ethelred Luke|last=Taunton|author-link=Ethelred Taunton}}</ref>


Two years later, Campion welcomed ] to the university, and won her lasting regard.<ref name="EB1911"/> He was selected to lead a public debate in front of the Queen. By the time the Queen had left Oxford, Campion had earned the patronage of the powerful ] and also the ], tipped by some to be future husband of the young Queen.
=== Early Years, Education 1540-69 ===
]Born in ] on ],], he received his early education at ], and, as the best of the London scholars, was chosen in their name to make the complimentary speech when ] visited the city on ], ]. He then attended ], where he became fellow of ] in ] and took the oath of supremacy on the occasion of his degree in 1564. He had already shown his talents as a speaker at the funeral of ] in 1560; and when Sir ], the founder of the college, was buried in 1564, the ] oration fell to the lot of Campion. Two years later he welcomed ] to the university, and won her lasting regard. He was chosen amongst the scholars to lead a public debate in front of the queen. An example of his eloquence can be seen in his introduction "''One thing only reconciles me to this unequal contest, which I must maintain single-handed against four pugnacious youths; that I am speaking in the name of Philosophy the princess of letters, before Elizabeth the lettered princess''". By the time the Queen had left Oxford Campion had earned the patronage of the powerful ] and also the Earl of Leicester, tipped by some to be future husband of the young Queen. People were now talking of Campion in terms of being a future ], in the newly established Anglican Church.


When Sir ], the founder of the college, was buried in 1567, it fell to Campion to give the ] oration.<ref name="EB1911"/>
=== Rejecting Anglicanism ===
Religious difficulties now arose; but at the persuasion of Richard Cheyney, Bishop of Gloucester, although holding Catholic doctrines, he received deacon's orders in the Anglican Church. Inwardly "''he took a remorse of conscience and detestation of mind.''" Rumours of his opinions began to spread and, giving up the office of proctor, he left Oxford in ] and went to ] to take part in a proposed establishment of the ].


==Rejecting Anglicanism==
=== Time in Ireland 1569-1571 ===
Religious difficulties then arose but despite holding ] doctrines, at the persuasion of ], ], he received ] in 1564 as a ] in the Anglican Church. Inwardly "''he took a remorse of conscience and detestation of mind.''" Rumours of his opinions began to spread and he left Oxford in 1569 and went to Ireland for private study and research, but not, as Simpson said (now corrected by P. Joseph's revision of Simpson, 2010) to take part in a proposed establishment of the ].<ref name="EB1911"/>
Campion was appointed tutor to ], son of the Speaker of the Irish parliament, and attended the first session of the House of Commons, which included the prorogation. He lived as part of the Stanihurst household in Dublin and had conversation with the Speaker daily at table. He was also under the protection of the Lord Deputy, Sir ].


===Ireland (1569–1570)===
On Sidney's recall to England, Campion was transferred by Stanihurst's arrangement to the house of Patrick Barnewall at Turvey in ], which he acknowledged saved him from arrest and torture by the Protestant party at Dublin. For some three months he eluded his pursuers, going by the name Mr Patrick and occupying himself by writing a history of Ireland (first published in ]'s ''Chronicles''). This is a superficial work in the style of the age, with a certain bias against the Irish that was common in English propaganda.
Edmund Campion went to Ireland with his university friend, Richard Stanihurst, where he was the guest of Richard and his father, James Stanihurst, the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons. Warned of his imminent arrest by the Lord Deputy Sir Henry Sidney, he was transferred through Stanihurst's arrangement to the house of ] at ] in ]. For some three months he eluded his pursuers, going by the name "Mr Patrick" and occupying himself by writing ''A Historie of Ireland''.


=== Time in Douai 1571-1573 === ===Douai (1571–1573)===
In 1571, Campion left Ireland in secret and escaped to ] in the Low Countries (now France) where he was reconciled to the Catholic Church and received the ] that he had denied himself for the last 12 years. He entered the ] founded by ], another ] religious refugee. The College's intake grew dramatically and a little after Campion's arrival a papal subsidy was granted. In the year of 1571, Campion left Ireland in secret and escaped to ] in the Low Countries (now France) where he was reconciled to the ] and received the ] that he had denied himself for the past twelve years. He entered the ] founded by ]. The enrollment of the college grew, and a papal subsidy was granted a little time after Campion's arrival. Campion found himself reunited with Oxford friends. He was to teach rhetoric while there and finish studying for the degree of ], which was granted him by the ] on 21 January 1573. He received minor orders after this and was ordained sub-deacon.<ref name="guiney55">Guiney, Louise Imogen. ''Blessed Edmund Campion'', New York: Benziger Brothers (1908). p.55</ref>


===Rome, Brünn and Prague (1573–1580)===
The object of the college was primarily to supply priests for the Catholic population in England, as all of the bishops were now either dead, exiled or under detention and thus found were impeded from ordaining new priests. The Queen's principal secretary, Sir ], expected that in a few years time the 'Marian Priests', ordained under the reign of Elizabeth's predecessor, would begin to die out, and the old faith would disappear with them.
Campion then travelled to ] on foot, alone and in the guise of a pilgrim, to join the Jesuits. In April 1573, in Rome, he became the first novice accepted into the ] by ], the order's fourth ]. He was assigned to the Austrian Province as there was not yet an English province of the Jesuits and began his two-year ] at ] (now Brno) in ]. He was ordained deacon and priest by ], ], Archbishop of Prague<ref name="simpson">Simpson (1867), p.90</ref> and said his first Mass on 8 September 1578.<ref name="guiney69">Guiney (1908), p.69</ref> For six years, Campion taught at the Jesuit college in Prague as professor of both rhetoric and philosophy.<ref name="waugh">Waugh, Evelyn. ''Edmund Campion'', London: Hollis and Carter (1935).p.75</ref> In 1578 his play ''Ambrosia'' was staged in Prague by the students of the recently founded Jesuit College ].<ref>{{cite web|author=Jolanta Rzegocka|title=Edmund Campion's Plays is Central Europe|url=https://www.academia.edu/11985061|access-date=5 November 2015}}</ref>


===Mission to England (1580–1581)===
It was also a centre of intellectual excellence. Here the famous ] was produced, in advance of the King James Version. Campion found he was reunited with many of his old ] friends. He was to teach rhetoric whilst there and finish studying for the degree of ], granted him by the University of Douai on ] ].
In 1580, the Jesuit mission to England began. The mission was strictly forbidden, according to Campion's ''Challenge to the Privy Council'', "to deal in any respects with matters of state or policy of this realm..."<ref>Simpson (1867), pp.159–160</ref> Campion accompanied ] who, as superior, was intended to counterbalance his own fervour and impetuousness. He had been surprised to learn that he was chosen to take part in the mission, and expressed the fear that he lacked constitutional courage.<ref>Simpson (1867), pp.95–96</ref> The members of the mission were instructed to avoid the company of boys and women and to avoid giving the impression of being legacy hunters. Before embarking, the members of the mission were embarrassed to receive news of a landing by papal-sponsored forces in the Irish province of ] in support of the Irish rebel ]. They also learned that a letter detailing their party and mission had been intercepted and that they were expected in England.<ref>Waugh (1935), p.98</ref>
] Campion finally entered England in the guise of a jewel merchant, arriving in London on 24 June 1580, and at once began to preach. His presence soon became known to the authorities and to his fellow Catholics lying in London's prisons. Among the latter was ] in the ], where a meeting was held to discuss means of counteracting rumours circulated by the Privy Council to the effect that Campion's mission was political and treasonous. Pounde rode in haste after Campion and explained the need for Campion to write a brief declaration of the true causes of his coming.<ref>Foley, Henry S.J., ''Records of the English Province of the Society of Jesus''. Vol. III. London (1878). </ref> The diffusion of this declaration, known as the ''Challenge to the Privy Council'', or, ''Campion's Brag'', made his position more difficult. He led a hunted life, administering the sacraments and preaching to Catholics in ], ], ], and ].<ref name="EB1911"/>


During this time he wrote his ''Decem Rationes'' ("Ten Reasons"), arguments against the validity of the ]. This pamphlet, in ], was printed in a clandestine press at ], ], and 400 copies were found on the benches of St Mary's, ], at the Commencement, on 27 June 1581. It caused great sensation, and the hunt for Campion was stepped up. On his way to ], he stopped at ] Grange, the house of Francis Yate, then in ], where he preached on 14 July and the following day, by popular request.<ref name=rbhaec>{{cite web |url=http://www.berkshirehistory.com/articles/campion_lyford.html |title=The Arrest of St. Edmund Campion |author=Ford, David Nash |year=2011 |work=Royal Berkshire History |publisher=Nash Ford Publishing |access-date=31 January 2013}}</ref> Here, he was captured by a spy named ] and taken to London with his arms pinioned and bearing on his hat a paper with the inscription ''"Campion, the Seditious Jesuit".''<ref name="EB1911"/>
However ] was more that just a seminary, and became a rallying point for exiled English Catholics and important political visitors were reported to come to see Cardinal Allen under cover of darkness. As a result, the English government was soon sending spies to find out about the institution, some of which feigned conversion to Catholicism or even became priests.


==Imprisonment, torture and disputations==
Having obtained his degree, Campion decided to answer a growing call within him and left for ], travelling on foot and alone in the guise of a poor pilgrim. In that same year he entered the novitiate of the Jesuits, and was to spend some years at Brtinn, Vienna and Prague.
Imprisoned for four days in the ] in a tiny cell called "]",<ref>Simpson (1867), p.239. "Little-ease is a cell where the prisoner cannot stand or lie at length."</ref> Campion was then taken out and questioned by three Privy Councillors—Lord Chancellor ], Vice-Chamberlain of the Royal Household ] and ]—on matters including whether he acknowledged ] to be the true Queen of England. He replied that he did, and was offered his freedom, wealth and honours, including the Archbishopric of Canterbury,<ref name=trhschap/>{{rp|pp.32–33}}<ref>Guiney (1908), p.139</ref> which he could not accept in good conscience.{{efn|It has often been reported that the Queen herself was present at this meeting, based upon second-hand reports, contained in letters sent after the supposed meeting, from people who were not present. More recently, however, correspondence has been located from ], chief advisor to Elizabeth I, which refers to the meeting and those present but makes no mention of the Queen. This suggests that the Queen was not present, but that her questions were put to Campion on her behalf by the Privy Councillors. See Peter Joseph's (2010) revision and enlargement of Simpson's 1867 biography, pp.357–358 and citations.}}


Campion was imprisoned in the Tower more than four months and tortured on the ] two<ref name=trhschap/>{{rp|p.33}} or three times.<ref>Simpson (1867), p.277</ref> False reports of a retraction and of a confession by Campion were circulated.<ref>Simpson (1867), p.240–250</ref> He had four public disputations with his Anglican adversaries, on 1, 18, 23 and 27 September 1581, at which they attempted to address the challenges of Campion's ''Challenge to the Privy Council'' and ''Decem Rationes''. Although still suffering from the effects of his torture, and allowed neither time nor books for preparation, he reportedly conducted himself so easily and readily that "even the spectators in the court looked for an acquittal".<ref name=trhschap/>{{rp|p.33}}
=== Mission to England 1580-1581 ===
In 1580 the Jesuit mission to England began, and Campion accompanied ] who, as superior, was intended to counterbalance his own fervour and impetuous zeal. He was reluctant to follow the father general's order to take part in the mission, the members of which were instructed to avoid the company of boys and women, and to avoid giving the impression of being legacy hunters. Before embarking, the members were embarrassed to receive the news of a landing by papal sponsored forces in the Irish province of Munster. As they prepared to disembark a ferry returning from Gravesend, filled with roisterers connected with the Inns of Court, passed by. Campion finally entered England in the guise of a jewel merchant, arrived in London on ], ], and at once began to preach. His presence became known to the authorities and the diffusion of the challenge he threw down in the form of a declaration, "Campion's Brag," made the position more difficult (a challenge to the authorities which jesuits have read ever since with unblushing pride). He led a hunted life, preaching and ministering to Catholics in Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and Lancashire.


He was arraigned and indicted on 14 November 1581<ref>Simpson (1867), p.281</ref> with several others at ] on a charge of having conspired, in Rome and ], to raise a sedition in the realm and dethrone the Queen.<ref name="EB1911"/>
During this time he was writing his ''Decem Rationes'' ("Ten Reasons"), a rhetorical display of reasons against the ]. The book was printed in a clandestine press at ], Henley, and 400 copies were found on the benches of St Mary's, Oxford, at the Commencement, on ], ]. The sensation was immense, and the hunt for Campion was stepped up. On his way to ] he stopped at Lyford in ], where he preached on ] and the following day, by popular request. Here he was captured by a spy and taken to London, with his arms pinioned and bearing on his hat a paper with the inscription, "Campion, the Seditious Jesuit."


]
=== Show Trial and Execution ===
Committed to the ], he was questioned in the presence of Elizabeth, who asked him if he acknowledged her to be the true Queen of England. He replied in the affirmative, and she offered him wealth and dignities, but on conditions which his conscience could not allow. He was kept a long time in prison, twice ] (by order of the Council but certainly with Elizabeth's consent), and every effort was made to shake his constancy. Despite the effect of a false rumour of retraction and a forged confession, his adversaries in despair summoned him to four public conferences (], ], ] and (] ]). Although still suffering from his treatment, and allowed neither time nor books for preparation, he bore himself so easily and readily that he won the admiration of most of the audience. Tortured again on ], he was indicted at ] on a charge of having conspired, along with others, at Rome and Reims to raise a sedition in the realm and dethrone the Queen. On ] a verdict of guilt was returned before Lord Chief Justice Wray; in response Campion declared, "''If our religion do make traitors we are worthy to be condemned; but otherwise are and have been true subjects as ever the queen had.''" More importantly than this, was his declaring: "In condemning us, you condemn your own ancestors, you condemn all the ancient Bishops and Kings, you condemn all that was once the glory of England..."''


==Trial, sentence and execution==
He received the sentence of the traitor's death with the '']'', and, after spending his last days in prayer, was led with two companions to ] and hanged, drawn and quartered on ], ].
The trial was held on 20 November 1581. After hearing the pleadings for three hours, the jury deliberated an hour before delivering its verdict:<ref>Simpson (1867), p.&nbsp;307.</ref> Campion and his fellow defendants were found guilty of treason. He answered the verdict:
{{Blockquote|In condemning us, you condemn all your own ancestors, all our ancient bishops and kings, all that was once the glory of England—the island of saints, and the most devoted child of the See of Peter.}}


] read the sentence: "You must go to the place from whence you came, there to remain until ye shall be drawn through the open city of London upon ]s to the place of execution, and there be hanged and let down alive, and your ] cut off, and your entrails taken out and burnt in your sight; then your heads to be cut off and your bodies divided into four parts, to be disposed of at Her Majesty’s pleasure. And God have mercy on your souls."<ref name="simpson308-9">Simpson (1867), p.308–309</ref>
Campion was ] by ] in ] and ] in ]. His feast day is December 1.


On hearing the death sentence, Campion and the other condemned men broke into the words of the '']''. After spending his last days in prayer he was dragged with two fellow priests, ] and ], to ] where the three were ] on 1 December 1581. Campion was 41 years of age.
==References==
See Richard Simpson's biography, ''Edmund Campion'' (1867); ]'s biography, ''Edmund Campion''; (1935) and a complete list of his works in De Backer's ''Bibliothèque de la compagnie de Jesus''.


==Veneration and feast day==
Edmund Campion was ] by ] on 9 December 1886.<ref> ''Saints.SQPN.com.'' 13 August 2010. Web. Retrieved 31 January 2013.</ref> Edmund Campion was ] nearly eighty-four years later in 1970 by ] as one of the ]. His feast day is celebrated on 1 December, the day of his martyrdom.

The actual ropes used in his execution are now kept in glass display tubes at ]<ref name="muir">Muir, T.E., ''Stonyhurst College 1593–1993'', London (1992). p.66<!-- ISBN 0-907383-32-7 --></ref> in ]; each year they are placed on the altar of St Peter's Church for Mass to celebrate Campion's feast day—which is always a holiday for the school.

==Educational institutions named for Campion==
*]
*], ], England
*], ], England<ref>, retrieved 10 November 2017</ref>
* Campion Hall, ], ], United States <ref>, retrieved 30 September 2020</ref>
*], ], India<ref>, retrieved 10 November 2019</ref>
*St Edmund Campion Catholic Primary School, ], ], England<ref>, retrieved 2 December 2019</ref>
*], ], ], England
*St Edmund Campion RC Primary School, ], ], England<ref>, retrieved 2 December 2019</ref>
*], ], England
*], ], ], United States
*St. Edmund Campion Academy, ], ], United States<ref>, retrieved 2 December 2019</ref>
*], ], Canada
*St. Edmund Campion Catholic School, ], ], Canada<ref>{{cite web |title=St Edmund Campion Catholic School (Primary) |url=https://www.tcdsb.org/schools/stedmundcampion/Pages/default.aspx |website=Toronto Catholic District School Board |access-date=3 January 2019}}</ref>
*], ], ], Canada
*], ], Australia
*], ], New Zealand
*], ], ], India
*], ], India
*], ], India
*Campion School, ], India<ref>, retrieved 2 December 2019</ref>
*], ], Greece
*], ], Jamaica
*], ], Uganda

==See also==
*]
*]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}


The most comprehensive and detailed scholarly reference today is Professor Gerard Kilroy's biography: ''Edmund Campion, A Scholarly Life'' London & New York: Routledge "Ashgate", 2015. {{isbn|978-1-4094-0151-3}}
*{{1911}}
*{{catholic}}


==Sources==
]
* {{cite book|first=Pietro Paolo|last=Bombino|author-link=Pietro Paolo Bombino|title=Vita et martyrium Edmundi Campiani e Societate Jesu|location=Antverpiæ|publisher=apud heredes Martini Nutii et Ioannem Meursium|year=1618|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PQIsDUtmXyIC}}
]
*Campion, Edmund. , Dublin, 1633. Facsimile ed., 1940, Scholars' Facsimiles & Reprints, {{ISBN|978-0-8201-1191-9}}.
]
*De Backer, , pp.&nbsp;98–102. (A complete list of Edmund Campion's works) {{in lang|fr|la}}, etc.
]
* ], . Vol. III. London: Burns and Oates (1878).
]
*], , New York: Benziger Brothers (1908)
]
*], , London: Williams and Norgate (1867)
]
*Simpson, Richard, ''Edmund Campion'', (1867). Revised, edited and enlarged by Peter Joseph, Gracewing/Freedom Press (2010) {{ISBN|978-0-85244-734-5}}
]
*], ''Edmund Campion'', London: Williams and Norgate (1935). Sophia Institute Press (1996) {{ISBN|0-918477-44-1}}
*{{Catholic|wstitle=St. Edmund Campion}}
*], , cols 473–478, London, 1813.


==External links== ==External links==
{{commons category|Edmundus Campion}}
* {{Gutenberg author | id=4855}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Edmund Campion}}
* at Eternal Word Television Network website.
* Campion's eBook at ], in English and Latin, translated by ], commentary by ], (1910).
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314054016/http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~hadland/tvp/tvpcontents.htm |date=14 March 2012 |title="Thames Valley Papists" from ''Reformation to Emancipation 1534–1829'' by Tony Hadland (1992) }}


{{Jesuits|state=collapsed}}
*
{{Subject bar |portal1=Saints |portal2= Biography |portal3= Catholicism |portal4= England}}
*]]
{{Authority control}}
* {{gutenberg author| id=Edmund+Campion | name=Edmund Campion}}


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Latest revision as of 21:42, 24 October 2024

16th-century English Jesuit priest, martyr and saint For the Australian priest and historian, see Edmund Campion (historian).

Saint
Edmund Campion
SJ
Portrait of St Edmund Campion
Martyr
Born25 January 1540
London, Kingdom of England
Died1 December 1581(1581-12-01) (aged 41)
Tyburn, Kingdom of England
Venerated inRoman Catholic Church
Beatified29 December 1886, Rome by Pope Leo XIII
Canonized25 October 1970, Rome by Pope Paul VI
Feast1 December (individual with two companions)
4 May (all English Martyrs)
25 October (collectively with Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)
29 October (one of the Douai Martyrs)
AttributesKnife in chest, noose around neck, crucifix, holding a Bible, martyr's palm
PatronageUnited Kingdom
InfluencedHenry Walpole
Cuthbert Mayne
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Edmund Campion, SJ (25 January 1540 – 1 December 1581) was an English Jesuit priest and martyr. While conducting an underground ministry in officially Anglican England, Campion was arrested by priest hunters. Convicted of high treason, he was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn. Campion was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1886 and canonised in 1970 by Pope Paul VI as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. His feast day is celebrated on 1 December.

Early years and education (1540–1569)

Born in London on 25 January 1540, Campion was the son of a bookseller in Paternoster Row, near St Paul's Cathedral. He received his early education at Christ's Hospital school and, at the age of 13, was chosen to make the complimentary speech when Queen Mary visited the city in August 1553. William Chester, a governor of Christ's Hospital, took a special interest in him, and sponsored him as a scholar to St John's College, Oxford, where he became junior fellow in 1557 and took the required Oath of Supremacy, probably on the occasion of his B.A. degree in 1560. He took a master's degree at Oxford in 1564.

Two years later, Campion welcomed Queen Elizabeth to the university, and won her lasting regard. He was selected to lead a public debate in front of the Queen. By the time the Queen had left Oxford, Campion had earned the patronage of the powerful William Cecil and also the Earl of Leicester, tipped by some to be future husband of the young Queen.

When Sir Thomas White, the founder of the college, was buried in 1567, it fell to Campion to give the Latin oration.

Rejecting Anglicanism

Religious difficulties then arose but despite holding Catholic doctrines, at the persuasion of Richard Cheyney, Bishop of Gloucester, he received Holy Orders in 1564 as a deacon in the Anglican Church. Inwardly "he took a remorse of conscience and detestation of mind." Rumours of his opinions began to spread and he left Oxford in 1569 and went to Ireland for private study and research, but not, as Simpson said (now corrected by P. Joseph's revision of Simpson, 2010) to take part in a proposed establishment of the University of Dublin.

Ireland (1569–1570)

Edmund Campion went to Ireland with his university friend, Richard Stanihurst, where he was the guest of Richard and his father, James Stanihurst, the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons. Warned of his imminent arrest by the Lord Deputy Sir Henry Sidney, he was transferred through Stanihurst's arrangement to the house of Christopher Barnewall at Turvey House in the Pale. For some three months he eluded his pursuers, going by the name "Mr Patrick" and occupying himself by writing A Historie of Ireland.

Douai (1571–1573)

In the year of 1571, Campion left Ireland in secret and escaped to Douai in the Low Countries (now France) where he was reconciled to the Catholic Church and received the Eucharist that he had denied himself for the past twelve years. He entered the English College founded by William Allen. The enrollment of the college grew, and a papal subsidy was granted a little time after Campion's arrival. Campion found himself reunited with Oxford friends. He was to teach rhetoric while there and finish studying for the degree of Bachelor of Divinity, which was granted him by the University of Douai on 21 January 1573. He received minor orders after this and was ordained sub-deacon.

Rome, Brünn and Prague (1573–1580)

Campion then travelled to Rome on foot, alone and in the guise of a pilgrim, to join the Jesuits. In April 1573, in Rome, he became the first novice accepted into the Society of Jesus by Mercurianus, the order's fourth Superior General. He was assigned to the Austrian Province as there was not yet an English province of the Jesuits and began his two-year novitiate at Brünn (now Brno) in Moravia. He was ordained deacon and priest by Antonín Brus, OMCRS, Archbishop of Prague and said his first Mass on 8 September 1578. For six years, Campion taught at the Jesuit college in Prague as professor of both rhetoric and philosophy. In 1578 his play Ambrosia was staged in Prague by the students of the recently founded Jesuit College Clementinum.

Mission to England (1580–1581)

In 1580, the Jesuit mission to England began. The mission was strictly forbidden, according to Campion's Challenge to the Privy Council, "to deal in any respects with matters of state or policy of this realm..." Campion accompanied Robert Persons who, as superior, was intended to counterbalance his own fervour and impetuousness. He had been surprised to learn that he was chosen to take part in the mission, and expressed the fear that he lacked constitutional courage. The members of the mission were instructed to avoid the company of boys and women and to avoid giving the impression of being legacy hunters. Before embarking, the members of the mission were embarrassed to receive news of a landing by papal-sponsored forces in the Irish province of Munster in support of the Irish rebel James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald. They also learned that a letter detailing their party and mission had been intercepted and that they were expected in England.

Part of Campion's Challenge to the Privy Council

Campion finally entered England in the guise of a jewel merchant, arriving in London on 24 June 1580, and at once began to preach. His presence soon became known to the authorities and to his fellow Catholics lying in London's prisons. Among the latter was Thomas Pounde in the Marshalsea, where a meeting was held to discuss means of counteracting rumours circulated by the Privy Council to the effect that Campion's mission was political and treasonous. Pounde rode in haste after Campion and explained the need for Campion to write a brief declaration of the true causes of his coming. The diffusion of this declaration, known as the Challenge to the Privy Council, or, Campion's Brag, made his position more difficult. He led a hunted life, administering the sacraments and preaching to Catholics in Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, and Lancashire.

During this time he wrote his Decem Rationes ("Ten Reasons"), arguments against the validity of the Anglican Church. This pamphlet, in Latin, was printed in a clandestine press at Stonor Park, Henley, and 400 copies were found on the benches of St Mary's, Oxford, at the Commencement, on 27 June 1581. It caused great sensation, and the hunt for Campion was stepped up. On his way to Norfolk, he stopped at Lyford Grange, the house of Francis Yate, then in Berkshire, where he preached on 14 July and the following day, by popular request. Here, he was captured by a spy named George Eliot and taken to London with his arms pinioned and bearing on his hat a paper with the inscription "Campion, the Seditious Jesuit".

Imprisonment, torture and disputations

Imprisoned for four days in the Tower of London in a tiny cell called "Little Ease", Campion was then taken out and questioned by three Privy Councillors—Lord Chancellor Sir Thomas Bromley, Vice-Chamberlain of the Royal Household Sir Christopher Hatton and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester—on matters including whether he acknowledged Queen Elizabeth to be the true Queen of England. He replied that he did, and was offered his freedom, wealth and honours, including the Archbishopric of Canterbury, which he could not accept in good conscience.

Campion was imprisoned in the Tower more than four months and tortured on the rack two or three times. False reports of a retraction and of a confession by Campion were circulated. He had four public disputations with his Anglican adversaries, on 1, 18, 23 and 27 September 1581, at which they attempted to address the challenges of Campion's Challenge to the Privy Council and Decem Rationes. Although still suffering from the effects of his torture, and allowed neither time nor books for preparation, he reportedly conducted himself so easily and readily that "even the spectators in the court looked for an acquittal".

He was arraigned and indicted on 14 November 1581 with several others at Westminster on a charge of having conspired, in Rome and Reims, to raise a sedition in the realm and dethrone the Queen.

Print of Edmund Campion in 1631

Trial, sentence and execution

The trial was held on 20 November 1581. After hearing the pleadings for three hours, the jury deliberated an hour before delivering its verdict: Campion and his fellow defendants were found guilty of treason. He answered the verdict:

In condemning us, you condemn all your own ancestors, all our ancient bishops and kings, all that was once the glory of England—the island of saints, and the most devoted child of the See of Peter.

Lord Chief Justice Wray read the sentence: "You must go to the place from whence you came, there to remain until ye shall be drawn through the open city of London upon hurdles to the place of execution, and there be hanged and let down alive, and your privy parts cut off, and your entrails taken out and burnt in your sight; then your heads to be cut off and your bodies divided into four parts, to be disposed of at Her Majesty’s pleasure. And God have mercy on your souls."

On hearing the death sentence, Campion and the other condemned men broke into the words of the Te Deum. After spending his last days in prayer he was dragged with two fellow priests, Ralph Sherwin and Alexander Briant, to Tyburn where the three were hanged, drawn and quartered on 1 December 1581. Campion was 41 years of age.

Veneration and feast day

Edmund Campion was beatified by Pope Leo XIII on 9 December 1886. Edmund Campion was canonised nearly eighty-four years later in 1970 by Pope Paul VI as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. His feast day is celebrated on 1 December, the day of his martyrdom.

The actual ropes used in his execution are now kept in glass display tubes at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire; each year they are placed on the altar of St Peter's Church for Mass to celebrate Campion's feast day—which is always a holiday for the school.

Educational institutions named for Campion

See also

Notes

  1. It has often been reported that the Queen herself was present at this meeting, based upon second-hand reports, contained in letters sent after the supposed meeting, from people who were not present. More recently, however, correspondence has been located from Lord Burghley, chief advisor to Elizabeth I, which refers to the meeting and those present but makes no mention of the Queen. This suggests that the Queen was not present, but that her questions were put to Campion on her behalf by the Privy Councillors. See Peter Joseph's (2010) revision and enlargement of Simpson's 1867 biography, pp.357–358 and citations.

References

  1. Simpson, Richard. Edmund Campion: a Biography, (1867), p. 2.
  2. ^ Chapman, John H. "The Persecution under Elizabeth" Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, Old Series Vol. 9 (1881), pp. 30–34. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  3. G. Kilroy, Edmund Campion: A Scholarly Life (Routledge, 2016), pp. 18-27, passim.
  4. Simpson (1867), p.3
  5. Waugh (1935), p.26
  6. ^ Taunton, Ethelred Luke (1911). "Campion, Edmund" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 136–137.
  7. Guiney, Louise Imogen. Blessed Edmund Campion, New York: Benziger Brothers (1908). p.55
  8. Simpson (1867), p.90
  9. Guiney (1908), p.69
  10. Waugh, Evelyn. Edmund Campion, London: Hollis and Carter (1935).p.75
  11. Jolanta Rzegocka. "Edmund Campion's Plays is Central Europe". Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  12. Simpson (1867), pp.159–160
  13. Simpson (1867), pp.95–96
  14. Waugh (1935), p.98
  15. Foley, Henry S.J., Records of the English Province of the Society of Jesus. Vol. III. London (1878). p.628
  16. Ford, David Nash (2011). "The Arrest of St. Edmund Campion". Royal Berkshire History. Nash Ford Publishing. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  17. Simpson (1867), p.239. "Little-ease is a cell where the prisoner cannot stand or lie at length."
  18. Guiney (1908), p.139
  19. Simpson (1867), p.277
  20. Simpson (1867), p.240–250
  21. Simpson (1867), p.281
  22. Simpson (1867), p. 307.
  23. Simpson (1867), p.308–309
  24. "Saint Edmund Campion". Saints.SQPN.com. 13 August 2010. Web. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  25. Muir, T.E., Stonyhurst College 1593–1993, London (1992). p.66
  26. The Campion School, Hornchurch, retrieved 10 November 2017
  27. Campion Hall, Seattle University, retrieved 30 September 2020
  28. Indos Scottish Global School, Navi Mumbai, retrieved 10 November 2019
  29. St Edmund Campion Catholic Primary School, Maidenhead, retrieved 2 December 2019
  30. St Edmund Campion Catholic Primary School, retrieved 2 December 2019
  31. St. Edmund Campion Academy, retrieved 2 December 2019
  32. "St Edmund Campion Catholic School (Primary)". Toronto Catholic District School Board. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  33. Campion School, Edappally Kochi, retrieved 2 December 2019

The most comprehensive and detailed scholarly reference today is Professor Gerard Kilroy's biography: Edmund Campion, A Scholarly Life London & New York: Routledge "Ashgate", 2015. ISBN 978-1-4094-0151-3

Sources

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