John Morton English statesman and cardinal Country: Great Britain

Biography of John Morton

John Morton was an English statesman and cardinal. He received his education at Oxford, where he obtained a degree in theology. During the Wars of the Roses, Morton sympathized with the Lancastrians due to his strained relationship with the Yorkists, as his brother, the Duke of Northumberland, was a prominent Lancastrian supporter. Consequently, Morton was affected by all their failures. However, King Edward IV treated him well and utilized his diplomatic talents.

In 1474, Morton became the Archdeacon of Winchester and Chester, and in 1479, he was appointed as the Bishop of Ely. After the death of Edward IV, he participated in the conspiracy of Lord Hastings against Richard III. (Jane Shore, Edward IV's favorite, also took part in the conspiracy, but her role was likely limited to being a courier between the conspirators.) Morton claimed that on June 13, 1483, during a meeting of lords in the Tower, Richard unexpectedly summoned armed men to the room. As a result, Hastings was arrested and executed on the nearest scaffold. However, there is another version of events - chronicles show that Hastings was arrested, imprisoned, and brought to trial before being executed in accordance with the law. Interestingly, Morton was also arrested but soon released by Richard's order. It was John Morton who authored the provisions stating that:

- Richard III York ordered the killing of the imprisoned princes Edward and Richard in the Tower.
- Richard III had a direct role in the death of his brother George, Duke of Clarence.
- Richard III killed the first husband of Anne Neville, Edward, Prince of Wales, son of the feeble-minded King Henry VI and Queen Margaret of Anjou.
- Richard forcibly married Anne Neville and planned to kill his wife to enter into a incestuous marriage with his niece, Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV.

Due to his loyal service to the new king, Henry VII, Morton was appointed as the Archbishop of Canterbury, and in 1493, Pope Alexander VI made him a cardinal.

Morton participated in the development of a tax system aimed at providing funds for the war against France. His name is associated with the "Morton's Fork" paradox.