[duxup]

Denying a simple dying request for an important sacrament seems like a terribly cruel thing to do given the religious context. I suspect the locals thought so too. I don't know if anyone expected him to be freed, but denying the request seems to undermine the religious nature of the event.

That act may have been the straw that broke it. The religious justification for the whole thing may have fallen apart right there if they're not going to grant someone a sacrament just before their death.