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Thomas More

Sir Thomas More, known to Roman Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was born on 7th February 1478, in Milk Street, London, United Kingdom. He was a lawyer, philosopher, writer, statesman and humanist – the son of Sir John More, a successful lawyer and judge, and his wife, Agnes.

He was educated at St. Antony’s, one of London’s finest schools, and spent his early days as a household page to the Archbishop of Canterbury (1490-1492). The Archbishop enthusiastically supported the ‘new learning’ movement, now termed the Renaissance, and thought highly of his intelligent young servant. He nominated More for a place at Oxford University, where the young man received a classical education, becoming proficient in Greek and Latin. More left Oxford after just one year however, at his father’s wishes to train for the Bar, which he completed in 1502. In spite of his pursuance of a secular career, More continued ascetical practices for the rest of his life, such as wearing a hair shirt next to his skin, and occasionally engaging in flagellation.

He married in 1505, to Jane Colt, with whom he had five children – before Jane sadly passed away in 1511. He remarried shortly afterwards, to Alice Middleton.

By 1510, More’s political career was underway, and he was serving as one of the two undersheriffs of the City of London, becoming Privy Councillor in 1514. He also pursued a literary career during this time, and in 1516 published what has become his most famous work; Utopia - a description of an idealised political system on the island of Utopia (a Greek pun on ‘ou-topos’ [no place] and ‘eu-topos’ [good place]). In Utopia, social life was orderly and reasonable, and there were no lawyers because of the laws simplicity and because social gatherings took place in public view; encouraging good behaviour. Whilst many have taken the novel’s principal message to be the need for discipline above liberty, it has given rise to a whole literary genre; Utopian and dystopian fiction, and has influenced the likes of Francis Bacon and Voltaire. But moving back to More’s political and religious life - after undertaking a diplomatic mission to the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, accompanying Cardinal Wolsey, More was knighted and made under-treasurer of the Exchequer in 1521. He later became secretary and personal advisor to Henry VIII, which meant that More was increasingly influential in Tudor society. He initially served the monarch faithfully, co-operating with Henry’s policies, and even denounced Cardinal Wolsey in Parliament, for stating that the marriage of Henry to Catherine of Aragon, had in fact, been lawful. However, as the King began to deny Papal authority, More’s qualms grew. He deeply opposed the Protestant Reformation, in particular the theology of Martin Luther and William Tyndale whose books he burned and whose followers he persecuted. Naturally following on from this, More also opposed Henry VIII’s separation from the Catholic Church and refused to accept him as the Supreme Head of the Church of England. In 1530, More refused to sign a letter by the leading English churchmen and aristocrats asking Pope Clement VII to annul Henry’s marriage to Catherine, and also quarrelled with Henry VIII over the heresy laws. In 1531, Henry had isolated More by purging most clergy who supported the papal stance from senior positions in the church. In addition, Henry had solidified his denial of the Papacy’s control of England by passing the Statute of Praemunire which forbade appeals to the Roman Curia from England. Realizing his isolated position, More attempted to resign. He was relieved from his office in 1532, however, in 1533, he failed to attend the wedding of Henry to Anne Boleyn, which the King took as a dire insult, and shortly afterwards took action against him. On 13 April 1534, More was asked to appear before a commission and swear his allegiance to the parliamentary Act of Succession. More accepted Parliament’s right to declare Anne Boleyn the legitimate Queen of England, but he steadfastly refused to take the oath of supremacy of the Crown. This gave enough evidence for treason, and alongside John Fischer, More was sentenced to death. He was beheaded on 6th July 1535, and when More climbed up the steps to the scaffold, he is widely quoted as saying (to the officials): ‘I pray you, I pray you, Mr Lieutenant, see me safe up and for my coming down, I can shift for myself’; while on the scaffold he declared that he died ‘the king’s good servant, but God’s first.’