Sir Thomas More

Sir Thomas More was a Renaissance humanist, lawyer, statesman, and author who is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in English history. He was born in London in 1478 and studied at Oxford under the tutelage of Thomas Linacre and William Grocyn. He became a barrister and a member of Parliament, where he gained a reputation for his eloquence and integrity. He was a close friend and correspondent of Erasmus of Rotterdam, who praised him as a man of learning, piety, and wit. He wrote several works on theology, history, and education, but his most famous work is Utopia (1516), a fictional dialogue that depicts an ideal society based on reason, justice, and humanism. He also wrote polemics against the Protestant Reformation and defended the Catholic faith against the attacks of Martin Luther and others. More rose to prominence under King Henry VIII, who appointed him as his secretary and personal adviser. He became Lord High Chancellor of England in 1529, the highest office in the realm next to the king. He proved to be an able and loyal minister, but he also incurred the wrath of Henry by refusing to support his divorce from Catherine of Aragon and his break with the Roman Catholic Church. More opposed the king’s claim to be the supreme head of the Church of England and refused to take the Oath of Supremacy that affirmed it. He was arrested for treason in 1534 and imprisoned in the Tower of London for over a year. He was tried and convicted on perjured testimony in 1535 and sentenced to death by beheading. He died as a martyr for his conscience and his faith, declaring before his execution that he was “the king’s good servant, but God’s first”. He was canonized as a saint by Pope Pius XI in 1935 and declared the patron saint of statesmen and politicians by Pope John Paul II in 2000. His life and death have inspired many writers and artists, such as Robert Bolt’s play A Man for All Seasons (1960) and Hans Holbein’s portrait (1527). He is widely admired as a model of courage, wisdom, and virtue123