He was rowed downstream to about a half mile from his destination and finished his journey on foot. He was condemned to death and escorted back to the Tower. We have to understand his cares and his concerns, which were intimately wrapped up with his sense of duty to his community. The Life of Sir Thomas More (1478-1535) "The King's good servant, but God's first."1. Sir Thomas More was a well-known Renaissance humanist, lawyer, author, philosopher and statesman, who lived from 1478 to 1535 and is particularly revered among Roman Catholics for his views on religion. 1515. He also was married for the first time around this time, either in 1504 or early the following year. To test his vocation to the priesthood, he resided for about four years in the Carthusian monastery adjoining Lincoln’s Inn and shared as much of the monks’ way of life as was practicable. More served as an important counselor to King Henry VIII of England, serving as his key counselor in the early 1500s, but after he refused to accept the king as head of the Church of England, he was tried for treason and beheaded (he died in London, England, in 1535). The young Thomas was educated at Saint Anthony’s school in the capital while as a teenager he worked as a page at the house of Archbishop John Morton. Thomas More (1477/78–1535), humanist scholar, author, and statesman, served Henry VIII as diplomatic envoy and Privy Councillor prior to his election as speaker of the House of Commons in 1523. In February 1496 he was admitted to Lincoln’s Inn, one of the four legal societies preparing for admission to the bar. “Utopia” is a Greek name of More’s coining, from ou-topos (“no place”); a pun on eu-topos (“good place”) is suggested in a prefatory poem. More, however, never discarded the habits of early rising, prolonged prayer, fasting, and wearing the hair shirt. Sir Thomas More states in his writings that the princes were buried “at the stair-foot, meetly deep” and certainly in 1674 two skeletons were found buried beneath a stone staircase during alterations at the Tower. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. To that end, in 1503, he moved to a monastery outside the London city limits and subjected himself to the discipline of the Carthusians, taking part of the monastic life as much as his legal career would allow. More’s History of King Richard III, written in Latin and in English between about 1513 and 1518, is the first masterpiece of English historiography. He is recognized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. The description of Utopia is put in the mouth of a mysterious traveler, Raphael Hythloday, in support of his argument that communism is the only cure against egoism in private and public life. More was largely regarded for his humanistic works. Also around this time, More became close friends with Erasmus during the latter's first visit to England. From September 1510 to July 1518, when he resigned to be fully in the king’s service, More was one of the two undersheriffs of London, “the pack-horses of the City government.” He endeared himself to the Londoners—as an impartial judge, a disinterested consultant, and “the general patron of the poor.”. ", Many historical records suggest that Thomas More was born in London, England, on February 7, 1478, although some scholars believe the year of his birth to be 1477. In 1521, King Henry VIII responded to Luther with the assistance of More, in his Defence of the Seven Sacraments. Utopia also became the forerunner of a new literary genre: the utopian romance. He was the sole surviving son of Sir John More, barrister and later judge, by his first wife Agnes, daughter of Thomas Graunger. The description of the island of Utopia comes from a mysterious traveler to support his position that communism is the only cure for the egoism found in both private and public life—a direct jab at Christian Europe, which was seen by More as divided by self-interest and greed. The prayer, fasting and partaking in penance would stay with him for the rest of his life (as would the practice of wearing a hair shirt), but his sense of duty to serve his country overcame his desire for monasticism, and he entered Parliament in 1504. Morton is said to have thought that More would become a "marvelous man.". Summary. And in February 1496, More was admitted to Lincoln's Inn, one of England's four legal societies, to prepare for admission to the bar, and in 1501 he became a full member of the profession. By this time, More had become treasurer of England's exchequer, but he also served as "Henry's intellectual courtier," secretary and confidant, and, in 1523, he was elected speaker of the House of Commons. Search Results. About Sir Thomas More, Chancellor of England and Saint. At Odds With Henry & Subsequent Beheading. Among the topics discussed by More in Utopia were penology, state-controlled education, religious pluralism, divorce, euthanasia, and women’s rights. However, he is most known for being the Lord Chancellor of England from October 1529 to May 1532. He has also been deemed a "Reformation martyr" by the Church of England. He was educated at St. Anthony's School in London, then the best in the city. The last letter of Sir Thomas More, 1535. More is very diplomatic (except in matters involving Catholic fundamentalism) and is well-liked by the courts of both France and the Holy Roman Empire; he is straightforward and honest, but despite lacking the tremendous ambition of the King's other courtiers and ministers he is extremely shrewd and intellige… More was highly intelligent, and is recognised as one of the most influential thinkers of early modern Europe. More was, meanwhile, torn between a life of civil service and a monastic calling, and he made the decision to work toward becoming a monk. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. More spent four years in a Carthusian monastery but decided not to take his vows and fully join the priesthood. The order and dignity of such a state provided a notable contrast with the unreasonable polity of Christian Europe, divided by self-interest and greed for power and riches, which More described in Book I, written in England in 1516. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. The conference was held at Brugge, with long intervals that More used to visit other Belgian cities. This amounted to More essentially refusing to accept the king as head of the Church of England, which More believed would disparage the power of the pope. About 1494 his father brought More back to London to study the common law. Thomas More was beheaded on July 6, 1535. Sir Thomas More (1478-1535) was a lawyer, statesman, humanist, and martyr. 1518. Life of Sir Thomas More, scholar and Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII of England. Sir Thomas More’s Execution. Utopia covered such far-reaching topics as theories of punishment, state-controlled education, multi-religion societies, divorce, euthanasia and women's rights, and the resulting display of learning and skill established More as a foremost humanist. Through dialogue More speaks in favour of the mitigation of evil rather than its cure, human nature being fallible. Thomas More is known for his 1516 book 'Utopia' and for his untimely death in 1535, after refusing to acknowledge King Henry VIII as head of the Church of England. The future cardinal, a shrewd judge of character, predicted that the bright and winsome page would prove to be a “marvellous man.” His interest sent the boy to the University of Oxford, where More seems to have spent two years, mastering Latin and undergoing a thorough drilling in formal logic. More entered royal service in the 1510s, and went on to represent England’s interests on the continent. Omissions? Sir Thomas More refused to take the oath and was imprisoned in the Tower of London. In 1520, reformer Martin Luther published three works setting out his doctrine of salvation, which, according to Luther, could be attained through grace alone; the series rejected certain Catholic practices and attacked others. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. "I die the King's good servant, and God's first." Thomas More was born in Milk Street, London on February 7, 1478, son of Sir John More, a prominent judge. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. God remained the centre of his life. He was educated at St. Anthony's School and was appointed a page in the home of Archbishop (later Cardinal) Morton, who sent him to Canterbury Hall, Oxford, in the early 1490s. Thomas More was born in London in 1478 CE, his father being the lawyer Sir John More. More's fate would begin to turn when, in the summer of 1527, King Henry tried to use the Bible to prove to More that Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon, who had failed to produce a male heir, was void. In 1532, More resigned from the House of Commons, citing poor health. In late 1504 or early 1505, More married Joan Colt, the eldest daughter of an Essex gentleman farmer. Utopia is largely regarded as a satire of 16th century Europe, bringing a cleaver and humorous twist to the otherwise intellectual book. Henry shows his appreciation for More's teachings by knighting him in episode 3 of The Tudors; he and More affectionately refer to each other as Thomas and Harry. William Shakespeare is indebted to More for his portrait of the tyrant. Sir Thomas Moore completed dozens of laps in his backyard garden to raise more than $45 million for the U.K.’s National Health Service at the start of the coronavirus pandemic We strive for accuracy and fairness. Here is a contemporary account of Sir Thomas More’s execution:- With respect to his philosophy, Thomas More belonged very much to the early or Erasmian period of the English Renaissance in his emotional and intellectual attitudes—toleration of eclecticism, search for simplicity, stress on ethics, return to Greek sources, and desire for reform: social, political, educational, religious, and philosophical. Thomas More, in full Sir Thomas More, also called Saint Thomas More, (born February 7, 1478, London, England—died July 6, 1535, London; canonized May 19, 1935; feast day June 22), English humanist and statesman, chancellor of England (1529–32), who was beheaded for refusing to accept King Henry VIII as head of the Church of England. More was born in London and studied at the elite St.Anthony’s School and then went on to study at the University of Oxford. © 2021 Biography and the Biography logo are registered trademarks of A&E Television Networks, LLC. But on Wednesday evening when, alongside Rylance, the actor Anton Lesser appears in the role of Sir Thomas More in the new BBC2 series, he will also be … Sir Thomas More. In "The Apology of Sir Thomas More" (1533) he defended himself by stating he was duty-bound to enforce England's civil laws, including the use of capital punishment against religious dissidents, and emphatically denied rumors he tortured suspects under interrogation. Sir Thomas More: Biography, Facts and Information Today we know Sir Thomas More primarily as the author of Utopia, and as one of the more famous martyrs of Henry VIII’s reign. The book was an immediate success with the audience for which More wrote it: the humanists and an elite group of public officials. She was several years his senior and had a daughter of her own; she did not bear More any children. Sir Thomas More (/ ˈ m ɔːr /; 7 Februar 1478 – 6 Julie 1535), veneratit bi Catholics as Saunt Thomas More, wis an Inglis lawyer, social filosofer, author, statesman an notit Renaissance humanist.He wis an aw a cooncillor tae Henry VIII, an Laird Heich Chancellor o England frae October 1529 tae 16 Mey 1532. Italian Dominican theologian Saint Thomas Aquinas was one of the most influential medieval thinkers of Scholasticism and the father of the Thomistic school of theology. In order to understand the real Thomas More, not as self-righteous villain nor as saintly hero but as flesh-and-blood individual, we have to find the Thomas More who walked the streets of London and called Cheapside home. More tried to share the king's viewpoint, but it was in vain, and More could not sign off on Henry's plan for divorce. Corrections? Thomas More, in full Sir Thomas More, also called Saint Thomas More, (born February 7, 1478, London, England—died July 6, 1535, London; canonized May 19, 1935; feast day June 22), English humanist and statesman, chancellor of England (1529–32), who was beheaded for refusing to accept King Henry VIII as head of the Church of England. Director. It was the beginning of a lifelong friendship and professional relationship, and the pair worked on Latin translations of Lucian's works during Erasmus' second visit. More was summoned before Archbishop Thomas Cranmer and Thomas Cromwell at Lambeth Palace . The Life of Thomas More by Peter Ackroyd, one of the more positive More biographies, recounts that when Sir Thomas learned that John Tewkesbury, a London leather-seller, secretly possessed banned books, he had the man burned alive. The real reason, however, was probably his disapproval of Henry's recent disregard of the laws of the church and his divorce of Catherine. He was canonized by the Catholic Church as a saint in 1935, and has been commemorated by the Church of England as a "Reformation martyr. T.E. Capt. Sir Thomas More was first called, and the oath was tendered to him under the great seal; then he called for the act of succession, to which it related, which was also shewed him: having considered of them, he said, he would neither blame these that made the act, nor those that swore the oath; but, for his part, though he was willing to swear to the succession, if he might be suffered to draw an oath concerning … In particular, Plato's’ republic and Aristotle’s politics a… By Katie Hugo, Franciscan University Sir Saint Thomas More was an English lawyer, author and statesman, a Renaissance humanist, and a Catholic saint. Map of the island of Utopia, woodcut by Ambrosius Holbein, 1518; from the 1518 edition of Sir Thomas More's. 1478 - 1535. Updates? He began in the Low Countries and completed after his return to London his Utopia, which was published at Leuven in December 1516. Sir Thomas More's 'Utopia' is published. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). St. Helena, the mother of Constantine I, is believed to have discovered the cross upon which Jesus Christ was crucified. The latter may be divided int… These traits appear not only in his highly imaginative and durably significant creation, Utopia, but also in his most pertinent pronouncements in real life. Around 1494, his father, a prominent attorney, brought More back to London to study common law. The work is considered the first masterpiece of English historiography (the study of history, or the study of a particular historical subject), and, despite remaining unfinished, influenced subsequent historians, including William Shakespeare. 1516. Sir Thomas More Timeline. He was left a widower with four children, and within weeks of his first wife’s death he married Alice Middleton, the widow of a London mercer. He was educated at St Anthony's School in London. The best known of these works is Utopia, a philosophical book that touches subjects such as divorce, communism politics, women’s rights, and death that was published in 1516 (www.biography.com). Mr. Tannery and Professor Wright concluded in 1933 that the princes had “probably” died in the summer of 1483. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. In 1501 More became an “utter barrister,” a full member of the profession. Though never finished, it influenced succeeding historians. More managed to get a placement with the family of the Archbishop of Canterbury through his father's influence (Sir Thomas More, Senior, was a prominent local barrister and judge). But his actions and writings of the period are divisive subjects to this day. The following letter was written to More’s daughter Margaret on 5 July 1535, the day before his execution. The important negotiations More conducted in 1509 on behalf of a number of London companies with the representative of the Antwerp merchants confirmed his competence in trade matters and his gifts as an interpreter and spokesman. In 1516, More published Utopia, a work of fiction primarily depicting a pagan and communist island on which social and political customs are entirely governed by reason. Lawrence was a British military officer who took part in the Great Arab Revolt and later wrote the memoir 'The Seven Pillars of Wisdom.'. He attended St. Anthony's School in London, one of the best schools of his day, and as a youth served as a page in the household of John Morton, archbishop of Canterbury and chancellor of England (and future cardinal). Professor of Philology, Catholic University of the West, Angers, France. 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