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| "I die the king's good servant, but God's first." Last words of Saint Thomas More |
Tower Hill, 6 July, 1535.
He was the son of John More, a prominent lawyer. As a
boy he served as a page in the household of Archbishop
Morton. He studied at Oxford, and the public affairs. In
1499 he determined to become a in public affairs. In 1499
he determined to become a monk and subjected himself to
the discipline of the monk and subjected himself to the
discipline of the Carthusians.
During his early manhood, he wrote comedies and spent
much time in the study of Greek and Latin literature. One
of his first works was a translation of a biography of Pico
della Mirandola (1463-1494); he became a close friend
with Desiderius Erasmus (ca. 1466-1536) and he, like
them, became a great humanist. More's sense of obligation
to active citizenship and statesmanship finally won out over
his monastic inclinations. He entered the parliament in
1504. In 1510, he was appointed undersheriff of London.
During the next decade, More attracted the attention of
King Henry VIII, and served frequently on diplomatic
missions to the Low Countries. In 1518 he became a
member of the Privy Council; he was knighted in 1521.
Two years later, More was made Speaker of the House of
Commons. As speaker of the House of Commons in 1523,
More helped establish the parliamentary privilege of free
speech.
He refused to endorse King Henry VIII's plan to divorce
Catherine of Aragon (1527) and marry Ann Boleyn.
Nevertheless, after the fall of Thomas Wolsey in 1529,
More became Lord Chancellor of England. He was the first
layman to hold the post. His work in the law courts was
exemplary, but he resigned in 1532, citing ill health and
probably feeling that he could not in conscience serve a
government that was interfering with the church. Two
years later he was imprisoned in the Tower of London for
refusing to acknowledge Henry as supreme head of the
Church of England. He was found guilty of treason, on
evidence that was probably perjured. He was beheaded on
July 6, 1535. More was canonized in 1935.
*Info from Luminarium, an online anthology of medieval,
renaissance and 17th century literature.
He was the son of John More, a prominent lawyer. As a
boy he served as a page in the household of Archbishop
Morton. He studied at Oxford, and the public affairs. In
1499 he determined to become a in public affairs. In 1499
he determined to become a monk and subjected himself to
the discipline of the monk and subjected himself to the
discipline of the Carthusians.
During his early manhood, he wrote comedies and spent
much time in the study of Greek and Latin literature. One
of his first works was a translation of a biography of Pico
della Mirandola (1463-1494); he became a close friend
with Desiderius Erasmus (ca. 1466-1536) and he, like
them, became a great humanist. More's sense of obligation
to active citizenship and statesmanship finally won out over
his monastic inclinations. He entered the parliament in
1504. In 1510, he was appointed undersheriff of London.
During the next decade, More attracted the attention of
King Henry VIII, and served frequently on diplomatic
missions to the Low Countries. In 1518 he became a
member of the Privy Council; he was knighted in 1521.
Two years later, More was made Speaker of the House of
Commons. As speaker of the House of Commons in 1523,
More helped establish the parliamentary privilege of free
speech.
He refused to endorse King Henry VIII's plan to divorce
Catherine of Aragon (1527) and marry Ann Boleyn.
Nevertheless, after the fall of Thomas Wolsey in 1529,
More became Lord Chancellor of England. He was the first
layman to hold the post. His work in the law courts was
exemplary, but he resigned in 1532, citing ill health and
probably feeling that he could not in conscience serve a
government that was interfering with the church. Two
years later he was imprisoned in the Tower of London for
refusing to acknowledge Henry as supreme head of the
Church of England. He was found guilty of treason, on
evidence that was probably perjured. He was beheaded on
July 6, 1535. More was canonized in 1935.
*Info from Luminarium, an online anthology of medieval,
renaissance and 17th century literature.
| St. Thomas More, by Hans Holbein |
Luminarium focusing on his literary works and biographies. The St. Thomas More Web page A Description of Thomas More by Erasmus Links to Utopia (More's most famous book) and Other Writings The Story of St. Thomas More by John Farrow. Online edition at CIN (Catholic Information Network). Bio of St. Thomas More by his son-in-law, William Roper Thomas More Societies |
| Last updated 02-05-2009. |
