Thomas More

"Sir Thomas More" redirects here. For the play, see Sir Thomas More (play).
For other people named Thomas More, see Thomas More (disambiguation).

The Right Honourable
Sir Thomas More
PC
Sir Thomas More (1527)
Lord Chancellor
In office
October 1529 – May 1532
MonarchHenry VIII
Preceded byThomas Wolsey
Succeeded byThomas Audley
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office
31 December 1525 – 3 November 1529
MonarchHenry VIII
Preceded byRichard Wingfield
Succeeded byWilliam FitzWilliam
Speaker of the House of Commons
In office
15 April 1523 – 13 August 1523
MonarchHenry VIII
Preceded byThomas Nevill
Succeeded byThomas Audley
Personal details
Born7 February 1478
City of London, England
Died6 July 1535 (aged 57)
Tower Hill, London, England
Resting place
Spouses
Jane Colt
​
​
(m. 1505; died 1511)​
​
(m. 1511)​
ChildrenMargaret, Elizabeth, Cecily, and John
Parent(s)Sir John More
Agnes Graunger
EducationUniversity of Oxford
Lincoln's Inn
Signature
Philosophy career
Notable workUtopia (1516)
Responsio ad Lutherum (1523)
A Dialogue of Comfort against Tribulation (1553)
EraRenaissance philosophy
16th-century philosophy
RegionWestern philosophy, Catholic
SchoolChristian humanism[1]
Renaissance humanism
Main interests
Social philosophy,
Criticism of Protestantism,
Legal Equity, Conscience
Notable ideas
Utopia

Sir Thomas More PC (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More,[2] was an English lawyer, judge,[3] social philosopher, author, statesman, amateur theologian, and noted Renaissance humanist.[4] He also served Henry VIII as Lord High Chancellor of England from October 1529 to May 1532.[5] He wrote Utopia, published in 1516, which describes the political system of an imaginary island state.[6]

More opposed the Protestant Reformation, directing polemics against the theology of Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli and William Tyndale. More also opposed Henry VIII's separation from the Catholic Church, refusing to acknowledge Henry as supreme head of the Church of England and the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. After refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy, he was convicted of treason on what he stated was false evidence, and was executed. At his execution, he was reported to have said: "I die the King's good servant, and God's first."

Pope Pius XI canonised More in 1935 as a martyr.[7] Pope John Paul II in 2000 declared him the patron saint of statesmen and politicians.[8][9][10]

  1. ^ "Topic 1.3: The Northern Renaissance" (PDF).
  2. ^ "St. Thomas More". savior.org. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Kristeller, Paul Oskar (1980). "Thomas More as a renaissance humanist". Moreana. 17 (Number 65-6 (1–2): 5–22. doi:10.3366/more.1980.17.1-2.3. ISSN 0047-8105.
  5. ^ Linder, Douglas O. "The Trial of Sir Thomas More: A Chronology". University Of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School Of Law.
  6. ^ King, Margaret L. (2014). Renaissance Humanism: An Anthology of Sources. Hackett Publishing. p. 157. ISBN 978-1-62466-146-4.
  7. ^ "Homily at the Canonization of St. Thomas More" "The Center for Thomas More Studies: Canonization of Thomas More". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2012. at The Center for Thomas More Studies at the University of Dallas, 2010, citing text "Recorded in The Tablet, June 1, 1935, pp. 694–695"
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference JP2PatronSaint was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Jubilee of parliament and government members, proclamation of Saint Thomas More as patron of statesmen vatican.va
  10. ^ "Holy Days". Worship – The Calendar. Church of England. 2011. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2011.