Sir Thomas More
(1477–1535)

Thomas More, the author of Utopia and The History of King Richard III, led a scholarly life, which was cut short. He was the son of a prominent judge. He went to St. Anthony's School in London and then to Oxford, where he studied Greek and Latin. In 1494, More studied law in London at Lincoln Inn and in 1501 became a barrister, a British lawyer. He considered becoming a monk and lived and studied in a monastery for four years.

More left the monastery and entered Parliament in 1504, working to oppose the Protestant Reformation. He attracted the attention of King Henry VIII and was appointed Lord Chancellor in 1529. More's career began to decline when Henry decided to divorce his wife, Katherine of Aragon, and marry Anne Boleyn. The King requested that all his loyal subjects swear the Oath of Supremacy and support the Act of Succession, which made him head of the Church of England and allowed him to divorce. More resigned his position as Lord Chancellor claiming ill health and refused to go to the coronation of Anne Boleyn in 1533. He was arrested for treason and later executed.

In 1935, More was canonized, or made a saint, by the Catholic Church. He is considered a martyr for giving his life in defense of the principles of the Catholic Church.

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