This is a Biography of Sir Thomas More

1. Sir
Thomas More
PC

2. ● Born on 7th February 1478, in
London, Kingdom of England
● Thomas More was born to Sir
John More, an affluent lawyer
and judge
● He was educated at the
prominent Saint Anthony’s on
Threadneedle Street and by His
Eminence John Morton
Archbishop of Canterbury
Thomas More’s Early Life
Sir John More

3. Thomas More’s Higher Education
● Under a recommendation by Morton, he spent
two years at the University of Oxford
studying Latin and logic
● After returning to London, he studied common
law and in 1501 was admitted to the bar as
an utter barrister
● Thomas was a devout Catholic and while
preparing to become a lawyer, he discerned a
vocation to the priesthood and religious
life living in a monastery of the Order of
Carthusians

4. Our Lady of the Annunciation Carmelite Monastery where Thomas More
discerned his religious vocation
(THIS IS THE SECOND PART OF THE PRIOR SLIDE)

5. Thomas More’s Career
● Thomas More was one of the two
under-sheriffs of London from
1510 to 1518
● Thomas More was admitted to the
king’s service in 1517 as a civil
servant
● He was able to become one of
Henry VIII’s most reliable
advisors
○ Secretary
○ Interpreter
○ Speech-writer
○ Chief-diplomat
● Thomas More knighted in 1521
King Henry VIII

6. Thomas More’s Career (Extended)
● Sir Thomas More was elected the
speaker of the House of Commons
in 1523
● He was made chancellor of the
Duchy of Lancaster in 1525
● He began to build a reputation as
a scholar in both law and
theology
● He wrote criticisms against
Martin Luther and the rapidly
spreading Protestant Reformation
● More wrote “The History of
Richard III”, forming the persona
of the former York Monarch as a
tyrant
the book on the last Plantagenet
King quickly gained popularity

7. Utopia
● Thomas More started writing his magnum
opus, while on a diplomatic delegation in
Flanders
● The publishing of his book brought the
acclamation of humanist philosophers
● More describes a pagan communistic state
governed entirely by reason
● Through intricate dialogue, he asserts
that a form of communism is the solution
to egoism
● He argues that man rather aim to mitigate
evil, rather than searching for a cure
● Utopia represents a society contrasting
that of the time, where self interest and
greed run rampant
map of the island
of Utopia

8. Thomas More’s Struggles and Feud with the King
● Thomas More’s father passed away in
1530
● More was deeply emotionally and
mentally hurt by his death
● He found it a hard time to continue
to support the King after his break
with the Catholic Church, but was met
with heavy pressure
● King Henry had clergy, nobleman, and
civil servants sign a petition to
Pope Clement VI requesting to annul
his marriage with Catherine of Aragon
● A number of them, including More
refused to sign the document
Catherine of Aragon

9. King Henry VIII and the Protestant Reformation
● King Henry divorced his wife Catherine
of Aragon after he failed to receive
an annulment from the Vatican
● Wanting to break ties with the
Catholic Church, Henry rejected the
supremacy of the Roman Pontiff and
started the Church of England
● In the English Reformation Parliament,
legislation was passed to formalize a
break with Rome, deny the rights to
English Catholics and non-conformists,
and increase and stress the authority
of the Anglican Church
Reformation Parliament

10. Thomas More’s Feud with the King (Extended)
● In March 1531, More read to the House
of Lords King Henry VIII’s statement
about invalidity of his prior union
with Catherine of Aragon
● He refused multiple times after being
asked on his opinion
● Due to much pressure, he openly
opposed a bill that transferred
ecclesiastical supremacy to the King
and Parliament
● On May 16, 1532, More resigned as
Lord Chancellor despite King Henry
wanting him to stay
House of Lords

11. Indictment, Trial, and Execution
● After his resignation, Thomas More continued
to publicly and privately oppose King Henry’s
uncanonical divorce, remarriage, and break
from Rome
● In 1534, More was arrested for his refusal to
sign the Oath of Succession that affirmed
Anne Boleyn’s queenship, her children’s
rights to succession, and repudiated the
supremacy of the Pope as the Vicar of Christ
and head of the Universal Church
● More was tried for high treason and
imprisoned in the Tower of London
● While he was awaiting his execution, More
wrote a variety of prayers and devotions
● On July 6th, 1535, he was executed at the
Tower via beheading
Illustration of
Thomas More’s
execution