Thomas More

Key People

• King Henry VIII: More's sovereign and friend who appointed him Lord Chancellor. Their relationship ended when More refused to acknowledge the King as the Supreme Head of the Church of England.

• Cardinal Wolsey: Lord Chancellor before More, whose fall from power in 1529 led to More's appointment.

• Margaret Roper (née More): Thomas More's devoted eldest daughter, renowned for her intellect. She was central to the effort to save his life and is famously credited with recovering his severed head.

• Desiderius Erasmus: The great Dutch Renaissance humanist and theologian. He was a close, lifelong friend of More and wrote a famous portrait of him.

• St. John Fisher: Bishop of Rochester and More's fellow humanist and Catholic martyr. They were executed for the same reason—refusing the Oath of Supremacy.

Key Places

• London: His birthplace (1478) and the location of his main legal and political career.

• Chelsea: The location of his family home, Beaufort House, where he lived from 1524. The house was known for its intellectual and deeply religious atmosphere.

• Chelsea Old Church (All Saints): The parish church where More and his family regularly worshipped. He maintained a private chapel there (The More Chapel) and built his own tomb within it.

• The Tower of London: The prison where More was held after refusing the oath and before his execution.

• Westminster Hall: Sir Thomas More was tried for treason and convicted on July 1, 1535.

• Tower Hill: The site of his execution on July 6, 1535.

Key Events

• c. 1516: Publication of Utopia: More’s most famous work of fiction and political philosophy, which cemented his reputation as a leading humanist.

• 1529: Appointed Lord Chancellor: Following Cardinal Wolsey's downfall, More became the first layman to hold England's highest judicial office.

• 1532: Resignation from Office: More resigned as Lord Chancellor, refusing to endorse Henry VIII's attempts to annul his marriage and break with the Catholic Church in Rome.

• 1534: Refusal of the Oath of Supremacy: More refused to swear the oath that declared Henry VIII the Supreme Head of the Church of England, viewing it as a contradiction of papal authority and his conscience. This refusal led to his imprisonment in the Tower of London.

• July 1, 1535: Tried for treason and convicted after a deliberation of only 15 minutes by the jury.

• July 6, 1535: Execution and Martyrdom: More was tried for treason and beheaded on Tower Hill, famously proclaiming that he was "The King’s good servant, but God’s first."

• 1935: Canonisation: Four centuries after his death, the Catholic Church declared him a saint.

• 2000: Patron Saint of Statesmen: Pope John Paul II proclaimed St. Thomas More the Patron Saint of Statesmen and Politicians.