Childhood
Thomas More was born in London on the 7th of February 1478. He attended one of the most prestigious schools at the time, St Anthon’s School in London, and as a young boy served as a page in the household of John Morton (Archbishop of Canterbury, Chancellor of England and future Cardinal). More then continued his studies at Oxford University where he seemingly spent two whole years mastering the arts of Latin and formal logic, writing comedies as well as Greek and Latin literature.
Career
More was very close friends with Erasmus which led to a lifelong and professional relationship – thus leading to an incredibly fulfilling career. Together the pair worked on Latin translations of Lucian’s works and, proving how close they were, when Erasmus wrote Praise of Folly in 1509 he dedicated it to More.
Although he had the safety net that his friend Erasmus provided, More was torn between a life of civil service and a monastic calling. After careful deliberation, he decided to work towards becoming a monk and, in 1503, he moved to a monastery just outside of the London city limits and subjected himself to the discipline of the Carthusians.
Despite how the prayer, fasting and an active partaking in penance would stay with him until the day that he died, his sense of duty to serve his country overcame his desire for monasticism. So, just one year after entering the monastery, More entered Parliament instead.
Alongside this, he also wrote History of King Richard III (in Latin and in English) which is the novel that is considered the first masterpiece of English historiography.
Importance in Henry VIII’s reign
Sir Thomas More was an extremely important figure in the reign of King Henry VIII. This was because he was a leading Roman Catholic, a support of the Humanist movement and massively opposed the religious reformations in England during the Tudor period. This led to More being executed as it simply infuriated the King as he believed that as it was he who gave More his high position as Chancellor and this was how he repaid his generosity. As a result, More was beheaded on Tower Hill on July 6th, 1535.
Shannon Cody
Thomas More was born in London on the 7th of February 1478. He attended one of the most prestigious schools at the time, St Anthon’s School in London, and as a young boy served as a page in the household of John Morton (Archbishop of Canterbury, Chancellor of England and future Cardinal). More then continued his studies at Oxford University where he seemingly spent two whole years mastering the arts of Latin and formal logic, writing comedies as well as Greek and Latin literature.
Career
More was very close friends with Erasmus which led to a lifelong and professional relationship – thus leading to an incredibly fulfilling career. Together the pair worked on Latin translations of Lucian’s works and, proving how close they were, when Erasmus wrote Praise of Folly in 1509 he dedicated it to More.
Although he had the safety net that his friend Erasmus provided, More was torn between a life of civil service and a monastic calling. After careful deliberation, he decided to work towards becoming a monk and, in 1503, he moved to a monastery just outside of the London city limits and subjected himself to the discipline of the Carthusians.
Despite how the prayer, fasting and an active partaking in penance would stay with him until the day that he died, his sense of duty to serve his country overcame his desire for monasticism. So, just one year after entering the monastery, More entered Parliament instead.
Alongside this, he also wrote History of King Richard III (in Latin and in English) which is the novel that is considered the first masterpiece of English historiography.
Importance in Henry VIII’s reign
Sir Thomas More was an extremely important figure in the reign of King Henry VIII. This was because he was a leading Roman Catholic, a support of the Humanist movement and massively opposed the religious reformations in England during the Tudor period. This led to More being executed as it simply infuriated the King as he believed that as it was he who gave More his high position as Chancellor and this was how he repaid his generosity. As a result, More was beheaded on Tower Hill on July 6th, 1535.
Shannon Cody