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1.Biography, facts and information about Sir Thomas More
Today we know Sir Thomas More above all as the author of Utopia and as one of the most famous martyrs of the reign of Henry VIII. The popular image is the image of a man – principled, steadfast, courageous - who put his own conscience above the demands of his king.
And yet, if you asked More's contemporaries to describe him, their words would be as contradictory as the man himself. He was a brilliant Renaissance scholar who would rather die than betray the Catholic Church. As a young man, he seriously considered becoming a priest, but only in order to become one of the most successful politicians of his time. And he was a father who insisted that his three daughters receive the same education as his son. Perhaps more than any other courtier during Henry's reign, he embodied the searching, restless spirit of the early 16th century.
After his death and for the following centuries, Sir Thomas More was known as the most famous victim of the tyranny of Henry VIII. It was the execution of More – much more severe than the execution of Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell or Margaret Pole – that established the king's reputation as a capricious hard-hearted man. This was partly due to More's intellectual prominence; he was perhaps the most famous Englishman on the continent with an extensive and varied correspondence. This was also due to Henry's deep and sincere friendship with More.
However, the beginning of the plague hardly foreshadowed his impressive career. In Utopia, he identified himself as a "citizen of London", and in London he was born on February 7, 1477, the only surviving son of John More and his first wife Agnes Grainger.
John More was a successful lawyer, who was later knighted and became a judge of the King's Bench; he was successful enough to send his son to the best school in London, St. Anthony's in Threadneedle Street. And he had good connections enough to later secure the appointment of his son to the household of John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor of England. There is an apocryphal story that Morton predicted that his bright and cheerful side would grow into a “wonderful man".”
More's teenage years were spent during the reign of Henry VII, the first Tudor king. And his patron Morton was notorious as the architect of this king's very successful – and subsequently very unpopular – tax policy. Morton's tax philosophy was a miracle of inescapable logic: "If it is clear that the subject lives economically, tell him that he can afford to donate generously to the king, since he clearly saves money with great abilities. However, if the subject leads a lavish lifestyle, tell him that he can also afford to donate generously.”
And while this argument helped to replenish the royal coffers of Henry VII, it also gave the second Tudor king the opportunity to ingratiate himself with the people when – in one of his first official acts as Henry VIII – he imprisoned and then executed Edmund Dudley and Richard Empson, the sons of Morton (and his father) tax collectors. However, we should not assume that Morton's policy had a profound impact on More. Quite the contrary. Both men were avid humanistic scientists, but their paths diverged in terms of royal prerogative. In 1504, More was elected to parliament, and one of his first actions was to oppose Henry VII's request for a "grant" of three-fifths.It was pestilence passionate speeches against this great and unfair burden that forced the king to reduce it by more than two-thirds. And the king was dissatisfied with the young lawyer, he immediately locked Father More in the tower until he paid a substantial fine. It was the beginning of Thomas More's public career, and it was eloquent.
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² Basset, Bernard, SJ (1965). Born for Friendship: The Spirit of Sir Thomas More. London: Burns & Oates.

More's connection to Morton had previously allowed him to enter Oxford, where he studied for two years, mastered Greek and Latin with a "genius flair" and studied a wide range of subjects, including music.

His father moved him back to London, and he became a law student at the New Inn and later at the Lincolns Inn. The governors of Lincoln admired him so much that they appointed him to the post of lector of law for three consecutive years. More's brilliant mind and curious, kind character attracted him many friends and admirers. And yet, although his legal future seemed assured, More had deep controversies about his future. He felt called to the priesthood for a long time. Now he decided to seriously review his religious beliefs.
He moved to the Cartesian monastery adjacent to the Lincolns Inn and took part in the monastic way of life, while continuing his legal career. His father did not support him, but More was completely ready to deny himself rather than oppose God's will. To this end, he spent the next three years studying and praying, putting the cloth close to the skin and trying to reconcile his true religious zeal with the demands of the outside world. Finally, he decided, according to his friend Erasmus, "to be a chaste husband, not an unclean priest."
It should be noted that More's affection for monastic life never left him, despite his subsequent marriages, family and career. Even if he secretly carried a whip, he openly and consistently fasted, prayed and led a relatively modest household. When he later built his "Big House" in Chelsea, his rooms were specially designed to encourage quiet learning and prayer. More's piety was a crucial aspect of his character; even when the circumstances of his life changed, she remained constant and unyielding.
His decision to become a Christian layman was made now, he got married faster. His chosen one was Jane Colt, the eldest daughter of a gentleman-peasant. His brother-in-law William Roper, whose biography of More is one of the first biographies ever written, tells us that More chose his wife out of pity: "Perhaps his mind suited him best for his second daughter, because he considered her the most beautiful and dearest, but when he thought that it would be a great sorrow and a shame for the elder to see her younger sister in marriage as well, he then turned his attention to Jane out of pity. "
True or not, but the marriage turned out to be happy and fruitful, although it was short-lived. After the birth of three more daughters (Margaret, Elizabeth, Sisley) and a son (John), Jane died in 1511. Later, More immortalized her as "uxorcula Thoma Mori"; the letters of Erasmus show her gentle nature, since he was a frequent guest at More's house. The two men met for the first time in 1497 and remained close friends until More's death.
His wife Maura, like most women of her time, was poorly educated, and during their short marriage he taught her Latin and other subjects. She was a capable student enough to later speak to the visitors in Latin. And they are more determined to ensure that their daughters receive the same education as their son. The symbolism and significance of this decision should not be underestimated. More's eldest daughter Margaret was the first Englishwoman who did not belong to the royal family and published a translation work.
Thus, More was barely thirty years old, he was successfully and happily married when tax collectors Dudley and Empson were beheaded on Tower Hill by order of the new king Henry VIII. As a newly elected representative of London in parliament and deputy sheriff in the city, he took an active part in public life. He worked as a deputy sheriff for eight years and proved to be an impartial judge and an able administrator. Modern chroniclers often called him a friend of the poor.
The only potentially scandalous act in his life was his quick second marriage to a widow seven years older than him, Alice Middleton. They got married less than a month after the death of Jane Colt, and More had to ask for special permission from the church. It was satisfied, and the rich widow became a stepmother for his four children and another stepfather for her daughter and son.
It turned out to be another happy marriage, although More's friends noticed Ely's sharp tongue and sometimes her short temper. Perhaps the contrast with the calm, gentle Jane was too sharp. As for More, he undoubtedly appreciated the excellent household skills of his second wife, since they allowed him to freely continue his increasingly successful career. At this point, we need to take a step back and look at England, where More has now lived. A new king has appeared – a handsome, athletic young man who was once destined for the church. But his older brother died, and the younger brother was crowned at the age of 18 and quickly married his brother's widow. She was the Spanish Princess Catherine of Aragon, one of the daughters of the Catholic rulers of Spain.
She was a pious and educated young woman, and although we know her primarily as an elderly woman who could not give birth to the coveted son and heir of Henry, she was once young, pretty and loved by everyone. The later declarations of Henry VIII about the opposite, his marriage with Catherine began happily and lasted like this for several years. In England, there was a feeling that a new era was beginning.
Henry VIII was a Catholic ruler and maintained friendly relations with the papacy until he tried to divorce Catherine. But that was many years ago. As a young king, the Pope called him a "protector of the faith" for defending the church from Protestant heresy; his chancellor was Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. And due to his early education in religious affairs, Henry was not an easy spectator in religious debates.
For these reasons, More had no reason to suspect his monarch of anything less than fidelity to their common faith. And as his own reputation grew in London, he attracted the attention of the all-powerful Cardinal Wolsey. In May 1515, More was sent to Bruges as part of a delegation organized by Wolsey to revise the Anglo-Flemish trade Treaty. It was during this trip that he began to write the Utopia, his most famous work. It was More who coined this term, a pun based on Greek words meaning "no place" and "good place". More has also already begun to write his history of King Richard III; it is considered the first masterpiece of English history and is completely pro-Tudor. His influence on William Shakespeare's "Richard III" is enormous.
A Utopia is a complex and witty work that describes a city-state ruled exclusively by reason. This is to contrast with the reality of a European government divided by ideologies, greed and selfishness. More importantly, public life is the only way to end the harmful influence of personal interests on politics. This work was a miracle of erudition and wit, and completely original; it was soon translated all over the continent, and its author was declared one of the outstanding humanistic thinkers. It is no exaggeration to say that his publication gave him an authority that no other Briton of that time enjoyed.
Cardinal Wolsey – and the king - did not need any more reasons to attract more people to the service of the king. His work in Bruges and later in Calais, as well as his constant duties as an assistant sheriff in London, were a clear proof of his abilities and popularity. The letters of More indicate that he was not particularly eager to enter the royal service.
It was not because of an aversion to the king. Rather, he felt that he could be more effective in the city itself, rather than hiding among the nobility and counselors of the Henry Court. But the polite evasions did not last long, and soon More became a real courtier with all the tasks and benefits associated with it. At first, he was appointed a secret adviser and accompanied Wolsey on an important diplomatic mission to Europe. He so impressed the cardinal that upon his return he was knighted and appointed deputy treasurer of the Ministry of Finance.
More importantly, he had a personal relationship with Henry VIII and is therefore known as the "intellectual court king". Soon after, he became Henry's personal secretary and adviser, gave official speeches, welcomed foreign ambassadors, drafted treaties and other public documents, and wrote the king's replies to Wolsey’s dispatches. More also entered – in the name of the king - into a public verbal war with Martin Luther, the father of the Reformation.
In April 1523 he was elected speaker of the House of Commons. His position at court meant that he was to be the king's lawyer in parliament. But to More's credit, he passionately called for more freedom of speech in parliament.
His reputation was such that the major universities – Oxford and Cambridge – appointed him as a top manager. His personal life remained calm and content. His eldest daughter Margaret married William Roper, a lawyer, in 1521, and More continued his practice of prayer and observation of learning at home.
His house in Chelsea was as close as Tudor-era England could get to the French salon of the 18th century. Intellectuals came from England and Europe; More was a generous and kind host. He collected books and rare items, but also freely distributed his property. He had the true gift of friendship and gave deep devotion to his family and friends. In fact, the king himself was among his guests. He came without an invitation to either have dinner with his family or to walk through the garden with More, his hand resting casually on More's shoulders.
Despite this testimony of royal favor, it is likely that his service to the king rather irritated him. He was no fool; he noticed the immense – and increasingly conspicuous – wealth of Wolsey. His natural piety was at odds with other courtiers who tirelessly sought the king's favor. Ironically, it was his own honesty and incorruptibility that allowed him to continue the service of Henry.
Now we pass to the great event of Henry's reign. By 1527, the king was thirty years old, and his wife was six years older. During their marriage, the queen suffered a series of miscarriages; her only surviving child was Princess Maria. Henry needed a son and an heir. He had an illegitimate son named Henry Fitzroy by one of his early mistresses. The boy, born in 1519, was for Henry the long–awaited proof that he could be the father of a son - and that the absence of an heir was entirely Catherine's fault. Even special doctors called from Spain could not help the queen to become pregnant again.
When More returned to France from a diplomatic mission in the summer of 1527, the king put an open Bible in front of his beloved adviser. Henry told him that this was proof that his marriage to Katherine was incestuous due to her previous marriage to his brother. This was illegal before man and God, and therefore invalid. The king added that the absence of his lawful son was a clear proof of God's displeasure.
He did not share his opinion with the king. And the king did not force this question. Of course, Henry needed more support. As England's most important intellectual, More's opinion mattered. It was important for London shopkeepers and great churchmen. Henry was wise enough to clarify his point of view and leave it at that – at least for a while. And Pestilence was more convinced than ever that he had to leave the royal service.
Unfortunately, Cardinal Wolsey was unable to obtain an annulment for the king. The reasons were different, but the main one was Katarina's position as the aunt of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Charles did not allow his aunt to be refused, and he put pressure on the pope to refuse Henry's petition. Wolsey, for all his brilliance and cunning, could not keep up with this influence. And now the king was again in love with a young noblewoman named Anne Boleyn. His desire to annul the marriage now was not only to create a legitimate heir; it was also caused by his desire to marry Anna.
Anna's personal religious feelings were unimportant. She was necessarily hostile to the Catholic Church. They prevented her from marrying the king. Likewise, Henry was understandably angry at the papacy's refusal to abdicate Charles. Perhaps his previous declaration of nullity was a matter of personal interests, a selective interpretation of an opaque text. But time and impatience made him convince of his rightness. It was perfectly clear to any objective observer that this marriage was illegal before God! The king was angry. He sent envoys. He dictated letter by letter. He constantly harassed Catherine. Nothing helped.
The Pope would not give in. Meanwhile, time passed, and the king, accustomed to instant obedience, was determined not to wait any longer. Wolsey was destined to die because he could not achieve the annulment of the marriage. Fortunately for the old cardinal, he died before the king could kill him. Unfortunately, Henry appointed him Lord Chancellor of England. The honor was enormous; it is noteworthy that More was the first layman to hold this post. He performed his tasks with his usual skill, but it was an act of balancing, and he became more and more dangerous. For example, More, as Lord chancellor, proclaimed the opinion of English universities favorable to the cancellation by the king.
But he himself did not sign the letter in which most of the English nobles and prelates appealed to the pope to declare the marriage illegal. And when the English clergy were forced to recognize Henry as the head of their church, more tried to resign. His resignation was not initially accepted. Henry was still hoping for more support. But in the end, the gap between the king and his prime minister could not be ignored. Pestilence suffered from acute chest pain, possibly angina pectoris, and asked the king to relieve him of his duties.It was May 16, 1532, the day on which the Archdiocese of Canterbury, as the head of the English clergy, sent Henry VIII a document in which it promised never to make laws or even convene meetings without royal consent, thereby making the lay king the head of the spiritual order in England. Henry accepted More's resignation. Their old friendship was a thing of the past; the king's new advisers were anti-Catholic and Protestant, the most notable among them was Thomas Cromwell. He had once served under Wolsey and knew him better.Cromwell was a clever politician, whose beliefs changed at the whim of his royal master. ___________________________
³ Brady, Charles A. (1953). Stage of Fools: A Novel of Sir Thomas More. Dutton.
.He was even more aware of More's popularity than the king; and this came at the expense of More, since it meant that his refusal to publicly support the king could not be forgiven or forgotten. More would either have to acknowledge the king's spiritual superiority and marry Anne Boleyn, or he would die. This was clear to Cromwell almost from the very beginning, and perhaps to many others as well.
Meanwhile, More spent eighteen months in seclusion, studying at his home in Chelsea. He lived in relative poverty, since he did not hold any office and relied solely on the hundred pounds a year that he received from renting real estate. He did not struggle with the reduction of funds and planned a grave for himself and his wives, and also defended his faith in various booklets. He never explicitly sought controversy, but felt obliged to respond to such "reformers" as William Tyndale. His peaceful months ended in 1533, when he refused to participate in the coronation of Anne Boleyn.
Such blatant disrespect could not be tolerated, and More's name was included in the indictment against Elizabeth Barton, the "Holy Virgin of Kent", who prophesied against the annulment of the king's marriage. More's only communication with Barton was to warn her about interference in state affairs. It didn't matter. His name was on the list of applicants, and in February 1534 he appeared before the Privy Council. He answered their questions as best he could, assured them of his loyalty to the king and the state, and emphasized the question of his personal conscience. He was saved by his great popularity. This gave the king a respite, and More was allowed to return home.
But he knew what was coming. And his old friend, the Duke of Norfolk, warned him about the danger: “The principle of indignation is fatal." To which the more famous one replied: "Is that all, my Lord? Then, of my own free will, there is only one thing between your grace and me: I will die today and you tomorrow.” It was the succession law passed the following month that decided his fate. It was said that all those who were called must take an oath recognizing Anna as Henry's wife and her future children as legitimate heirs to the throne.
It was more completely ready to do. Anna was the anointed queen. But - and, of course, this clause was added only to lure the plague into a trap – the law also required the renunciation of “any foreign power, prince or sovereign." The plague could recognize Anne as the crowned queen of England. But he could not recognize the authority of the king as the head of the new Anglican Church. And so he was imprisoned in the Tower of London on April 17, 1534.
Pestilence was not a man who could be broken by prison, but he suffered physically. His mood was good when he was visited by family and friends, although they were allowed to see him only if they took an oath, which he refused. He encouraged her to do so.
A few months later, Cromwell visited him, but More refused to enter into a controversy with him and simply declared himself a loyal subject of the king. In June 1535, after being imprisoned for more than a year, Cromwell's servant Richard Rich, now attorney general, stated that he had spoken to an increasing number of people who refused the right of parliament to make Henry the head of the church. It was an obvious lie. Then it turned out that More had written to John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, who was also imprisoned in the Tower for not taking the oath. This discovery led to the seizure of More's books and writing materials. Now he could only write to his wife and beloved daughter Margaret on scraps of paper with a piece of coal or a burnt stick.On July 1, 1535, he was charged with treason. The resulting trial was just a show; despite his passionate and brilliant defense, no one ever expected that he would be found guilty of anything other than. And so he was, too. He was sentenced to the death penalty of a traitor – to execution by hanging and quartering - but the king changed the sentence to beheading. It was a small grace. The story of the last days of the plague is terribly touching. It is not necessary to share his religious beliefs in order to appreciate his inner strength and noble character.
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⁴ 1920 edition published by R. & T. Washbourne Limited, OCLC 1224822, 749455885.
He waited five days before being called to the scaffold on Tower Hill. "Take me up safely," he said to the lieutenant who accompanied him, "and when I come down, let me change my clothes.” He blindfolded himself and called on the assembled crowd to witness his death “in faith and for the faith of the Catholic Church, a good servant of the king, but above all of God." More's Protestant enemies did not regard him as a traitor; his death was almost universally regarded as nothing less than a martyrdom.