Autobiography of St. Thomas More

Introducing St. Thomas More (1478-1535) Patron saint of lawyers

Feb 7, 1478

Video about St. Thomas More
Thomas More was born on Milk Street in London, England to a lawyer and prominent judge, Sir John More and his wife Agnes Graunger. He was educated at St. Anthony’s School in Threadneedle Street in London. St. Thomas More is recognised as a saint in the Catholic Church and is commemorated by the Church of England as a ‘Reformation martyr’. His feast day is celebrated on the 22nd of June.

St. Thomas More

Period: Feb 7, 1478 to Jan 1, 1935

This is an autobiography of St. Thomas More providing important dates and their significance in chronological order. There is information on his life, achievements, the controversies he was involved in and facts about the life and history of St. Thomas More.

Part of early life

Period: Jan 1, 1490 to Jan 1, 1492

St. Thomas More
From the years 1490-1492 Sir Thomas More served as a page in the household for the archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal John Morton and the Lord Chancellor of England to King Henry VII.

More studies law

Jan 1, 1492

More began to study law at Oxford University hoping to become a barrister in 1492 after he was nominated by John Morton who thought highly of Thomas More and believed he showed great potential. He was the student of Thomas Linacre and William Grocyn, becoming an expert in both Greek and Latin.

Legal training

Period: Jan 1, 1494 to Jan 1, 1502

St. Thomas More left university after 2 years which was in 1494 to begin his legal training with his father in London at New Inn. More then became a student in 1496 at Lincoln’s Inn remaining there up until he became a barrister around the years 1501 and 1502. During this period of time he made a close friend with Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam.

More enters Parliament

Jan 1, 1504

Around the years 1503 and 1504 More thought deeply of leaving his legal career to become a monk. He lived near the Carthusian monastery located close by London, taking part in the monastic practices and disciplining himself in the monks’ spiritual exercises. However after sincerely thinking he decided on his life of politics, keeping his duty to serve his country. Yet his prayer, fasting, and penance habits stayed with him for the rest of his life. More becomes a member of Parliament in 1504.

First Marriage

Jan 1, 1505

St. Thomas More got married to his beloved Jane Colt in 1505; together they had 4 children, Margaret, Elizabeth, Cicely, and John.

Elected to Parliament again

Jan 1, 1510

More was elected to Parliament again to represent London and from 1510 served as one of the two undersheriffs in London. In doing this he gained a positive reputation as an honest and impartial man. Also, four years later he was chosen as one of an embassy to Flanders by Cardinal Wolsey; his role was to protect the interests of English merchants.

Second Marriage

Jan 1, 1511

In 1511 More’s first wife, Jane died at a young age. A month later, he married a widow, Alice Middleton to ensure that his children had a mother keeping them at his best interest.

Beginning of "Utopia"

Jan 1, 1515

In this year, Thomas was sent to on a diplomatic mission to Antwerp where he begins to write “Utopia” (a name he gave to the ideal and imaginary island nation). He sketched out his most controversial work, Utopia, a novel in Latin.

Completion of the world-famous book "Utopia"

Jan 1, 1516

More’s world-famous book, Utopia is completed and published in 1516 describing an ideal, if not impossible, social world.

Enters service to King Henry VIII

Jan 1, 1517

Thomas More becomes a secretary (“personal servant”) and personal adviser to King Henry VIII.

More, a member of the Privy Council !

Jan 1, 1518

More is appointed as a member of the Privy Council of King Henry VIII. He took on what he recognized as his civic duty knowing the risks and disadvantages such as less time for his family and his own studies and writing.

More resigns

Jan 1, 1519

In this year More resigned from his place as under-sheriff, mainly to focus and be complately attached to the Court.

More is Knighted

Jan 1, 1521

After undertaking a diplomatic mission to the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, Thomas More was knighted and made under treasurer of the Exchequer by King Henry.

Speaker of the House of Commons

Apr 18, 1523

Sir Thomas More was elected as knight of the shire in this year and on the date was chosen and entitled Speaker of the House of Commons of Parliament as recommended by Thomas Wolsey; the Archbishop of York.

Journey to Chelsea

Jan 1, 1524

Prior to 1524, More had purchased a piece of land in Chelsea where he built himself a mansion. He moved to Chelsea in 1524 into the ‘Great House’ whilst the war in France resumes.

Appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Jan 1, 1525

In the year 1525, Thomas More was chosen to be Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster by King Henry which therefore appointed him with executive and judicial control of much of northern England. In the same year he became High Steward of Cambridge University.

Royal Council Subcommittee and Controversy

Jan 1, 1526

More was appointed to the royal council’s subcommittee of four and in the same year advised Erasmus to complete the writings against Luther. By this time the Lutheran controversy in which More was now drawn into mainly by Henry, had spread around the whole of Europe.

Controversy against heresy

Jan 1, 1528

More believed that areas of the Catholic Church deserved to be renewed and modernised. However he strongly believed that any change to the Church had to come from the Catholic Church. Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Bucer and the many other Protestants were seen by More as being undisciplined both in doctrine and practice. And in 1528, More published ‘Dialogue concerning Heresies’ against Lutherans.

Campaign against the Reformation

Jan 1, 1528

More saw the Reformation as heresy, a threat to the unity of both church and society. More was perhaps one of the strongest leaders of reformation in London, he was defensive of the Catholic Church and even had people burned at the stake for heresy. He mainly spent the end of his political career trying to battle with the theories expressed by Martin Luther. More also took part in the start of the Reformation Parliament, which dealt with aligning the changes in the religious world in that time.

Chancellorship

Oct 1, 1529

In October 1529, Sir Thomas More was the first layman after Wolsey had fell, to be made Lord Chancellor of England. As chancellor it was his liability to implement the laws against heretics. He undertook this duty and aggravated the attacks of Protestant writers in that era and even now.

New Parliament

Nov 1, 1529

More's first public appearance as chancellor was at the opening of the new Parliament in November, 1529.

Refusal and Attempted Resignation

Period: Mar 22, 1530 to Jan 1, 1531

In 1530, St. Thomas More refused to sign a letter by the leading English churchmen and courtiers asking the pope to annul the marriage of King Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon. He also quarrelled with King Henry VIII over the heresy laws. At the time that King Henry was admitted as “Supreme Head” of the English Church “as far the law of Christ allows”, More attempted to resign his office after being forced to take the oath of this acknowledgement. However the King refused him permission.

Final Resignation !

May 1, 1532

In May 1532, More tried one more time to resign from his office claiming he was ill and suffering from large chest pains. He did not at all support Henry's attempts to divorce Catherine and marry Anne Boleyn and this time the King granted his request, he held his post as Lord Chancellor for less than three years. Thomas More then spent the rest of his life writing mostly in the defence of the church.

More's refusal and Accusation

Period: Jan 1, 1533 to Jan 1, 1534

More’s refusal to attend Anne Boleyn's coronation as the Queen of England was inferred as an insult, therefore leading Henry to take action against him. However this was not considered an act of treason, More had acknowledged the King’s happiness by writing him a letter. Early this year, More was suspected of conspiring with Elizabeth Barton, “Holy Maid of Kent” who had held prophecies against the king’s annulment, but he wrote a letter instructing the nun not to interfere with state issues.

Refused to take an oath !

Apr 13, 1534

On the 13th of April in 1534, St. Thomas More refused to render allegiance to the King as the Head of the Church of England and to the parliamentary Act of Succession alongside his close friend, St. John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester. More had been asked to appear before a commission and take the oath of supremacy of the Crown in the relationship between the kingdom and the church in England; he also publicly refused to uphold Henry’s annulment from Catherine.

More is sent to prison

Apr 17, 1534

After having refused to support the King’s annulment, More’s enemies had enough evidence to accuse More of treason and have him arrested. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London four days later.

More's trial

Jul 1, 1535

On the 1st of July, 1535, More was found guilty and charged with high treason by the panel of judges before whom he was tried which included the new Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas Audley, as well as Anne Boleyn's father, brother, and uncle. More refused to answer any questions and new he had to take the oath of the Act of Succession to be safe from conviction. More was tried and within a matter of 15 minutes the jury found More guilty, under a section of the Treason Act 1534.

Before the Jury's Verdict

Jul 1, 1535

Before the jury’s verdict More spoke freely of his belief that "no temporal man may be the head of the spirituality". He was sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered (the usual punishment for traitors who were not the nobility), but the King commuted this to execution by decapitation.

Execution

Jul 6, 1535

St. Thomas More was executed on the 6th of July 1535, beheaded on Tower Hill, London, England. Just before he was killed he came to mount the steps leading to the scaffold and whilst he was here he widely quoted as saying (to the official): "I pray you, I pray you, Mr Lieutenant, see me safe up and for my coming down, I can shift for myself"; once he was on the scaffold he stated that he died “the king’s good servant, but God’s first.”

Head exposed

Jul 6, 1535

More’s body taken to St. Peter and Vincula, Tower of London, England.
His head parboiled and then exposed on London Bridge for a month as a warning to other “traitors”.

Beatification

Jan 1, 1886

St. Thomas More was beatified in 1886 by Pope Leo XIII.

Canonisation

May 19, 1935

St. Thomas More was canonized with John Fisher on the 19th of May, 1935 by Pope Pius XI. His feast day is celebrated on the 22nd of June according to the Catholic Church. It is the 6th of July on some local calendars and the 9th of July on the traditional Catholic (Latin Mass) calendar.