St Thomas More

Date and place of birth

Feb 7, 1478

St Thomas More was born on Milk Street, London, on February the 7th in 1478. He was son of John More a prominent judge and his wife Agnes Graunger.

Where he went to school

Mar 16, 1482

St Thomas More went to St Anthony's School Threadneedle Street in London.

St Thomas More and the Lord Chancellor

Jan 1, 1491

During this period he was sent to live with of John Morton, Lord Chancellor to King Henry VII and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

St Thomas More continues his education

Feb 23, 1492

He went and studied Greek and Latin Literature at Oxford University under Thomas Linacre and William Grocyn.

Continues his education

Jan 1, 1494

He went to London again and studied law at the University of Oxford.

His Education

Jan 1, 1496

St Thomas More is then sent off to Lincoln's inn to further his knowledge in law. He met Erasmus while he was there.

His Job

Jan 1, 1499

He finishes his studies of law and begins to work as a barrister.

Which Path?

Jan 1, 1501

While living as a guest in the London Charterhouse, Thomas More considers entering the priesthood.

Family Life

Jan 1, 1504

St Thomas More married Jane Coult, 17, and over the years had four children; Margaret, Elizabeth, Cicely and John.

Into Parliament

Jan 1, 1504

St Thomas More decides priesthood is not a good choice and as he is married he decided to join Parliament.

Honest and an Undersheriff

Jan 1, 1510

St Thomas More became one of two undersheriffs in London and gained a reputation as a really honest man.

Death in the Family

Jan 1, 1511

Jane Coult dies leaving him with his four children. He marries another woman by the name of Alice Middleton a month later to ensure his children have a mother. Alice also had a daughter that Thomas adopted.

The Mission to Antwerp

Jan 1, 1515

Thomas More goes on diplomatic mission to Antwerp. While there, he begins to write Utopia.

Utopia is published

Jan 1, 1516

St Thomas More then returns to London and finishes his book Utopia. It is then published. The book sets an ideal nearly impossible social society.

Personal Servant

Jan 1, 1517

St Thomas More becomes King Henry VIII's counsellor and "personal servant".

The Privy Council and the History of King Richard III

Jan 1, 1518

St Thomas More becomes part of the Privy Council of King Henry VIII. The Privy Council is a council that advises the head of the monarchy which at the time was King Henry VIII. At this time St Thomas also started working on a History of King Richard III, which was strongly biased towards the Tudors and was used by William Shakespeare as a base for his play.

Knighthood and Treasurer

Jan 1, 1521

St Thomas More is then knighted and made Sub-Treasurer after he came back from a diplomatic mission to Rome to meet the Roman Emperor Charles V.

Elected Speaker and the Responsio ad Lutherum

Jan 1, 1523

St Thomas more was elected Speaker of the House of Commons.
During this time he also wrote Responsio ad Lutherum.

Chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster

Jan 1, 1525

St Thomas More was made Chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster which meant he controlled most of northern England.

The King in Love

Jan 1, 1526

King Henry VIII fell madly in love with a lady named Anne Boleyn who he then became obsessed with.

His Portrait is Painted

Jan 1, 1527

Hans Holbein a famous painter paints a portrait of St Thomas More.

Defence

Jan 1, 1528

He began writing in English documents and other forms of text in defence of the Catholic Church.

Lord Chancellor of England

Oct 25, 1529

St Thomas More was finally made the Lord Chancellor of England after Cardinal Wolsey. He also published "Dialogue Concerning Heresies".

Divorce?

Jan 1, 1530

St Thomas More refuses to sign the letter written by the leading English churchmen and courtiers asking the Pope to annul the marriage of King Henry VIII to Katherine of Aragon.

The Oath

Jan 1, 1531

St Thomas More is forced to take an oath declaring that the king from then on will be the supreme head of the English church "as far the law of Christ allows." He attempted to resign his position but it was refused by the king.

Resignation at Last

May 16, 1532

St Thomas More didn't believe it right to support King Henry VIII with his attempt to divorce Katherine of Aragon and to marry Anne Boleyn. St Thomas then went through the trouble of asking for his resignation again but to do so he faked the fact that he had an illness and was suffering from sharp chest pains. King Henry VIII grants his request this time.

Publishing Books

Jan 1, 1533

St Thomas More published many books one of them being Confutation of Tyndale's Answer.

The King remarries

Jan 25, 1533

King Henry VIII ends up marrying Anne Boleyn and as a consequence of this he is excommunicated from The Church by Pope Clement VII.

The Marriage is Valid

Mar 23, 1534

Pope Clement VII declares that the marriage of King Henry VII to Katherine of Aragon is valid.

The Act of Succession

Mar 30, 1534

Parliament passes the Act of Succession which allowed King Henry VIII's children from Anne Boleyn to succeed the throne after the king's death and did the opposite of that to any of the children of Katherine of Aragon. Having anything against this act would be considered as high treason.

Refusal

Apr 1, 1534

St Thomas More was sent to the Tower of London for refusing to take the oath of the Act of Succession. During this time, St Thomas More writes Treatise on the Passion and Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation.

The Act of Supremacy

Nov 3, 1534

King Henry VIII breaks off from the Church of Rome and passes an act, The Act of Supremacy that allowed and validated King Henry VIII as the supreme head of the Church of England.

Conviction and Trial

Jul 1, 1535

St Thomas More was convicted and tried for high treason. He was found guilty. He was tried in Westminster Hall and was also accused of perjured testimony.

The Death of St Thomas More

Jul 6, 1535

St Thomas More was beheaded alongside Bishop Fisher by King Henry VIII on Tower Hill. He was convicted and found guilty of treason.

The Canonisation of St Thomas More

May 1, 1935

Sir Thomas More became Blessed Thomas More in 1935. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI.