Thomas More

Sir Thomas More (7 February, 1478–6 July, 1535), posthumously known also as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, writer, and politician. During his lifetime he earned a reputation as a leading humanist scholar and occupied many public offices, including that of Lord Chancellor from 1529 to 1532. More coined the word "utopia", a name he gave to an ideal, imaginary island nation whose political system he described in a book published in 1516. He is chiefly remembered for his principled refusal to accept King Henry VIII's claim to be the supreme head of the Church of England, a decision which ended his political career and led to his execution as a traitor. More was canonized in 1935 by Pope Pius XII as a rebuke to the political extremists in Germany who championed putting considerations of State ahead of all others, even ahead of one's duties towards God. More became the patron saint of statesmen, lawyers, and politicians.

External links

• Thomas More Studies database: contains several of More's English works, including dialogues, early poetry and letters, as well as journal articles and biographical material
• More and The History of Richard III
• {{nndb name|id=623/000087362|name=Thomas More}}
• Thomas More Law Center, a conservative USA public-interest law firm inspired by More's legal service
• {{gutenberg author|id=Thomas_More|name=Thomas More}} Only has Utopia
• Thomas More and his Utopia by Karl Kautsky
• Utopia HTML-formated text on Marxists.org