Thomas More
An English lawyer, social philosopher, humanist, and statesman. He was executed for treason after refusing to accept the Act of Supremacy.
- Early modern era
- United Kingdom
- Feast day June 22
- 1478 – 1535
- Martyr
Listen to the life 0:49
Saint Thomas More, born in London in 1478, was a major figure of the English Renaissance. A brilliant lawyer and humanist writer (author of 'Utopia'), he became Lord Chancellor of England under King Henry VIII. His unwavering loyalty to the Catholic faith and the Pope led him to refuse, on 13 April 1534, the oath attached to the Act of Succession, whose preamble recognized the king's supremacy over the Church of England. Accused of high treason, he was imprisoned in the Tower of London and then beheaded on July 6, 1535. Beatified in 1886 and canonized in 1935, he was proclaimed the patron saint of statesmen and politicians by Pope John Paul II in 2000.
Patronage
Sharing the same feast day
Same patronage
Places
- Birth
- Cité de Westminster
- Death
- Grand Londres