Thomas More

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History & Society

Thomas More

English humanist and statesman

Also known as: Saint Thomas More

Written by Germain P. Marc'hadour

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 28, 2024 • Article History

Hans Holbein the Younger: Sir Thomas More

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Category: History & Society

In full:: Sir Thomas More

Also called:: Saint Thomas More

Born:: February 7, 1478, London, England

Died:: July 6, 1535, London (aged 57)

Title / Office:: chancellor (1529-1532), England

Subjects Of Study:: utopia

On the Web:: Official Site of the Thomas More Society (Mar. 28, 2024)

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Thomas More (born February 7, 1478, London, England—died July 6, 1535, London; canonized May 19, 1935; feast day June 22) was an English humanist and statesman, chancellor of England (1529–32), who was beheaded for refusing to accept King Henry VIII as head of the Church of England. He is recognized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. Thomas—the eldest son of John More, a lawyer who was later knighted and made a judge of the King’s Bench—was educated at one of London’s best schools, St. Anthony’s in Threadneedle Street, and in the household of John Morton, archbishop of Canterbury ...(100 of 2664 words)

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