It was during these years that the conflict between More's allegiance to the Roman Catholic Church and Henry VIII's desire to establish an independent Church of England came to the forefront.

Gaining the powerful position of lord chancellor in 1529, a position he held until 1532, More had several Lutherans burned at the stake, and he imprisoned many others. Other posts included chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1525) and high steward of the Universities of Oxford (1524) and Cambridge (1525).Īn outspoken advocate against Lutheranism, More penned a number of polemical books, published between 15, against this form of religion, which More considered to be heresy against the teachings of Catholicism. He became speaker of the House of Commons in 1523. More was knighted following these negotiations. In the king's service, More was sent on diplomatic missions, including negotiations with the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, in 1520-21. During his years as an undersheriff he began writing Utopia, which was published in 1516, as well as The History of Richard III, which was completed in 1518. He served until 1518 as an undersheriff, despite the fact that in 1517 he was also appointed as a counselor and personal servant to King Henry VIII. More soon married the widow Alice Middleton. In 1510, More began working as one of two undersheriffs of London, and the next year his wife Joan died. Holding the then-unorthodox view that men and women had equal intellectual potential, More educated his daughters as well as his son. He married Jane Colt in 1505, and the couple subsequently had four children. Deeply spiritual, More lived in a monastery, the Charterhouse of London, for several years however, he did not take any monastic vows.

From 1492 to 1494, More attended the University of Oxford and later studied law at the New Inn in London, until 1496 he finally entered the legal profession in 1501. It was customary during this time period for upper-middle-class families to participate in such arrangements, which provided an opportunity for English youth to receive both work experience and to continue their education. In 1490, More began working as a page in the household of the Archbishop of Canterbury, John Morton. Anthony's School in London, where he was provided with a religious education and an early training in oratory and debating skills. He was the second child of attorney John More and Agnes Graunger More. Thomas More was born into a prominent London family on February 6, 1478. Its provocative themes inspire a variety of analyses.Ī modern, English translation of Utopia is available through Yale University Press, translated by Clarence H. Yet its unique structure allows for endless speculation regarding the intentions of the author. Given the structure of the novel-an oral report framed by correspondence- Utopia is a work about philosophical ideas, rather than a plot- or character-driven story. That of another country are held as slaves.

Utopia is a society presented as happy and safe, yet there is a degree of gender inequality, and certain individuals who have transgressed against Utopian society or The society described is one in which all property is held in common, and all goods and services are freely given or exchanged rather than bought or sold. Rather, the text is often viewed as an open-ended dialogue that invites the reader to interact with More and with Raphael Hythloday, the philosopher and traveler who has spent a considerable amount of time with the Utopians and who offers his glowing report to More about the society, its people, its customs, and its structure. One of the reasons why the text continues to fascinate scholars and the general reader is that it never resolves its own stance on what may be perceived as 'good' about Utopian society and worthy of emulation, and what is despicable about the country and its customs. Despite the fictive nature of the work, it insists, through these letters, on its own factuality. The narrative is framed by the correspondence between the character of Peter Giles and a fictionalized version of More. The work, sometimes taken as a straightforward, if radical, guide to creating an ideal society, questions the values of the imaginary land of Utopia at the same time that it apparently presents the country as a model of a good, just, and happy society. Sir Thomas More's highly influential Utopia was originally published in Latin in 1516.

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