THE GREAT ONES
Sir Thomas More
V.K. SUBRAMANIAN
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Sir Thomas More (1478 A.D. - 1535 A.D.) was a martyr to freedom of mind and spirit.
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Sir Thomas More, the English statesman and scholar, is famous for his idealism and addiction to principles, while in office, without any regard for personal fortune or fate.
More was born in London, England, on February 7, 1478.
He studied law at Oxford, became a lawyer and in 1504, a Member of Parliament.
In 1516, he wrote his famous book, Utopia, in which he envisaged a State whose institutions and policies were governed entirely by reason and everything was shared and all the people were educated.
Patron of lawyers
More's wit, learning, and diplomatic skills attracted the attention of Henry VIII, who offered him important government jobs.
He held the offices of undersheriff, Commissioner of the Peace for Hampshire, Ambassador to Flanders, and ultimately in 1529 Lord Chancellor of England, the highest judicial post (equivalent to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in the U.S.)
More's fairness and honesty earned him great respect.
In 1532, however, he resigned his job, following his opposition to King Henry's decision to divorce Catherine of Aragon.
In 1534, on his refusal to acknowledge Henry VIII as head of the English church, he was imprisoned and beheaded in 1535.
Like Socrates, 2000 years earlier, Thomas More became a martyr to freedom of the mind and spirit.
On the scaffold, before being beheaded, he said: "I am the King's good servant — but God's first."
Desiderius Erasmus called Thomas More his dear friend, "A man for all seasons."
More was canonised for his martyrdom in 1935.
St. Thomas More is deemed the patron of lawyers.
This is an extract from the book The Great Ones by V.K.Subramanian, Abhinav Publications, New Delhi
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