Thomas More Popular Books
Thomas More Biography & Facts
Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, amateur theologian, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord High Chancellor of England from October 1529 to May 1532. He wrote Utopia, published in 1516, which describes the political system of an imaginary island state. More opposed the Protestant Reformation, directing polemics against the theology of Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli and William Tyndale. More also opposed Henry VIII's separation from the Catholic Church, refusing to acknowledge Henry as supreme head of the Church of England and the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. After refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy, he was convicted of treason on what he claimed was false evidence, and executed. On his execution, he was reported to have said: "I die the King's good servant, and God's first". Pope Pius XI canonised More in 1935 as a martyr. Pope John Paul II in 2000 declared him the patron saint of statesmen and politicians. Early life Born on Milk Street in the City of London, on 7 February 1478, Thomas More was the son of Sir John More, a successful lawyer and later a judge, and his wife Agnes (née Graunger). He was the second of six children. More was educated at St. Anthony's School, then considered one of London's best schools. From 1490 to 1492, More served John Morton, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor of England, as a household page.: xvi Morton enthusiastically supported the "New Learning" (scholarship which was later known as "humanism" or "London humanism"), and thought highly of the young More. Believing that More had great potential, Morton nominated him for a place at the University of Oxford (either in St. Mary Hall or Canterbury College, both now gone).: 38 More began his studies at Oxford in 1492, and received a classical education. Studying under Thomas Linacre and William Grocyn, he became proficient in both Latin and Greek. More left Oxford after only two years—at his father's insistence—to begin legal training in London at New Inn, one of the Inns of Chancery.: xvii In 1496, More became a student at Lincoln's Inn, one of the Inns of Court, where he remained until 1502, when he was called to the Bar.: xvii More could speak and banter in Latin with the same facility as in English. He wrote and translated poetry. He was particularly influenced by Pico della Mirandola and translated the Life of Pico into English. Spiritual life According to his friend, the theologian Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam, More once seriously contemplated abandoning his legal career to become a monk. Between 1503 and 1504 More lived near the Carthusian monastery outside the walls of London and joined in the monks' spiritual exercises. Although he deeply admired their piety, More ultimately decided to remain a layman, standing for election to Parliament in 1504 and marrying the following year.: xxi More continued ascetic practices for the rest of his life, such as wearing a hair shirt next to his skin and occasionally engaging in self-flagellation.: xxi A tradition of the Third Order of Saint Francis honours More as a member of that Order on their calendar of saints. Family life More married Joanna "Jane" Colt, the eldest daughter of John Colt of Essex in 1505. In that year he leased a portion of a house known as the Old Barge (originally there had been a wharf nearby serving the Walbrook river) on Bucklersbury, St Stephen Walbrook parish, London. Eight years later he took over the rest of the house and in total he lived there for almost 20 years, until his move to Chelsea in 1525.: 118, 271 Erasmus reported that More wanted to give his young wife a better education than she had previously received at home, and tutored her in music and literature.: 119 The couple had four children: Margaret, Elizabeth, Cecily, and John. Jane died in 1511.: 132 Going "against friends' advice and common custom," within 30 days, More had married one of the many eligible women among his wide circle of friends. He chose Alice Middleton, a widow, to head his household and care for his small children. The speed of the marriage was so unusual that More had to get a dispensation from the banns of marriage, which, due to his good public reputation, he easily obtained. More had no children from his second marriage, although he raised Alice's daughter from her previous marriage as his own. More also became the guardian of two young girls: Anne Cresacre who would eventually marry his son, John More;: 146 and Margaret Giggs (later Clement) who was the only member of his family to witness his execution (she died on the 35th anniversary of that execution, and her daughter married More's nephew William Rastell). An affectionate father, More wrote letters to his children whenever he was away on legal or government business, and encouraged them to write to him often.: 150 : xiv More insisted upon giving his daughters the same classical education as his son, an unusual attitude at the time.: 146–47 His eldest daughter, Margaret, attracted much admiration for her erudition, especially her fluency in Greek and Latin.: 147 More told his daughter of his pride in her academic accomplishments in September 1522, after he showed the bishop a letter she had written: When he saw from the signature that it was the letter of a lady, his surprise led him to read it more eagerly … he said he would never have believed it to be your work unless I had assured him of the fact, and he began to praise it in the highest terms … for its pure Latinity, its correctness, its erudition, and its expressions of tender affection. He took out at once from his pocket a portague [A Portuguese gold coin] … to send to you as a pledge and token of his good will towards you.: 152 More's decision to educate his daughters set an example for other noble families. Even Erasmus became much more favourable once he witnessed their accomplishments.: 149 A large portrait of More and his extended family, Sir Thomas More and Family, was painted by Holbein; however, it was lost in a fire in the 18th century. More's grandson commissioned a copy, of which two versions survive. The Nostell copy of the portrait shown above also includes the family's two pet dogs and monkey. Musical instruments such as a lute and viol feature in the background of the extant copies of Holbein's family portrait. More played the recorder and viol,: 136 and made sure his wives could join in the family consort. Personality according to Erasmus Concerning More's personality, Erasmus gave a consistent portrait over a period of thirty five years. Soon after meeting the young lawyer More, who became his best friend and invited Erasmus into his household, Erasmus reported in 1500 "Did nature ever invent anything kinder, sweeter or more harmonious than the character of Tho.... Discover the Thomas More popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Thomas More books.
Best Seller Thomas More Books of 2024
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Three Early Modern Utopias
Thomas More, Francis Bacon, Henry Neville & Susan BruceA unique edition of three early modern utopian texts, using a contemporary translation of More's Utopia and examining the Renaissance world view as shown by these writers. The edi...
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One More Christmas at the Castle
Trisha Ashley'The ultimate in feelgood fiction reads, it will fill your heart with Christmas spirit.' Milly Johnson, author of Woman in the MiddleThis Christmas will be the most special of them...
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Works of Thomas Hardy
Thomas HardyThis collection was designed for optimal navigation on iPad and other electronic devices. It is indexed alphabetically, chronologically and by category, making it easier to access...
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Saint Thomas More
Alvaro de SilvaLord Chancellor of England, Christian Humanist, author of Utopia and loving husband and father; Thomas More's enduring appeal is renewed in this new introductory biography. A t...
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It Must Have Been the Mistletoe
Judy AstleyLet muchloved and everpopular author Judy Astley gift you an unmissable, hilarious and heartwarming read this Christmas. Perfect for fans of Katie Fforde, Trisha Ashley, Jenny Colg...
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Ameritopia
Mark R. LevinIn his acclaimed #1 New York Times bestseller, Mark R. Levin explores the psychology, motivations, and history of the utopian movement, its architectsthe Founding Fathers, and its ...
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Thomas More
Henriette Roland HolstHenriëtte Roland Holst zet in 'Thomas More' een meeslepend toneelstuk neer over het leven van de bekende Thomas More (14781535). Hij was jurist, filosoof en humanist. More ...
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The Essential Works of Thomas More
Thomas More & William RoperMusaicum Books presents to you a meticulously edited Thomas More collection. This ebook has been designed and formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readabilit...
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U.S. History 101
Kathleen SearsPerfect for readers of all ages, U.S. History 101 is a factfilled and riveting introduction to the most important political events and figures from the last 300 years of our nation...
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The Poetry Of Thomas Traherne
Thomas TraherneThomas Traherne was born in Herfordshire, the son of a shoemaker. He was educated at Hereford Cathedral School and Brasenose College, Oxford. After graduating in 1656 he took ho...
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Christendom Destroyed
Mark Greengrass“The latest volume to appear in the Penguin History of Europe. Like its companion volumes, [Christendom Destroyed] is no breezy survey but a masterly synthesis of depth and br...
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Thomas More
Joanne PaulThomas More remains one of the most enigmatic thinkers in history, due in large part to the enduring mysteries surrounding his bestknown work, Utopia. He has been variously thought...
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Thomas More
Travis CurtrightThis collection of essays addresses Thomas More’s guiding principles of leadership through his writings, actions, and in recent artistic depictions.
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Thomas More
Barbara YoffieThomas More was the father of a happy and holy family. They prayed and read scripture together. He believed in living his faith and teaching by example. Loyalty to God was first an...
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Read and Share Bible
Thomas NelsonIt is big and bright with lots of pageturning learning about the Word of God.The Read and Share Bible is unique in its format and solid in Bible teaching. Packed with 200 stories t...
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Study Guide to Utopia by Thomas More
Intelligent EducationA comprehensive study guide offering indepth explanation, essay, and test prep for Thomas More’s Utopia, originally written in Latin in 1516 and considered a great political and ph...
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Saint Thomas More Saint John Fisher
Bob Lord & Penny LordHow does a just king, a loyal Defender of the Faith, turn on all that he vowed to protect, betraying Church and country? Was it the limitless power he had, the power to decide betw...
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Thomas More
Richard MariusMost previous biographers of Thomas More have sought to prove him a saint; in this, the first fullscale biography of More in half a century, Richard Marius, a leading Reformation h...
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Wonderworks
Angus FletcherThis “fascinating” (Malcolm Gladwell, New York Times bestselling author of Outliers) examination of literary inventions through the ages, from ancient Mesopotamia to Elena Ferrante...
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Winter Warmers
Carole MatthewsCurl up with three festive short stories from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Christmas for BeginnersAll I Want for Christmas is YouChristmas is around the corner but Maria ...
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John Fisher and Thomas More
Robert J ConradIn 1929, nearly four hundred years after the deaths of Saints Thomas More and John Fisher, G.K. Chesterton observed in words equally attributable to Fisher, “Blessed Thomas More is...
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Sacred Marriage
Gary ThomasWhat if God designed marriage to make you holy instead of happy? What if your relationship isn't as much about you and your spouse as it is about you and God?In Sacred Marriage, be...
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Utopia
Thomas More & Dominic Baker-Smith'It remains astonishingly radical ... one of Utopia's most striking aspects is its contemporaniety' Terry EagletonIn Utopia, Thomas More gives us a traveller's account of a newlydi...
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The Life of Sir Thomas More
William RoperSir Thomas More (February 7, 1478 – July 6, 1535), also known by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaiss...
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Thomas More
John GuyPart One: The History (What do we know?) This brief historical introduction to Thomas More explores the social, political and religious factors that formed the original context of...
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Past Master
R. A. Lafferty & Andrew FergusonWolf Hall meets The Man in the High Castle in this mindbending science fiction classic, now presented in an authoritative new edition from Library of America Plucked...
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Thomas More
Barbara YoffieThomas More was the father of a happy and holy family. They prayed and read scripture together. He believed in living his faith and teaching by example. Loyalty to God was first an...
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Sunshine, with a Chance of Snow
Carole MatthewsA short ebook exclusive story from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Christmas for BeginnersBeth and Michael have worked hard all their married life to give their children eve...
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Sir Thomas More, or, Colloquies on the Progress and Prospects of Society
Robert SoutheyThis is a biographical type of book. It describes aslo the different social issues. These dialogues with a meditative and patriotic ghost form separate dissertations upon various q...
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Thomas More
Marie-Claire Phélippeau"Le pilote ne quitte pas le navire devant la tempête parce qu’il ne peut maîtriser le vent." Auteur de L’Utopie (1516), ce pays de nulle part qui possède "la meilleure forme de co...
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Rest in Pieces
Bess LovejoyA “marvelously macabre” (Kirkus Reviews) history of the bizarre afterlives of corpses of the celebrated and notorious dead.For some of the most influential figures in history, deat...
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Second Wind
Dr. Bill ThomasFrom one of the most original and innovative thinkers in medicine, this “stirring and splendid book” (Wall Street Journal) offers groundbreaking insight to the postwar generation o...
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The Life of Thomas More
Peter AckroydPeter Ackroyd's The Life of Thomas More is a masterful reconstruction of the life and imagination of one of the most remarkable figures of history. Thomas More (14781535) was a ren...
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Portrait of an Unknown Woman
Vanora BennettHidden identities, rising political and religious tension, sensual awakening, and artistic vision come together in Vanora Bennett’s luminous and absorbing historical novel of Tudor...
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Prayers of St Thomas More
Thomas More & Pope Benedict XVIMore penned many prayers while in his cell in the Tower, perhaps the most moving being those written during the five days between his condemnation and execution. These, together wi...
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Thomas More
Peter BerglarThis book explores the conscience and motivation of one of the most admired persons in history: St. Thomas More. Most people know that Thomas More wrote a book called Utopia about ...