Thomas
More

Thomas More was an influential English Renaissance humanist, lawyer, social philosopher, author, and statesman. Born in 1478 in London, More was the son of a prominent judge and received an excellent education, studying at Oxford University before being called to the bar. He quickly rose through the ranks of the legal profession, becoming a successful lawyer and eventually serving as a judge.

More's most famous work was his 1516 book "Utopia", a socio-political satire in which he described the fictional island country of Utopia with an seemingly perfect social, legal, and political system. The book was a seminal work of early modern philosophy and political theory, and helped establish More as one of the leading intellectuals of the English Renaissance. Despite his success, More faced a moral dilemma when King Henry VIII broke from the Catholic Church and demanded that all subjects swear an oath acknowledging the king as the supreme head of the Church of England. As a devout Catholic, More refused to take the oath and was subsequently tried and convicted of treason. He was executed in 1535 at the age of 57, and was later canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church in 1935 in recognition of his principled stand for his religious beliefs. More's life and death have made him an enduring symbol of integrity, conscience, and the willingness to sacrifice one's life for one's principles.