Most notably, Thomas More was a well-known politician in his nation.

He started as an
under-sheriff in London in 1517. Over the next few years, the politician rose through the
ranks of the political hierarchy. He was knighted in 1521 and two years later he became the
Speaker of the House of Commons. In addition, Thomas More became the chancellor of the
Duchy of Lancaster in 1525. In 1529, he was the Lord Chancellor to the King, and they were
known to be close friends. During his time in this position, the King declared himself to be the
head of the Church in England. Henry had declared himself the head of the Church in England
because the Pope at the time had refused to grant him an annulment to his first wife, Catherine
(or Katherine) of Aragon. Henry wanted to end his marriage to Catherine because she had
been briefly married to his older brother Arthur, and Henry did not believe it was biblical. The
pope did not allow this, however, because of a previous dispensation that Henry had received
to marry her. Because Henry VIII had declared himself the head of the Church, he now had
the authority to dissolve his marriage and get remarried.

More kept his silence on the subject. The chancellor wanted to stay true to his conscience, but
he also did not want to cause political upheaval, especially with the War of the Roses a
generation earlier. In 1532, More resigned his position in the government, citing failing
health. In a letter to his friend Erasmus, More says that the King “respectfully ordered the
Duke to proclaim publicly that he had unwillingly yielded to my request for resignation.”
However, the timing of the resignation strongly suggests that it was because the King was
pushing him to publicly agree to the divorce and remarriage.

The next year in 1533, Sir Thomas More was invited to the King’s marriage to Anne Boleyn,
but he did not attend the wedding. The King was not happy with this decision because he
wanted his friend to publicly agree. King Henry VIII realized that More’s refusal to approve
of his decisions could inspire others to do the same. Thomas More’s name was listed in a
document against Elizabeth Barton, who prophesied against the annulment. Their only contact
was for him to tell her to stop. He was questioned, but released soon after because of his
popularity. Around this time, Henry VIII got Parliament to pass the Act of Supremacy. This
document made it treason to not agree that the English monarch was the head of the Church in
England. In addition, it specified that the line of succession was the eldest surviving son, and,
if no such heir existed, that Elizabeth would succeed King Henry VIII. This new law also
required all citizens to take this oath.

However, Sir Thomas More did not sign this document because it was in direct violation of
his religious beliefs. He was not opposed to Anne being the queen, but he was opposed to
Henry being the head of the Catholic Church in England. While these were his thoughts, the
former English chancellor remained silent on the issue and he did not speak out directly
against the monarch’s demands. King Henry VIII wanted the man to be clear on his position
regarding the new law, and he did not find his friend’s silence acceptable, deeming him a
threat. As a result, the English government arrested Sir Thomas More in 1534 on charges of
treason.

Sir Thomas More was held in the Tower of London for over a year after his 1534 arrest.
During this time, Henry tried to pressure his friend into signing the Act of Supremacy. While
in the tower of London, More wrote to his daughter that the King demanded: “I should either
acknowledge and confess it lawful that his Highness should be Supreme Head of the Church
of England or else to utter my plain malignity.” Clearly, Henry wanted a clear answer, and
silence was not an acceptable answer. During his trial, Sir Thomas More was interrogated
multiple times. The point of these interrogations was to force him to agree to the demands of
the English monarch. As his biographer Anne Murphy notes, “More was not given a copy of
the grounds for indictment before his trial, and only had it read out to him in court. He had
had to conduct his own defence, could call on no witnesses, and could expect the jury to
comply with the wishes of the bench.”

Thus, the court was a mere formality, and not an actual trial. The verdict was clear before the
trial even commenced. The jury found him guilty of treason on June 26, 1535. In their book
about More, biographers Louis W. Karlin and David R. Oakley note that he was, “sentenced
to be hanged, drawn, and quartered…The Crown mitigated the punishment.” Only the King
could make such decisions. This indicates that, while he was considered a traitor to the
Crown, King Henry VIII did recognize the contributions that More had made to the English
realm.

As a result of the verdict, Sir Thomas More was beheaded on July 6, 1535 on Tower Hill.
Before he was beheaded as a traitor to the English Crown, More asked the crowd to pray for
him in this life, that he would pray for them in the next. Then he commented that he was, “the
King’s good servant, but God’s first.” This statement shows that he did care about England
and her king, wanting to see her succeed. However, to Sir Thomas More, his religious beliefs
were more important.

After the sentence was carried out, “the executioner picked it up and displayed it to the
crowds with the shout ‘Behold the head of a traitor.’” The English monarch viewed More as a
traitor to the Crown, and thus he needed to be disposed of. This execution successfully ended
the life of Sir Saint Thomas More on July 6, 1535. While the bodies of most traitors were
thrown into the river, his body was given a more proper burial at a local church. Even though
he was viewed as a traitor to the English Crown, his executioners recognized his legacy and
respected it by letting him receive a proper burial.

King Henry VIII wanted to make an example of Sir Thomas More through his execution in
the summer of 1535. During the reign of Henry VIII, most of his subjects did do as the king
wished, but there were a few who resisted the Crown. However, his fame grew across the
world. Devout Catholics became attracted to his life and, more importantly, the circumstances
that led to his execution. To this day, Catholics across the globe still admire Sir Thomas More
for his actions against the Crown. He was beatified on December 29, 1886. This proclamation
made Thomas More a “Blessed,” as well as being the first English lay person to be beatified
as a martyr. Christians refer to him as “Sir Saint Thomas More.” The title of “Saint” indicates
that the Englishman was canonized, and now is venerated as a holy person in his church. Pope
Pius XI canonized him 400 years after his death on May 19, 1935. Catholics celebrate him on
his feast day of July 6, the date of his execution.

King Henry VIII achieved what he wanted in the short run. He received the submission of his
subjects. However, the King’s tactic of forced submission to the Crown did not work in the
long run because the legacy of Thomas More is respected. He is a well-known figure in
Catholic circles, and even today Catholics look up to him as a heroic model.