He was the son of a prominent lawyer. More attend Oxford where he received his degree in law like his father. Along with his trade in law he still kept a great interest in writing, philosophy, and history. More wrote several works including Utopia. More also made friendships with very influential people of the time including Desiderius Erasmus, one of the greatest Humanist thinker of the time. He entered King Henry VIII's court and became a trusted advisor. In 1529 he gained the office of Chancellor. Despite all of his great accomplishments he remained a religious Catholic. Though he found that he could greater serve his God as a lay Christian. He followed many ascetic practices of the Monks, such as: rising early, fasting, prolonged prayer, and wearing a hair shirt. .
More lived during the years of the Protestant Reformation, and was a leader of the Counter-Reformation. More prosecuted the Protestants. King Henry VIII and More were strong defenders of Catholicism, but when King Henry VIII broke away from the Vatican to declare himself head of the new Anglican Church, More refused to follow with his lead. There were a number of false charges brought against More, and was convicted and sentenced to be drawn and quartered, the death a traitor would have had to face. More was executed in 1535, a martyr for his religion.
I actually liked the way Thomas More wrote Utopia. It started off like a debate between More, Peter Giles and Raphael Hythloday this was called, "The Dialogue of Counsel." The debate among the three men was on the obligations of a man of experience, and integrity to play an active role in the service of country and mankind. With this they are referring to Raphael because he was a well traveled man who had a depth of understanding of governments of many nations. As he moved on to book two, More described exactly how his Utopia would be. He laid out the groundwork for a perfect world.
