Thomas More was executed in 1535 after refusing to accept Henry VIII as supreme head of the Church in England. More’s silence on the succession and supremacy oaths was treated as treason under the law of the time.
Born in London in 1478, More became a lawyer, author, statesman, and member of Parliament. He served as Lord Chancellor from 1529 to 1532, making him the highest-ranking lay official in England.
More opposed Henry VIII’s attempt to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and rejected the royal supremacy established by the Acts of Succession and Supremacy. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London and beheaded on 6 July 1535.
Pope Pius XI canonized More in 1935. He is recognized as the patron saint of statesmen, politicians, and lawyers. John Fisher, who was also executed in 1535, was a bishop and cardinal; More was a layman and former lord chancellor.