19:51:56

I die the king's faithful servant, but God's first. Those were the final words of Sir Thomas More, an honest and dedicated man of the Renaissance. But to understand why he was beheaded on July 6th 1535, we need to go back in time, to the very beginning of his life.

19:52:52

20/20 *meurt :')*

19:58:20

Early Years

Thomas More was born on February 7th 1478 in London at the end of the Middle Ages. Classical literature, fine arts, and sciences were about to know a breath of renewal in England. Humanism, a philosophy that valorizes the potential of human beings, was about to see the day in his country. In that time, the Tudor dynasty was in power and the country flourished under their reign. But still, life was hard because half of the population had only enough food and clothes to survive. Nonetheless, as a child, Thomas More was lucky to receive a good education because his father was a successful lawyer. More attended Saint Anthony's School, one of the most prestigious schools of his time. Having a brilliant mind and great potential, he studied formal logic and literature at Oxford University.

20:01:02

Oh valorizes ça me le met comme un faute. *va googler* Non ça existe. :teddy:

19/20 parce que j'avais foutu "as a child" après Thomas More. Mais ça change rien. 'fin. Ça fait buguer mon cerveau donc -1.

20:10:05

Even though Thomas was more interested in spirituality and classic literature, his father insisted that his son followed his footsteps to become a lawyer. During this period of his life, More knew that he was promised to a successful legal career, but he felt a desire for monasticism. He wanted to give a meaning to his life by retiring from society and becoming a monk. Instead, he decided to accomplish his father's wishes and went to Lincoln's Inn, a school of law. However, he also moved outside the city of London to live in a monastery near the institution. Finally, his legal career took over because More wanted to serve his country. Still, some of his ascetic practices from the monastery followed him the rest of his life, such as praying, fasting, and wearing a hair shirt like monks.

More had a great sense of justice and appreciated the people from lower social classes. He defended their rights and this brought him popularity among the Londoners. 20:13:14

19/20, un peu trop d'hésitation.

20:16:18

Furthermore, Thomas More is known today for having written a book named Utopia. It was published in 1516 and originally written in Latin, but translated in English after his death. It's his most famous work and the forerunner of the utopian genre. More describes a fictional and ideal society set on an island called Utopia. His book was meant to criticize the European society of the 16th century by contrasting it with his own idea of a perfect society. For example, in Utopia, everything is ruled by reason, unlike the politics of his time, mostly influenced by self-interest. It's especially illustrated by the capricious and cruel executions of king Henri VIII. It's ironic because More would later be himself a victim of the king's tyranny. Also, in Utopia, men and women are equal and receive the same education. Thomas thought the only way to cure human egoism was communism. In UtopiaIn his ideal society, no man could call anything his own.

Because of his book, More became a respected humanist and philosopher across Europe.

20:19:59

15/20, déconcentration et fautes.