On this day in history, 7th February 1477 or 1478, Sir Thomas More, Henry VIII's Lord Chancellor, was born in London.

 

More had once wanted to be a monk, but ended up being one of the most well-known statesmen of the Tudor period. Unfortunately, Sir Thomas More came to a sticky end after refusing to sign the oath recognising Henry VIII as the supreme head of the church in England, and was executed in 1535 as a traitor.

 

Find out all about More's rise to power, how he fell, and what he told his son-in-law about the king, in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of "On This Day in Tudor History".

 

Also on this day in Tudor history, 7th February 1526, Henry VIII took part in the traditional Shrovetide joust at Greenwich. I tell you all about it, and also about a nasty accident that one courtier suffered at it, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/jvtMdu75V1E 

 

Further videos on Sir Thomas More:

October 26 - Sir Thomas More is sworn in as Lord Chancellor - https://youtu.be/OkTYfRASu1I

April 13- Sir Thomas More gets into trouble - https://youtu.be/p1bUl1i-rgE

June 3 - Sir Thomas More is interrogated - https://youtu.be/bd65f6g2eis

June 26 - St Thomas More the Traitor - https://youtu.be/kPmBz6T7oJI 

 

You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:

https://youtu.be/zQedjkLjjzo