The dramatization of Sir Thomas More's historic conflict with Henry
VIII--a compelling portrait of a courageous man who died for his
convictions and a modern classic that "challenges the mind, and, in the
end, touches the heart" (New York Times).
Sir Thomas More--the brilliant nobleman, lawyer, humanist, author of
such works as *Utopia--*was a long-time friend and favorite of Henry
VIII, ascending to the position of Lord Chancellor in 1529. Yet he was
also a staunch Catholic, and when Henry broke with the Church in 1531
after the Pope had refused to grant him a divorce from Catherine of
Aragon, More resigned the Chancellorship. In 1534, Parliament passed a
bill requiring all subjects to take an oath acknowledging the supremacy
of England's king over all foreign sovereigns--including the Pope. More
refused, was imprisoned, and finally was executed in 1535.