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Old Posted Sep 9, 2010, 10:13 PM
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XIV – Thomas More

Hunched over the Chelsea Embankment, looking out at Foster and Partners’ equally round-shouldered Albion Riverside, sits Thomas More: the man who dared to stand up to Henry VIII.

More, a devout Catholic, opposed Henry’s break with Rome and was executed for his beliefs in 1535. His opposition earned him sainthood as well as a reputation as a champion of freedom and integrity – Samuel Johnson called him “the person of the greatest virtue these islands ever produced”.

Which seems ironic, considering that More was just as ruthless as Henry when it came to Protestant heretics. In his time as Chancellor he burned six men at the stake for their beliefs. Unlike the prosecutors of Bloody Mary’s reign, however, More is seen not only as the perfect Catholic but also the architypal Englishman, steadfast in the face of tyranny.






Last edited by Bedhead; Oct 19, 2013 at 9:53 PM.
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