• Son of a London Lawyer, lived from 1478-1535
• Believed in using his education to serve the state
• Good friend of Erasmus
• Wrote Utopia in 1516
• In his service of the King, he came face to face with corruption, defended it:
  • Argued that if he couldn’t eliminate wrong ideas, he can lessen the damage done by quietly working to stop them in his service of the King
• Advocated for the persecution of those who would change the workings of the Catholic Church.
• Willingly gave up his life opposing England’s break with the Catholic Church.