This beloved saint was born in London on February 7, 1478 to a wealthy family. He entered Oxford 1492 but soon left there to become a lawyer.
 
A few years later in 1505 he married his first wife, Alice, but she died in 1511, leaving Thomas with four children. He quickly remarried a widow, who had a daughter, herself and they had a happy household. Thomas was considered a doting father, and he often wrote letters to his children when he was away on work. Upon his insistence, his daughters received the same education as his son and became well known for their academic accomplishments.
 
In 1504, Thomas was elected to Parliament to represent the region of Great Yarmouth, and soon began to represent London. While in Parliment, he earned the reputation of being honest and effective and Henry VIII took a liking to Thomas. He gave him posts of ever increasing responsibility and finally named Thomas More as Lord Chancellor of England. But the King’s favor was not to last. When Thomas heard that Henry had divorced his legal wife and married Anne Boleyn, he resigned his post. When he was ordered to sign the document that declared King Henry XIII as head of the Church of England, he adamantly refused and, as a consequence, he was thrown in prison. On July 6, 1535, Thomas More was helped up to the scaffold, where he joked he would see himself down. Then he made a final statement, proclaiming that he was "the king's good servant, but God's first” and put his head on the block and became a martyr for his Faith.
 
This print is part of the "Happy Saint" collection by Anna Morelli.
 
The image is professionally printed, hand-signed by the artist, and comes enclosed in a plastic sleeve to ensure protection.