Thomas More was an English lawyer, philosopher, and statesman born in 1478. He is best known for his book Utopia, published in 1516, which describes an ideal society based on reason and communal living. More served as a counselor to King Henry VIII and was later appointed Lord Chancellor of England. More was a devout Catholic and opposed the Protestant Reformation. His refusal to accept Henry VIII's divorce and the king's role as head of the Church of England led to his arrest and execution in 1535. He is now recognized as a martyr and was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1935.