The Rise & Fall of Thomas More | Henry VIII's Loyal Servant

Sir Thomas More replaced Cardinal Wolsey as Henry VIII's Lord Chancellor. He lived by the mantra, ‘I am the King’s good servant, but God’s first’. He would also die by it. He defied Henry VIII, refusing to accept the king's break with the Roman Catholic Church, which led to him being imprisoned in the Tower of London.

In this episode of the Historic Royal Palaces podcast Tracy Borman is joined by historian Dr Joanne Paul to examine the truth behind Thomas More’s legacy.

Was he a saintly man of conscience, or a murderous heretic hunter? Why was he executed? And what does his story tell us about Henry VIII?

You can find more episodes of the Historic Royal Palaces Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/64ORUgrG2NE7UYxpsZ6HyC?si=aFqybC-uRE-PGNf3DL4LQA
Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/historic-royal-palaces-podcast/id1065848261

Read more about Thomas More: https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/sir-thomas-more/

Image Credits:
Henry VIII after Hans Holbein the Younger. © Royal Collection Enterprises Ltd 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
Anne Boleyn by Unknown English artist. © National Portrait Gallery, London
Sir Thomas More, 1527 by Hans Holbein the Younger (German, 1497/1498–1543). The Frick Collection, New York. Image © The Frick Collection
Thomas Cromwell ,1532-33 by Hans Holbein the Younger (German, 1497/1498–1543). The Frick Collection, New York. Image © The Frick Collection
Erasmus of Rotterdam by Hans Holbein the Younger ca. 1532. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Martin Luther (1483–1546) from the workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder, probably 1532. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Margaret Roper (Margaret More, 1505–1544) by Hans Holbein the Younger. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Paul Scofield as Sir Thomas More in 'A Man For All Seasons' (1966) Columbia film. Licensed through Alamy.
Anton Lesser as Thomas More in 'Wolf Hall' (2015) for BBC. Produced by Company Pictures, Presience, Playground Entertainment, and Masterpiece.
Sir Thomas More and his Family after Hans Holbein the Younger (Augsburg 1497/8 - London 1543). National Trust.
Sir Thomas More. Hans Holbein the Younger. 1527. © Royal Collection Enterprises Ltd 2025 | Royal Collection Trust