{"id":8786,"date":"2022-01-12T08:05:16","date_gmt":"2022-01-12T07:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/?p=196803"},"modified":"2022-01-12T08:38:09","modified_gmt":"2022-01-12T07:38:09","slug":"thomas-mores-utopia-what-lessons-did-it-have-for-tudor-england","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/rss_feed\/thomas-mores-utopia-what-lessons-did-it-have-for-tudor-england\/","title":{"rendered":"Thomas More\u2019s Utopia \u2013 what lessons did it have for Tudor England?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"rssexcerpt\"><\/p><p class=\"rssauthor\">By Dr Joanne Paul\n                \t\t<\/p><p class=\"rssbyline\">Published: Wednesday, 12 January 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p><hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/><?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\" standalone=\"yes\"?>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><div class=\"&quot;listicle&quot;\"> <span class=\"&quot;listicle__count&quot;\">1<\/span> <h3 class=\"&quot;listicle__title\" heading-3=\"\">Private property is dangerous<\/h3>\n<\/div> <p>The primary difference between <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/period\/tudor\/thomas-more-saint-or-sinner\/&quot;\">Thomas More<\/a>\u2019s fictional island, Utopia, and <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/period\/tudor\/guide-tudors-history-key-moments-facts-timeline-kings-queens\/&quot;\">Tudor<\/a> England is that, while the latter was increasingly built on a foundation of individual property ownership, all property in Utopia was held in common.<\/p>\n<p>Enclosure was a source of massive unrest in <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/period\/tudor\/king-henry-viii-facts-wives-spouse-execution-weight-reformation-cromwell\/&quot;\">Henry VIII<\/a>\u2019s England. Most villages and parishes had a plot of common land, which could be shared among all. Increasingly, however, landowners were \u2018enclosing\u2019 bits of that common land for their own exclusive usage.<\/p>\n<p>For More, enclosure was about more than just running out of common land \u2013 it was a metaphor for the ways in which individual interest was tearing apart the commonwealth. By making all of Utopia shared land, More mounted a critique both of the practice of enclosure and the greed that underpinned it.<\/p>\n<section class=\"&quot;highlight\"><div class=\"&quot;highlight__content\" editor-content=\"\"> <h4><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/period\/tudor\/thomas-more-saint-or-sinner\/&quot;\">Who was Thomas More?<\/a><\/h4>\n<p>History has left us two Thomas Mores \u2013 the flawless Catholic saint, and the cruel ogre, hellbent on burning Protestants. Both, however, are fallacies. So who is the real, flesh-and-blood More lurking behind the myth? Dr Joanne Paul investigates\u2026 | <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/period\/tudor\/thomas-more-saint-or-sinner\/&quot;\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <\/p><\/div> <div class=\"&quot;highlight__image-container&quot;\"> <div class=\"&quot;highlight__image&quot;\"> <div class=\"&quot;img-container\" img-container--highlight-image=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/7\/2019\/09\/42-GettyImages-544228002-612a68e-e1576590413679.jpg?quality=45&amp;resize=556,556&quot;\" srcset=\"&quot;https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/7\/2019\/09\/42-GettyImages-544228002-612a68e-e1576590413679.jpg?quality=45&amp;resize=615,615\" https:=\"\" sizes=\"&quot;(min-width:\" calc=\"\" width=\"&quot;556&quot;\" height=\"&quot;556&quot;\" class=\"&quot;img-container__image\" img-fluid=\"\" wp-image-100052=\"\" alignnone=\"\" size-highlight_image=\"\" img-container__image=\"\" alt=\"&quot;Holbein's\" portrait=\"\" of=\"\" sir=\"\" thomas=\"\" more.=\"\" title=\"&quot;Holbein's\" by=\"\" vcg=\"\" wilson=\"\" via=\"\" getty=\"\" images=\"\"\/><\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section><br\/><div class=\"&quot;listicle&quot;\"> <span class=\"&quot;listicle__count&quot;\">2<\/span> <h3 class=\"&quot;listicle__title\" heading-3=\"\">Women should know their place<\/h3>\n<\/div> <p>Utopia was egalitarian in many ways, but on the issue of gender there were few differences from More\u2019s England. In both countries, women\u2019s role was directly subordinate to men.<\/p>\n<p>To More, women\u2019s equality implied anarchy. Although there would not be major advances in equality between the sexes for centuries, Utopia sits on the precipice of changes that would see women\u2019s choices and influence in early modern England grow. The <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/period\/tudor\/what-was-reformation-henry-viii-break-rome-catholic-protestant-martin-luther-guide-facts-origins\/&quot;\">Reformation<\/a> expanded women\u2019s role in religion and within the household, while the reigns of <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/period\/tudor\/mary-i-bloody-facts-life-death-legacy-illiegitimate-henry-viii\/&quot;\">Mary I<\/a> and <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/period\/elizabethan\/7-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-elizabeth-i\/&quot;\">Elizabeth I<\/a> elevated women\u2019s positions in the court and set a precedent for their involvement in politics.<\/p>\n<ul><li><strong>Read more | What was life like for <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/period\/tudor\/tudor-women-what-was-life-like\/&quot;\">Tudor women<\/a>?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul><p>The only major gender-equality innovation in Utopia is that both sexes are educated together and in the same way. This was part of More\u2019s own vision for the education of his daughters, whose humanist schooling won them fame across Europe. The value in this, however, lay primarily in the cultivation of their womanly virtues, including obedience to their fathers and husbands.<br\/><\/p><div class=\"&quot;listicle&quot;\"> <span class=\"&quot;listicle__count&quot;\">3<\/span> <h3 class=\"&quot;listicle__title\" heading-3=\"\">Only animals wage war<\/h3>\n<\/div> <p>The Utopians condemn war in the same terms as More\u2019s humanist friends, as \u201cfit only for beasts\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>For the humanists, people ought to be united by common bonds of humanity and Christianity, not torn apart by greed and self-interest, which they saw as the primary motivators for most European wars. As the Dutch humanist Erasmus wrote: \u201cThe god of nature, created the human animal not for war, but for love and friendship; not for mutual destruction, but for mutual service and safety\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In <em>Utopia<\/em>, More criticises the war-mongering of kings such as Henry VIII, who was in the midst of a war with France. For More, monarchs\u2019 self-interested, expansionist policies served to rip the commonwealth to shreds. As he wrote in a poem published alongside Utopia in 1518: \u201cAmong many kings there will be scarcely one, if there is really one, who is satisfied to have one kingdom.<\/p>\n<p>And yet among many kings there will be scarcely one, if there is really one, who rules a single kingdom well.\u201d<\/p>\n<ul><li><strong>Read more | Your guide to the <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/period\/tudor\/what-was-field-of-the-cloth-of-gold-facts-when-why-held-henry-viii\/&quot;\">Field of the Cloth of Gold<\/a> \u2013 the sumptuous summit between Henry VIII and Francis I of France<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul><div class=\"&quot;listicle&quot;\"> <span class=\"&quot;listicle__count&quot;\">4<\/span> <h3 class=\"&quot;listicle__title\" heading-3=\"\">Don\u2019t be a slave to trinkets<\/h3>\n<\/div> <p>In order to ensure they share everything in common, Utopians devalue those things that others particularly covet, such as precious metals and gems. More writes that they do so by making their chamber pots (toilets) out of gold and silver, as well as using them for slaves\u2019 chains and marking out criminals. Jewels are given to children to play with.<\/p>\n<ul><li><strong>Read more | <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/period\/tudor\/toilet-history-facts-thomas-crapper-spend-penny-romans\/&quot;\">Tales of the toilet: a historical A\u2013Z<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul><p>More intended this as a powerful lesson. People are enslaved by their golden chains, criminals are known for their love of jewellery, and there\u2019s something childish about our obsession with gems.<\/p>\n<p>This is a striking critique of the greed that More saw prevalent in the Tudor court. Henry VIII was especially known for his grand displays of wealth. In 1515, just months before More started writing Utopia, the Venetian ambassador wrote a letter describing the large gemstones the king wore \u2013 including a diamond the \u201csize of the largest walnut I ever saw\u201d \u2013 and his fingers, which were \u201cone mass of jewelled rings\u201d. In <em>Utopia<\/em>, the king would be considered a slave, criminal and fool for such a display, and More might well agree.<br\/><\/p><div class=\"&quot;listicle&quot;\"> <span class=\"&quot;listicle__count&quot;\">5<\/span> <h3 class=\"&quot;listicle__title\" heading-3=\"\">The people know best<\/h3>\n<\/div> <p>More\u2019s Utopia is a republic. Each city elects a \u2018prince\u2019 who rules alongside an elected council.<\/p>\n<p>The cities elect three representatives to sit in a grand council or assembly, which governs the entire country. There is no hereditary monarch or concept of divine-right kingship.<\/p>\n<p>This is very different from the political system in England, in which monarchs justified their claim to the throne through lines of inheritance and divine right. More, however, was not alone in considering the benefits of a republican system. Many humanists sought to finds ways of bolstering the power of other political institutions, such as representative councils and parliament.<\/p>\n<p>More often writes of consent of the people \u201cbestowing sovereignty\u201d and that a king \u201cought to have command not one instant longer than his subjects wish\u201d. For More, the rule of a king was legitimate, because the people had authorised its existence over a long period of time. But, importantly, political power ultimately resided with the people and their representative assembly. In a political environment such as England, it was a message that More could only communicate through the creation of his fantastic island: Utopia.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dr Joanne Paul is S<\/strong><strong>enior Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Sussex<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/magazine-issue\/may-2016\/&quot;\"><strong><em>This article was first published in the May 2016 issue of BBC History Magazine<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Dr Joanne Paul Published: Wednesday, 12 January 2022 at 12:00 am 1 Private property is dangerous The primary difference between Thomas More\u2019s fictional island, Utopia, and Tudor England is that, while the latter was increasingly built on a foundation of individual property ownership, all property in Utopia was held in common. Enclosure was a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":8787,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"5"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2022\/01\/thomas-mores-utopia-what-lessons-did-it-have-for-tudor-england.jpg",620,413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2022\/01\/thomas-mores-utopia-what-lessons-did-it-have-for-tudor-england-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2022\/01\/thomas-mores-utopia-what-lessons-did-it-have-for-tudor-england-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2022\/01\/thomas-mores-utopia-what-lessons-did-it-have-for-tudor-england.jpg",620,413,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2022\/01\/thomas-mores-utopia-what-lessons-did-it-have-for-tudor-england.jpg",620,413,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2022\/01\/thomas-mores-utopia-what-lessons-did-it-have-for-tudor-england.jpg",620,413,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2022\/01\/thomas-mores-utopia-what-lessons-did-it-have-for-tudor-england.jpg",620,413,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Dr Joanne Paul Published: Wednesday, 12 January 2022 at 12:00 am 1 Private property is dangerous The primary difference between Thomas More\u2019s fictional island, Utopia, and Tudor England is that, while the latter was increasingly built on a foundation of individual property ownership, all property in Utopia was held in common. Enclosure was a&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/8786"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}