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This book challenges the recently established consensus that the trial was a carefully prepared and executed judicial process in which the judges were amenable to reasonable arguments.
Thomas More's treason trial in 1535 is one of history's most famous court cases, yet never before have all the major documents been collected, translated, and analyzed by a team of legal and Tudor scholars. This edition serves asan important sourcebook and concludes with a 'docudrama' reconstructing the course of the trial based on these documents.
Legal experts H. A. Kelly and R. H. Helmholz take different approaches to the legalities of this trial, and four experienced judges [including Justice of the Queen's Bench Sir Michael Tugendhat] discuss the trial with some disagreements - notably on the meaning and requirement of 'malice' called for in the Parliamentary Act of Supremacy. More's own accounts of his interrogations in prison are analyzed, and the trial's procedures are compared to and contrasted with 16th-century concepts of natural law and also modern judicial practices and principles.
The book is a 'must read' not only for students of law and Tudor history but also for all concerned with justice and due process. As a whole, the book challenges Duncan Derrett's conclusions that the trial was conducted in accord with contemporary legal norms and that More was convicted only on the single charge of denying Parliament the power to declare Henry VIII Supreme Head of the English Church [testified to by Richard Rich] - a position that has been uniformly accepted by historians since 1964.
HENRY ANSGAR KELLY is past Director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, UCLA.
LOUIS W. KARLIN is an attorney with the California Court of Appeal and Fellow of the Center for Thomas More Studies, University of Dallas.
GERARD B. WEGEMER is Director of the Center for Thomas More Studies.
Publisher : Boydell Press (September 15, 2011)
Language : English
Hardcover : 260 pages
ISBN-10 : 1843836297
ISBN-13 : 978-1843836292
Item Weight : 1.5 pounds
Dimensions : 6.5 x 0.75 x 9.75 inches
Reviewer: roger gradney
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: very good Historical book
Review: If, you are someone interested in history and especially Sir Thomas More. I would recommend you consider this book. It's is a detail legalistic view of the trial and conviction of More. It has documents from the trial for one to review. And a trial transcription.
Reviewer: Betta
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Five Stars
Review: Great book. I highly recommend it for whoever wants to know the truth about St. Thomas More's "trial".
Reviewer: Frank
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Excellent Perspectives On the "Man For All Seasons"
Review: I agree with the previous two reviewers, this is an excellent book. It is a collection of discussions of the trial of St. Thomas More from varying perspectives--procedural, natural law, the perspective of modern lawyers, the perspective of More's own letters from prison concerning the interrogations he was subjected to before trial, and the perspective of a modern judge. It includes an appendix reproducing many key documents related to the trial and the charges against More. The editors/authors are all distinguished scholars and/or legal practitioners with expertise in the areas discussed. They address previous historical-legal studies of the trial respectfully and thoroughly, and present their own views based on their research and personal knowledge in a generally accessible manner. There is a wealth of information here. Highly recommended.