Nov. 17, 2025
A new biography of Thomas More allows readers to be their own judge
Thomas More chose conscience over the king, paying with his life and teaching that law, faith and principle must sometimes defy authority.
John J. Kralik
Judge (ret.)
University of Michigan Law School, 1979
John J. Kralik has been a judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court for sixteen years. He is the author of "A Simple Act of Gratitude," a memoir, and "Three Bodies by the River," a novel. For further information, see www.johnjkralik.com.
The reign of Henry VIII began with great hope in 1509: An athletic, educated, and enlightened monarch whose house promised respite from the English War of the Roses willingly married into Spanish royalty. Together, Henry and Catherine of Aragon raised the hope for a European peace that would also eclipse the memory of the Hundred Years' War. Henry VIII's promise ended in the ignition of unspeakable religious violence when he divorced Catherine to marry Anne Boleyn. More than ...
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