Thomas More was born in London in 1478. He attended Oxford University and practised law in London. After the death of his first wife, Thomas married Alice Middleton who cared for his four small children. In the autumn of 1529 Thomas succeeded Cardinal Wolsey as Lord Chancellor of England. Thomas disagreed with King Henry on the question of the King dissolving his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Within two years Thomas resigned as Lord Chancellor and retired from public life. In 1534 Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy making the King head of the English Church. Thomas was asked to subscribe to the oath, he refused and was charged with high treason. After a year in prison in the Tower of London he stood trial at Westminster Hall. On July 6, 1535 Thomas was executed on Tower Hill in London.