Luke Jeffery

An exploration into the role of humanism within the religious reformation that took place in the 1500s.  Using Thomas More's Utopia as a case study, we can assess to what extent humanist literary tools and scholarship impacted upon the religious and political atmosphere precluding, and during the break from Rome.  Further to this, the reaction of humanism, and humanists, to the onset of Protestantism, initiated the downfall of humanism from the top levels of the laity in Europe.  Once again we can turn to Thomas More as the humanist contradiction.  His attitude and staunch religious beliefs highlight how even the most moderate of humanists struggled to leave behind the medieval outlooks of the Catholic Church.