Statesman · 1478 – 1535

Thomas More

If you're interested in Thomas More, these historical figures share a similar impact, discipline, philosophy, or era. Each recommendation explains why the connection exists.

Similar Impact & Significance

Portrait of Erasmus

Erasmus

80

Humanist · 1466 – 1536

Erasmus was a Dutch humanist, scholar and writer, the leading intellectual of the Northern Renaissance, whose satire In Praise of Folly and pioneering edition of the Greek New Testament shaped both literature and the coming Reformation.

  • In Praise of Folly
  • Greek New Testament

Why A close friend and fellow humanist to whom More's circle was central.

Portrait of Martin Luther

Martin Luther

91

Theologian · 1483 – 1546

Martin Luther was a German theologian and reformer whose challenge to the Catholic Church sparked the Protestant Reformation and reshaped the religious, political and cultural landscape of Europe.

  • Ninety-Five Theses
  • The Protestant Reformation

Why The reformer whose movement More fiercely opposed as a defender of the Catholic Church.

Portrait of Niccolò Machiavelli

Niccolò Machiavelli

88

Philosopher · 1469 – 1527

Niccolò Machiavelli was a Renaissance Italian diplomat, political philosopher and writer whose treatise The Prince founded modern political science and gave his name to ruthless statecraft.

  • The Prince
  • Founding modern political science

Why A contemporary who, very differently, also wrote a famous book on how states should be governed.

Portrait of Cicero

Cicero

88

Statesman · 106 BC – 43 BC

Cicero was a Roman statesman, orator and philosopher whose speeches and writings defined Latin prose, transmitted Greek philosophy to Rome, and championed the values of the Roman Republic.

  • Roman oratory
  • Defending the Republic

Why Also a statesman & writer · Comparable historical impact

Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt

85

Statesman · 1858 – 1919

Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States, a soldier, conservationist and reformer — and a remarkably prolific author who wrote around forty books on history, nature, politics and exploration alongside his public career.

  • 26th U.S. President
  • National parks and conservation

Why Also a statesman & writer · Comparable historical impact

Portrait of Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson

88

Statesman · 1743 – 1826

Thomas Jefferson was an American statesman, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and third President of the United States, who was also a prolific writer, architect and scholar whose Notes on the State of Virginia was a landmark of early American letters.

  • Declaration of Independence
  • Third U.S. President

Why Also a statesman & writer · Comparable historical impact

Portrait of Aldous Huxley

Aldous Huxley

80

Writer · 1894 – 1963

Aldous Huxley was an English writer and philosopher whose dystopian novel Brave New World became one of the most influential warnings of the 20th century, imagining a future enslaved not by terror but by pleasure and conditioning.

  • Brave New World
  • The Doors of Perception

Why Also a writer · Comparable historical impact

Portrait of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

88

Philosopher · 1770 – 1831

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was a German philosopher and the leading figure of German idealism, whose dialectical method and grand vision of history as the self-development of Spirit profoundly shaped modern philosophy.

  • German idealism
  • The dialectic

Why Also a writer · Comparable historical impact

Portrait of George Orwell

George Orwell

84

Writer · 1903 – 1950

George Orwell was an English writer and journalist whose novels Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm became the defining warnings against totalitarianism, giving the world terms such as "Big Brother", "doublethink" and "Orwellian".

  • Nineteen Eighty-Four
  • Animal Farm

Why Also a writer · Comparable historical impact

Portrait of Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau

80

Writer · 1817 – 1862

Henry David Thoreau was an American writer, naturalist and philosopher whose book Walden and essay "Civil Disobedience" became foundational texts of environmental thought and nonviolent resistance, influencing reformers around the world.

  • Walden
  • Civil Disobedience

Why Also a writer · Comparable historical impact

Portrait of John Stuart Mill

John Stuart Mill

87

Philosopher · 1806 – 1873

John Stuart Mill was an English philosopher and economist, the leading liberal thinker of the nineteenth century, whose works on utilitarianism, liberty, and the rights of women shaped modern political and ethical thought.

  • On Liberty
  • Utilitarianism

Why Also a writer · Comparable historical impact

Same Field or Discipline

Portrait of Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon

82

Philosopher · 1561 – 1626

Francis Bacon was an English philosopher, statesman and writer who served as Lord Chancellor and, in works such as the Novum Organum and his Essays, founded the modern scientific method of reasoning from evidence and experiment.

  • Scientific method
  • Novum Organum

Why Also a statesman & writer · From the same civilization

Portrait of Mary Wollstonecraft

Mary Wollstonecraft

85

Writer · 1759 – 1797

Mary Wollstonecraft was an English Enlightenment writer and philosopher, a pioneer of feminist thought whose A Vindication of the Rights of Woman argued for the education and equality of women.

  • A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
  • Founding feminist philosophy

Why Also a writer · From the same civilization

Portrait of Michel de Montaigne

Michel de Montaigne

80

Essayist · 1533 – 1592

Michel de Montaigne was a French Renaissance thinker and nobleman who invented the essay as a literary form, using candid self-examination to explore the human condition with unmatched honesty and wit.

  • The Essais
  • Inventing the essay

Why Also a writer · Active in the same era

Portrait of Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

92

President · 1809 – 1865

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, who led the nation through its Civil War, preserved the Union, and abolished slavery before his assassination in 1865.

  • Leading the Union in the Civil War
  • The Emancipation Proclamation

Why Also a statesman & lawyer

Portrait of Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer

81

Poet · 1343 – 1400

Geoffrey Chaucer was an English poet and civil servant of the 14th century, called the "Father of English literature", whose Canterbury Tales established English as a language worthy of great poetry.

  • The Canterbury Tales
  • Father of English literature

Why Also a writer · From the same civilization

Portrait of John Milton

John Milton

83

Poet · 1608 – 1674

John Milton was an English poet and political writer of the 17th century whose epic Paradise Lost is considered the greatest long poem in the English language and one of the supreme achievements of world literature.

  • Paradise Lost
  • Areopagitica

Why Also a writer · From the same civilization

Portrait of Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell

81

Statesman · 1599 – 1658

Oliver Cromwell was the English military and political leader who helped overthrow and execute King Charles I in the English Civil War, then ruled England as Lord Protector in its only period as a republic — a deeply divisive figure ever since.

  • English Civil War
  • Execution of Charles I

Why Also a statesman · From the same civilization

Portrait of William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

96

Writer · 1564 – 1616

William Shakespeare was an English playwright and poet widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist.

  • Hamlet
  • Romeo and Juliet

Why Also a writer · Active in the same era

Portrait of Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill

90

Statesman · 1874 – 1965

Winston Churchill was the British statesman who led the United Kingdom to victory in World War II — and a prolific historian and writer whose books and speeches won him the Nobel Prize in Literature, a rare honour for a man of action.

  • Leadership in World War II
  • Historic wartime speeches

Why Also a statesman & writer

Portrait of Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin

90

Inventor · 1706 – 1790

Benjamin Franklin was an American polymath — a founding father, scientist, inventor, writer and diplomat — whose work on electricity and statesmanship made him one of the most admired figures of the 18th century.

  • Founding Father
  • Experiments on electricity

Why Also a statesman & writer

Portrait of Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela

92

Statesman · 1918 – 2013

Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and statesman who, after 27 years in prison, became the country's first democratically elected president and a global symbol of reconciliation.

  • Ending apartheid
  • 27 years in prison

Why Also a statesman & lawyer

Same Era or Civilization