Thomas More (1478–1532) was an English lawyer, author, humanist, judge, social critic, and statesman. A lifelong friend of Erasmus, he was massively influential on the writing of The Praise of Folly, which is dedicated to him and whose Latin title—Moraie Enconmium—is a pun on his name. He served as the Lord High Chancellor of England under King Henry VIII from 1529 to 1523, a term which ended in his execution after he refused to recognize Henry’s legitimacy as the head of the Church of England.