William Roper
Sir William Roper (* between 1495 and 1498 in Kent , † January 4, 1578 in London ) was an English legal scholar and member of the English Parliament . As the husband of the educated Margaret More , Roper became a son-in-law of the English humanist and later saint Sir Thomas More , in whose household he lived for several years. After the death of his wife Margaret, Roper wrote down his memories of the life of Thomas More, which were originally intended as a collection of material for a commissioned biography of his father-in-law. They were later published under the title Life of Sir Thomas More and were the first personal biography in English. Most of the more recent works on Thomas More are based on it.
Life
Origin and family
William Roper was the eldest son of John Roper, Attorney General under Henry VIII and Jane Fyneux, daughter of the Chief Justice of King's Bench. In addition to William, the two had two sons and at least one daughter named Elizabeth. The Ropers had grown into a wealthy family in Kent through advantageous marriages and legal scholarship. They owned Well Hall in Eltham, and Jane had inherited the Stourmouth and Linstead manors from her family. Outside Canterbury, they owned St. Dunstan's home, which has since been referred to as Roper Gate . They had also built a votive chapel and a private chapel in the church of St. Dunstan . In the votive chapel, two chaplains had the task of praying for the souls of the deceased ropers and the prosperity of the family who were still alive. Material possessions played an important role for the Ropers and William was no exception.
Originally, his father, a friend and colleague of Roper's future father-in-law Thomas More, had planned for him the office of Protonotarius at the King's Bench, but there was a price attached to this office. Contrary to the custom of bequeathing the entire property to the eldest son and marrying off the younger sons well, John Roper divided his property between his three sons in his will. Only in this case should William receive the prestigious office of Protonotarius. John Roper read the will to his family once in 1523 and once in 1524 shortly before his death. At this point in time there was already strife in the family. During the later investigations, witnesses reported that Jane had tried to have the will changed in favor of her youngest son Christopher. Among other things, she had said several times to her husband: "By God, you would only leave your mansion in St. Dunstan's to your son Christopher [...] and something else to your eldest son".
William had also protested against the will during one of the two readings, whereupon his father is said to have told him: "All trust and confidentiality between you and me is in two." After his father's death in 1524, Roper challenged the will and appealed the right of primogeniture normally practiced in England . Since his mother wanted to save the inheritance of her youngest son Christopher, a legal battle broke out between her and William. In total, Roper's struggle for recognition as the sole heir lasted six years, and both the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York sided with the different sides. Eventually the matter was turned over to Parliament.
In the Mores household
Marriage to Margaret Roper
Little is known about Roper's training. The only historical record is that he joined Lincoln's Inn in 1518 and lived in Thomas More's household as a law student. According to his own account, Roper spent a total of sixteen years with the More family. Here he also met his future wife Margaret , More's eldest daughter, who, together with her sisters, received the same education as her brother. According to Sir William Strafford, a close friend of William Roper, a memorable episode occurred between Roper, More and Margaret. John Aubrey, Strafford's grandson, reports:
“Sir William Roper of Eltham, Kent, came very early one morning to Lord Chancellor More with a request to marry one of his daughters. The gentleman's daughters were both lying together in an alcove bed in their father's room, sleeping. He brings Sir William into the room, grabs the blanket by the tip, and then suddenly pulls it away. They were lying on their backs with their nightgowns pulled up to their armpits. They woke up and immediately rolled over on their stomach. Roper said, "I've seen both sides," and made his choice with a pat on the buttocks. "You are mine." And that was the entire courtship. "
Although this episode is controversial among historians, there is at least one indication of its authenticity, as More in his work Utopia argues that prospective spouses should have seen each other naked before marriage. The wedding of the two took place in the summer of 1521. As a war with France was approaching, More had applied for a special permit so that the marriage could be concluded more quickly. Instead of a dowry, Roper received free board and lodging in More's household and also took part in the lessons for More's children there.
Relationship with Thomas More
From anecdotes that Roper tells in his Life of Sir Thomas More , it is evident that he generally had a good relationship with his father-in-law, who called him "son Roper". However, tensions arose when Roper became interested in Martin Luther's theses. On the orders of King Henry VIII, More had written a diatribe against Luther, whom he regarded as a heretic. During this time, Roper was described as an "enthusiastic Protestant", to the horror of his strict Catholic father-in-law. The two discussed religious issues often and for a long time, but More Roper could not convince. On top of that, Roper faced charges of heresy, but Cardinal Thomas Wolsey let him go "with a kind warning out of love for Sir Thomas More". The house blessing was not restored, however, and finally More resignedly explained to his daughter Margaret:
"Meg, I have been patient with your husband for a long time. I have spoken to him sensibly, arguing these points of religion with him and giving him my poor fatherly advice, but I sense none of this will bring him back home. And that's why, Meg, I will no longer argue or argue with him, but leave him alone, go to God for a while and pray for him. "
Whether through More's prayers or Margaret's gentle influence, Roper ultimately returned to the Catholic faith and remained a professed Catholic until the end of his life. Peace was thus restored within the family and when More was appointed Lord Chancellor in 1529 , he used his newly gained influence to enforce Roper's claims in the inheritance dispute with his family. One of the first parliamentary acts under More's chancellorship decided the dispute in Roper's favor. Although from today's perspective More could be accused of nepotism, More seemed to actually recognize the legitimacy of Roper's claim, because according to Roper, More once said about legal disputes to his son-in-law Giles Heron: “I assure you of my faith when two parties demand justice from me and my father was on one side and the devil on the other - if his cause were legitimate, the devil would be right. "
After More resigned in protest against the king's divorce from Catherine of Aragón , the family quickly fell into poverty. Roper, who still lived in More's household with his wife Margaret and their children, reports that More called his children over and explained to them that if they wanted to live together longer, they would now have to make do with significantly less food . Speaking to Roper, More hoped that the king's marriage to Anne Boleyn would not be affirmed with oaths. Roper thought such a scenario unlikely, but as a member of parliament was quickly taught otherwise when the king passed the 1st Act of Succession . In it, the marriage to Anne Boleyn was declared as the only legitimate marriage of Heinrich and every subject was required to take the oath to recognize descendants from this marriage as the only true heirs to the throne. More refused to take the oath due to reasons of conscience, whereby he lost the favor of the king.
At a time when kin was socially accepted and individuals were ruined because of crimes committed by their relatives, Roper, as More's son-in-law, was particularly at risk. Unlike his father-in-law, he took the oath without resistance, like most members of parliament. From his surviving conversations with More it emerges that Roper did not share the idealism of his father-in-law. While More viewed the oath from a philosophical point of view, Roper was more concerned about the welfare of his family. The Lord Seal Keeper Thomas Cromwell tried several times through Roper to get More to cooperate. Roper himself urged his father-in-law to accept the new circumstances. But like his wife, it was impossible for him to change More's mind. Shortly before his arrest in 1534, More succeeded by means of a loophole in the law to bequeath the Ropers a house with land called Butt's Close, so that they at least had a home. In 1535 More was executed.
Career under four monarchs
From 1523 William Roper attended the parliamentary sessions of the House of Commons . Through the mediation of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk , Roper received a seat for Bamber, Sussex , and later received seats for various locations in Kent . He represented Rochester in 1545, 1547 and 1554, Canterbury in 1555 and 1558, and Winchelsea in 1553. However, his relationship to Thomas More was almost fatal to him after the execution of his father-in-law. His brother-in-law, William Dauncey, husband of More's daughter Elizabeth, was imprisoned in 1535. His second brother-in-law, Giles Heron, husband of More's daughter Cecily, was executed as a traitor on false charges in 1540. In 1543 Roper was arrested himself in the Tower of London . He was accused of plotting against the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer . Fortunately for Roper, nothing could be proven, so that he got away with the then heavy fine of 100 pounds.
Margaret Roper died in 1544 and three years later, the same year that the young, Protestant King Edward VI. ascended the throne, Roper moved his headquarters to Crosby Place in Bishop's Gate. It was around this time that he met the young Nicholas Harpsfield. While his sister-in-law Margaret Giggs emigrated to Leuven , Belgium, with her family and accompanied by Harpsfield , to escape the Protestant regime, Roper stayed in England and was thus able to secure his possessions that would have fallen to the Crown if he had escaped. He selected Harpsfield to write an official biography of Thomas More and generously supported him as patron. Under Edward VI. Roper dutifully attended all parliamentary sessions except the last one. He still belonged to the Catholic camp, but avoided difficulties with the regime.
Under Maria, on the other hand, his career flourished again. The Queen, who rehabilitated his family, made him Sheriff of Kent and he attended all of their parliamentary sessions. In addition, he received guest auditor rights for life at St John's College in Oxford from its founder Sir Thomas White. Through his influence, More's nephew Rastell, who married Margaret Giggs' eldest daughter, became a Member of Parliament and received a seat for Canterbury. Historians also suggest that Roper was responsible for Harpsfield's calling as Rector of Saltwood and Archdeacon of Canterbury.
Harpsfield's career, however, was thwarted by Elizabeth I's accession to the throne , as he refused to recognize her as head of the Church. He was arrested. Roper escaped this fate and once more came to terms with a Protestant government, although, like all Catholics, he still distributed alms. At the same time, he continued to expand his holdings to include lands in Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Staffordshire, Oxfordshire, Middlesex and London, and successfully fended off attacks on his special status at St John's College.
Through his friendship with the musicians Thomas Tallis and William Byrd, he still had ties to the court. Nonetheless, as a Catholic, he was closely watched and there is evidence that he sponsored Catholic exiles who published books against Elizabeth's claim to the title of head of the Church. When the Privy Council suspected him in this regard, Roper signed a written undertaking not to provide any reason for such suspicions in the future. However, he continued to use his financial resources to help political prisoners, mostly Catholics. According to Harpsfield, Roper transferred the income from several of his lands to four London prisons and expressly bequeathed that obligation to all buyers of his lands. In his last will, he bequeathed a sum of money to the inmates of King's Bench Prison.
death
Roper spent his last years in London with the doctor James Good, his close confidante, who in 1573 had already been imprisoned for contact with Maria Stuart . He died on January 4th, 1578. In his will he bequeathed his office as Protonotarius to his son, as his father had once done for him. He also gave instructions on how to deal with his property abroad, a reference to his contact and support for the Catholic exiles. His last will also expressed the wish to be buried in the parish church of Chelsea, "with the remains of my beloved wife (God be merciful to her soul), where my father-in-law Sir Thomas More (Jesus bless his soul) wanted to be buried." However, the parish church was already under new patrons, which gave him no right to a family crypt. Instead, Roper was buried in the Ropers' chapel at St. Dunstan's , Canterbury. The coffin of his wife Margaret was transferred to the chapel together with Thomas More's head and laid to rest next to Roper. A Latin epitaph dedicated to Roper can no longer be found. A mass was held in his honor in Douai by the English exiles and his death was lamented as a painful loss for Catholics "both here and in England".
Thomas More's biography
Originally, Roper's Life of Sir Thomas More was not intended for publication. Rather, the work was created as a kind of collection of materials. To give Harpsfield, who had not met More personally, a foundation, Roper wrote down his memories of the life of his father-in-law as well as personal anecdotes. Material from these memories flowed into Harpsfield's The life and death of Sr Thomas Moore, knight, sometymes Lord high Chancellor of England , and he dedicated the book to Roper in gratitude for his generosity towards him.
But before the work could be published, Harpsfield was imprisoned under Queen Elizabeth. Roper's records, however, were passed on to his brother Christopher's family. In 1626 the Jesuits of Saint-Omer finally published it under the title The Mirrour of Vertue in Worldly Greatnes, or, The Life of Syr Thomas More Knight, sometime Lo. Chancellour of England (in German: The mirror of virtue in worldly greatness or The life of Sir Thomas More, knight, temporarily Lord Chancellor of England ).
Historians sometimes criticize Roper's statements, some of which are in anachronistic contradiction to other testimonies from Thomas More's life. Contradictions to what actually happened can be explained by the fact that Roper wrote these notes almost twenty years after Thomas More's death. Margaret Roper's biographer John Guy also accuses him of blatantly playing himself in the foreground and allegedly not even knowing the letters More wrote to his daughter in captivity.
However, Roper never intended to publish these records, but tried to use them to introduce a young man to More's character. For this he used his memories of conversations with his father-in-law. There was also no reason for him to shed light on More's correspondence with Margaret in his collection of materials, since Margaret Giggs, with whom Harpsfield worked, was already preparing the publication of all her father's writings. Despite all of its shortcomings in terms of content, the book has established itself as a classic. Roper's personal memories provide a glimpse into More's personal life, and most of Thomas More's later biographies refer to them.
progeny
From his marriage to Margaret, William Roper had five children:
- Elizabeth (1523-1560)
- Mary (died 1572)
- Thomas (1534–1598)
- Margaret (ca.1530 - ca.1580)
- Antony
Editions and translations
- Hildegard Buhr-Ohlmeyer (translator): William Roper: The life of Thomas More. The Lyfe of Sir Thomas Moore, Knighte. Lambert Schneider, Heidelberg 1986, ISBN 3-7953-0635-3
literature
Hugh Trevor-Roper: William Roper . In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Vol. 47. Rippon-Rowe . 2004, Oxford University Press
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c JOHN ROPER'S WILL. July 1525
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Hugh Trevor-Roper: William Roper . In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Vol. 47. Rippon-Rowe . 2004, Oxford University Press
- ^ William Roper: The Life Of Sir Thomas More . Burns & Oats 1905, p. 16
- ^ A b Desmond Seward: A Brief History of The Wars of The Roses. The Bloody Rivalry for the Throne of England. Robinson 2007: London, pp. 119-120
- ↑ John A. Guy: A Daughter's Love. Thomas & Margaret More. Harper Perennial, London 2009, ISBN 978-0-00-719232-8 , p. 134
- ^ William Roper: The Life Of Sir Thomas More . Burns & Oats 1905, p. 9
- ↑ John A. Guy: A Daughter's Love. Thomas & Margaret More. Harper Perennial, London 2009, ISBN 978-0-00-719232-8 , p. 164
- ^ William Roper: The Life Of Sir Thomas More . Burns & Oats 1905, p. 19
- ^ William Roper: The Life Of Sir Thomas More . Burns & Oats 1905, p. 23
- ^ William Roper: The Life Of Sir Thomas More . Burns & Oats 1905, p. 25
- ^ William Roper: The Life Of Sir Thomas More . Burns & Oats 1905, p. 30
- ↑ John A. Guy: A Daughter's Love. Thomas & Margaret More. Harper Perennial, London 2009, ISBN 978-0-00-719232-8 , pp. 272-273
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Roper, William |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English biographer and member of parliament |
| DATE OF BIRTH | between 1495 and 1498 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kent |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 4, 1578 |
| Place of death | London |