William Thomas (Scholar)

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William Thomas († April 11, 1554 in London , executed) was an English scholar and participant in the Wyatt conspiracy .

The historie of Italie , 1549

Life

Thomas studied philosophy and languages ​​at Oxford University and went to Italy for five years in 1544. On his return he published the Histoire of Italie (1549) and a year later his Italian Grammer with a Dictionarie for the Better Understanding of Boccace, Petrarcha and Dante , the first work of its kind in English. He became secretary of the State Council and gained influence over the young Edward VI. When his sister Maria I Tudor ascended the throne (1553), however, he lost his position. Thomas was jailed after the Wyatt riot in which he participated. There he was interrogated and tortured to find out that Elisabeth was complicit in the conspiracy. Thomas attempted suicide while in prison; he was later found guilty of treason and hanged.

Thomas wrote a defense of Henry VIII's religious reforms and translated works from Italian.

Works

  • Histoire of Italie (1549)
  • Italian Grammer with a Dictionarie for the Better Understanding of Boccace, Petrarcha and Dante (1550)

literature

  • David Michael Loades: Maria Tudor ( 1516-1558 ) - England under Mary the Catholic. Callwey Verlag, Munich 1982. ISBN 3-7667-0638-1
personal data
SURNAME Thomas, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English scholar and participant in the Wyatt conspiracy
DATE OF BIRTH 16th Century
DATE OF DEATH April 11, 1554
Place of death London