Cast of Contributors

Cast of Contributors, in order of appearance

Thomas More (1477/78-1535), author of, and character in, Utopia. More was a prominent English humanist, writer, lawyer, adviser to King VIII, and high official of the British Crown, attaining the position of Lord Chancellor at the end of his life (and Saint thereafter). He was beheaded on the charge of treason for refusing to sanction the King’s expedient split from the Catholic Church. More…

Peter Giles (1486-1533) Flemish friend to Thomas More, and character in More’s Utopia. Giles, or Gillis as he was born, was a well-known humanist and printer in Antwerp. He contributed the Utopian alphabet, verses in the Utopian tongue and the marginalia in Utopia. More…

Gerard Geldenhouwer (1482-1542), or Noviomage, was a Dutch professor of history and theology who oversaw the first printing of Utopia and also contributed a short poem to the volume. More…

Cornelius Graphey (1482-1558), also known as Cornelius Grapheus, Schreiber or de Schrijver, was a distinguished poet in Latin who composed a short set of verses for Utopia.

Raphael Hythloday (1516 – ), or Hythlodaeus in Latin, is the discover of Utopia and the narrator of Book II of Utopia. Hythlodaeus is derived from the Greek word for “nonsense” or “idle talk,” while Raphael hearkens to the archangel Raphael who gives sight to the blind.

Erasmus (1466-1536), or Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam, a prominent Dutch humanist scholar, translator, theologian, priest and friend of More’s, whose house he stays in while in London. Erasmus helped assemble commendations for Utopia, as well as supplying one of his own. He also may also have contributed to the marginalia. More…

Johann Froben (1460-1527), respected Swiss printer and publisher of the third and fourth editions of Utopia in Basel in 1518. More….

Guillaume Budé (1467-1540), well-known French humanist scholar who provides a commendation for Utopia printed in the 1517 and 1518 editions.More…

Thomas Lupset (1495-1530), English priest, humanist scholar, and friend to both More and Erasmus. Lupset oversaw the printing of the second edition of Utopia. More…

Jerome de Busleyden (1470-1517), Dutch humanist, statesmen and patron of learning, as well as friend of More and Erasmus, who provides multiple commendations for Utopia. More…

John Desmarais (?-1526), or Jean Desmarez, a noted Latin scholar at the University of Louvain and friend of Erasmus who wrote a commendation printed in the 1516 and 1517 editions of Utopia.

Beatus Rhenanus (1485-1547) or Beatus Bild, printer, scholar, religious reformer and humanist; friend to the the ever popular Erasmus and active in Johann Froben’s publishing business in Basel. Rhenanus supervised the 1518 editions of Utopia and contributed a dedication. More…