Tom Canty

Tom Canty
The Prince and the Pauper character
1882 illustration by Frank T Merrill.
Created by	Mark Twain
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Beggar and King
Family	John Canty, Mrs. Canty, Elizabeth (Bet) Canty, Anne (Nan) Canty, Grandma Canty
Religion	Catholic
Nationality	British

Tom Canty is a fictitious character from Mark Twain's novel The Prince and the Pauper. He was born the same day as the Prince of Wales in 1537 and grew up in a life of poverty with his abusive father. His mother and his sisters always tried to protect him from his alcoholic parent. He was well educated and knew Latin by Sean St Jean, a local priest. One day, while taking a stroll, he bumps into Edward, the Prince of Wales. They accidentally switch places with each other. When King Henry VIII died, Tom had to become king but Edward comes in and proves that he is Edward by knowing where the Great Seal of England was, having himself hid it just after they had switched clothes.

Edward is crowned King Edward VI, and names Tom a royal ward. The end of the book mentions that Tom lived to be a very old man, whereas Edward tragically died young.