Today in 1540 Thomas Cromwell was executed. His story has become more popular lately, thanks to the wonderful historical fiction from Hilary Mantel in the Wolf Hall books, and it’s an example of how people did have social mobility in Tudor England. He rose from a poor background to becoming Henry’s chief minister, the Earl of Essex, and the architect of the Dissolution of the monasteries.
During his rise he made many enemies including the Boleyn family. While early on, he and Anne had been allies, after it became clear that Henry wanted to be rid of her, he helped plan her demise. Ironically, marriage would be his own undoing. When it became clear that Henry’s marriage with Anne of Cleves – something Cromwell had arranged because Henry needed the support of Protestant states – was a disaster, his enemies jumped on it and saw an opportunity to be rid of him. Cromwell became the chief victim of Henry’s marriage to Anne of Cleves, beheaded today in 1540.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com
Suggested links:
David Crowther of The History of England Podcast on Thomas Cromwell: Satan or Servant?
Episode 010: A Tale of Two Thomases Part 2 (Cromwell & Cranmer)
Was Thomas Cromwell Going to Marry Princess Mary?!
From my shop:
Cromwell “Coffee. Because Reformation-ing is hard,” mug
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Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast, one of the longest running indie history podcasts, going since 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. She writes books, created the original Tudor Planner (a yearly diary filled with Tudor history) and in 2019 created the world's first Tudorcon (you can "attend" online this year!). She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 20 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history.