Thomas Cromwell
Thomas Cromwell | |
|---|---|
| Lord Great Chamberlain | |
| In office 17 April 1540 – 10 June 1540 | |
| Monarch | Henry VIII |
| Preceded by | John de Vere |
| Succeeded by | Robert Radcliffe |
| Governor of the Isle of Wight | |
| In office 2 November 1538 – 10 June 1540 | |
| Monarch | Henry VIII |
| Preceded by | James Worsley |
| Succeeded by | Richard Worsley |
| Lord Privy Seal | |
| In office 2 July 1536 – 10 June 1540 | |
| Monarch | Henry VIII |
| Preceded by | Thomas Boleyn |
| Succeeded by | William Fitzwilliam |
| Master of the Rolls | |
| In office 8 October 1534 – 10 July 1536 | |
| Monarch | Henry VIII |
| Preceded by | John Taylor |
| Succeeded by | Christopher Hales |
| Principal Secretary | |
| In office April 1534 – April 1540 | |
| Monarch | Henry VIII |
| Preceded by | Stephen Gardiner |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Wriothesley |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | |
| In office 12 April 1533 – 10 June 1540 | |
| Monarch | Henry VIII |
| Preceded by | John Bourchier |
| Succeeded by | John Baker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1485 Putney, Kingdom of England |
| Died | 28 July 1540 (aged 54–55) London, Kingdom of England |
| Cause of death | Execution by beheading |
| Resting place | Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula, Tower of London, London, United Kingdom 51°30′31″N 0°04′37″W / 51.508611°N 0.076944°W |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Wyckes |
| Children | Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell Anne Cromwell Grace Cromwell Jane Cromwell (ill.) |
| Relatives | Cromwell family |
Thomas Cromwell (/ˈkrɒmwəl, -wɛl/; c. 1485 – 28 July 1540) was an English statesman and lawyer who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false charges for the execution.
Cromwell was one of the most powerful proponents of the English Reformation. As the king's chief secretary, he instituted new administrative procedures that transformed the workings of government. He helped to engineer an annulment of the King's marriage to Catherine of Aragon so that Henry could lawfully marry Anne Boleyn. Henry failed to obtain the approval of Pope Clement VII for the annulment in 1533, so Parliament endorsed the king's claim to be Supreme Head of the Church of England, giving him the authority to annul his own marriage. Cromwell subsequently charted an evangelical and reformist course for the Church of England from the unique posts of Vicegerent in Spirituals and Vicar-general (the two titles refer to the same position).: 658, fn. 2
During his rise to power as Baron Cromwell, he made many enemies, including Anne Boleyn, with his fresh ideas and lack of inherited nobility. He duly played a prominent role in her downfall. He fell from power in 1540, despite being created Earl of Essex that year, after arranging the King's marriage to the German princess Anne of Cleves. The marriage was a disaster for Cromwell, ending in an annulment six months later. Cromwell was arraigned under an act of attainder (32 Hen. 8. c. 62) and was executed for treason and heresy on Tower Hill on 28 July 1540. The King later expressed regret at the loss of his chief minister, and his reign never recovered from the incident.