Profession: Lawyer and Statesman
Biography: Thomas Cromwell was a prominent figure in the court of King Henry VIII of England, serving as the king's chief minister from 1534 to 1540. He played a crucial role in the English Reformation and the modernization of the English government.
Cromwell was born around 1485 in Putney, the son of a cloth merchant and brewery owner. In his youth, he traveled to Italy, where he worked as a mercenary and later for a Florentine banker. Upon returning to England, he married Elizabeth Wyckes, with whom he had three children.
Cromwell's rise to power began in the 1520s when he became a trusted advisor to Cardinal Wolsey. After Wolsey's fall in 1529, Cromwell gained the favor of King Henry VIII and became his chief minister. He supported the king's efforts to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and break with the Catholic Church, which led to the English Reformation. Cromwell also played a key role in the dissolution of the monasteries.
Cromwell's downfall began when he arranged Henry VIII's marriage to Anne of Cleves in 1540, which proved to be a disaster. The king found Anne unattractive, and the marriage was never consummated. Cromwell's enemies at court used this opportunity to turn the king against him, leading to his arrest on charges of treason and heresy.
Despite his pleas for mercy, Cromwell was subsequently executed on Tower Hill.
Born: c. 1485
Birthplace: Putney, England
Died: July 28, 1540
Cause of Death: Execution by beheading
Articles and Photos
Historical Events
- 1534-04-15 Thomas Cromwell is appointed Chief Secretary to King Henry VIII of England
- 1536-04-21 King Henry VIII's chief minister Thomas Cromwell begins to plot Anne Boleyn's downfall while feigning illness
- 1540-06-10 Former chief minister to King Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell is arrested in Westminster for treason and heresy
- 1540-06-29 UK parliament passes The Act of Attainder over former Chancellor of the Exchequer of England Thomas Cromwell, indicting him as a heretic
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