Thomas Cromwell

Thomas Cromwell, the son of a blacksmith, was born in Putney, London, in 1485. As a young man he lived in Europe and served in the French Army in Italy. On his return to England he worked as a lawyer before joining the service of Thomas Wolsey. In 1523 he was elected to the House of Commons and two years later acted as Wolsey's chief agent in the dissolution of the small monasteries.

In 1530 Henry VIII employed Cromwell as an adviser. Over the next few years he served in a variety of posts including Chancellor of the Exchequer, Secretary of State and Master of the Rolls. He also played a leading role in helping the king become head of the English Church. In 1535 Cromwell was appointed vicar-general.

In August 1535, Cromwell sent a team of officials, including Cromwell, to find out what was going on in the monasteries. After reading their reports Henry VIII decided to close down 376 monasteries. Monastery land was seized and sold off cheaply to nobles and merchants. They in turn sold some of the lands to smaller farmers. This process meant that a large number of people had good reason to support the monasteries being closed.

In 1538 Cromwell turned his attention to religious shrines in England. For hundreds of years pilgrims had visited shrines that contained important religious relics. Wealthy pilgrims often gave expensive jewels and ornaments to the monks that looked after these shrines. Henry decided that the shrines should be closed down and the wealth that they had created given to the crown.

The Pope and the Catholic church in Rome were horrified when they heard the news that Henry had destroyed St. Thomas Becket's Shrine. On 17 December 1538, the Pope announced to the Christian world that Henry VIII had been excommunicated from the Catholic church.

Jane Seymour, the 3rd wife of Henry VIII died in 1537. Henry now began to look for another wife. Cromwell wanted England to form an alliance with the Protestants in Saxony. One way Henry could do this was by marrying Anne of Cleves.

In 1540 Cromwell was created the Earl of Essex. However, Cromwell's position was undermined by the king's disastrous marriage to Anne of Cleves. Thomas Cromwell was sent to the Tower of London and was executed on 28th July, 1540.