Thomas Cromwell: The Rise And Fall Of Henry VIII's Most Notorious Minister

A detailed biography of Thomas Cromwell (c. 1485–1540), one of the most influential and controversial figures of the English Reformation. Hutchinson, a historian and former journalist, traces Cromwell’s journey from a lowborn background to becoming Henry VIII’s chief minister, only to face a dramatic downfall.

Cromwell, born to a Putney blacksmith, rose through his intelligence, ambition, and legal acumen, initially working under Cardinal Wolsey. After Wolsey’s fall in 1529, Cromwell gained Henry VIII’s favor by facilitating the king’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon, orchestrating the break with Rome, and establishing Henry as head of the Church of England. As Master of the Rolls (1534), Lord Privy Seal (1536), and Vicegerent in Spirituals, Cromwell wielded immense power, overseeing the dissolution of the monasteries (1536–1540), which enriched the crown but alienated many Catholics. He also introduced reforms, such as parish registers, and pushed for an English Bible, aligning with Protestant ideals despite his pragmatic rather than ideological stance.

Hutchinson portrays Cromwell as a ruthless political operator, skilled at intelligence-gathering and manipulating enemies like Thomas More, whom he helped convict in 1535. Yet, his enemies, particularly the Duke of Norfolk and conservative nobles, resented his low birth and influence. Cromwell’s fall came swiftly in 1540 after the failure of Henry’s marriage to Anne of Cleves, which Cromwell had arranged, and accusations of heresy and treason by Norfolk’s faction. Arrested in June 1540, he was executed on July 28, the same day Henry married Catherine Howard, with no trial, his pleas for mercy ignored.