The Real Thomas Cromwell

Dan Snow's History Hit

History Hit

History

4.7 • 12.9K Ratings

🗓️ 28 July 2021

⏱️ 26 minutes

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Summary

On this day in 1540, Thomas Cromwell was executed. On the same day Henry VIII married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard. To mark the anniversary we've found an episode from the archives with author, historian and curator at Historic Royal Palaces, Tracy Borman.

Cromwell was a man who rose to be the most powerful member of Henry VIII's court, his Lord Privy Seal, Principal Secretary and Chancellor. He was a driving force behind the English Reformation and constitutional changes that emphasised the centrality of Parliament, but his current mighty reputation depends on the fictional trilogy of the genius novelist Hilary Mantel. In this episode, hear Dan and Tracy discuss the real Thomas Cromwell.

Tracy's book, Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, is available now.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi everyone, welcome to Downstone's History here. Today is the 28th of July, this podcast,
0:04.7	first broadcast on the 28th of July and on this day in 1540 nearly 500 years ago, some
0:11.0	maths just short of 500 years ago, Thomas Cromwell, a statesman who served as the chief
0:18.7	minister based, the enforcer of Henry VIII, heard of him, was executed. He was beheaded
0:24.2	on the orders of the king. I mean, why? It's a question you often ask of, why would anyone
0:30.3	try and play the game of Thrones with Henry VIII? Why would anyone try and climb that
0:33.6	greasy pole with Henry VIII with a capricious, all-powerful Renaissance monarch with health
0:39.5	problems and women problems? It's a one-way street to beheading, I'll tell you. Thomas
0:44.4	Cromwell had helped to organise the marriage of Henry VIII to the German princess Anna
0:49.1	of Cleed. Cromwell hoped that marrying a Protestant German princess would re-engage Henry with a more
0:55.1	Protestant reformation, however Henry found Anna of Cleed's unattractive and the marriage
0:59.2	was annulled six months later. Not long after that, Cromwell was found guilty of treason
1:05.9	and heresy and dragged out onto Tower Hill and executed. The king later expressed regret.
1:12.6	Well, you know what? That's too late, pal. To rub it in almost Henry VIII married, Catherine
1:18.6	Howard, his fifth bride, the day that Cromwell was executed. The guy did not mess about.
1:26.2	He was 49 years old, she was 17. She was the first cousin of Ambulin. She was from the
1:33.3	Howard Stables, the juke's of Norfolk, Mollemore illustrious, aristocratic families in England
1:39.6	at the time. The men fought the king's enemies while the daughters provided companions for
1:45.2	the king's bed. By the way, she didn't last long either. Within two years, she too had
1:49.7	been executed. Anyway, this podcast all about Thomas Cromwell. Not about Catherine Howard.
1:54.7	Thomas Cromwell is one of the more important and remarkable statesmen in English history.
1:58.9	He transformed the way that England worshipped. He transformed the way that England was governed
	...

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