Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex
| Thomas Cromwell | |
|---|---|
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| Lord Great Chamberlain | |
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In office 17 April 1540 – 10 June 1540 |
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| Monarch | Henry VIII |
| Preceded by | John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford |
| Succeeded by | Robert Radcliffe, 1st Earl of Sussex |
| Governor of the Isle of Wight | |
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In office 2 November 1538 – 10 June 1540 |
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| Monarch | Henry VIII |
| Preceded by | Sir James Worsley |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| Lord Privy Seal | |
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In office 2 July 1536 – 10 June 1540 |
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| Monarch | Henry VIII |
| Preceded by | Thomas Boleyn |
| Succeeded by | William Fitzwilliam |
| Master of the Rolls | |
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In office 8 October 1534 – 10 July 1536 |
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| Monarch | Henry VIII |
| Preceded by | John Taylor |
| Succeeded by | Christopher Hales |
| Principal Secretary | |
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In office April 1534 – April 1540 |
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| Monarch | Henry VIII |
| Preceded by | Stephen Gardiner |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Wriothesley |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | |
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In office 12 April 1533 – 10 June 1540 |
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| Monarch | Henry VIII |
| Preceded by | John Bourchier |
| Succeeded by | John Baker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | circa 1485 Putney, Surrey |
| Died | 28 July 1540 (aged 54–55) Tower Hill, London |
| Resting place | 51°30′31″N 0°04′37″W / 51.508611°N 0.076944°W |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Wyckes |
| Children |
Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell Anne Grace Jane |
| Parents | Walter Cromwell |
Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex KG PC (/ˈkrɒmwəl/ or /ˈkrɒmwɛl/;c. 1485 – 28 July 1540) was an English lawyer and statesman who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII of England from 1532 to 1540.
Cromwell was one of the strongest and most powerful advocates of the English Reformation. He helped to engineer an annulment of the king's marriage to Queen Catherine of Aragon so that Henry could lawfully marry Anne Boleyn. Henry failed to obtain the Pope's approval for the annulment in 1534, 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.
During his rise to power, Cromwell made many enemies, including his former ally Anne Boleyn. He played a prominent role in her downfall. He later fell from power, after arranging the king's marriage to German princess Anne of Cleves. Cromwell had hoped that the marriage would breathe fresh life into the Reformation in England, but Henry found his new bride unattractive and it turned into a disaster for Cromwell, ending in an annulment six months later. Cromwell was arraigned under a bill of attainder and executed for treason and heresy on Tower Hill on 28 July 1540. The king later expressed regret at the loss of his chief minister.
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