Today in 1540 Thomas Cromwell went to a meeting of the privy council. That would be the last thing he did as a free man, because at that meeting, at around 3pm, he was arrested as a traitor and heretic. He saw the guards coming, and apparently threw his hat, not going willingly, raging at what was happening. Of course, he would have recognized the moves, many of the Machiavellian machinations at the Tudor court had been developed by Cromwell himself.
Archbishop Cranmer wrote this letter to Henry about Cromwell:
“Who cannot be sorrowful and amazed that he should be a traitor against your majesty? He that was so advanced by your majesty, he whose surety was only by your majesty, he who loved your majesty, as I ever thought, no less than God; he who studied always to set forward whatsoever was your majesty’s will and pleasure; he that cared for no man’s displeasure to serve your majesty; he that was such a servant, in my judgment, in wisdom, diligence, faithfulness, and experience, as no prince in this realm ever had …
If he be a Traitor, I am sorry that ever I loved him, or trusted him, and I am very glad that his treason is discovered in time; but yet again I am very sorrowful; for who shall your grace trust hereafter, if you might not trust him? Alas!”
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com.
Suggested links:
Spring 2018 Tudor Summit: David Crowther on Thomas Cromwell: Satan or Servant?
Episode 010: A Tale of Two Thomases Part 2 (Cromwell & Cranmer)
From my shop:
Cromwell “Coffee. Because Reformation-ing is hard,” mug
Ps. All products are made on-demand and can take a few weeks to ship.
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Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast, the original Tudor history podcast, started in 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. In 2019 she created Tudorcon, which is now a yearly event, in addition to writing books, and running TudorFair.com - a whimsical Tudor Merch shop. She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 20 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history.