His career began to develop in the 1520s as he established himself amongst legal circles, and in 1524, he was elected a member of the Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn, one of the four legal inns in London. During this time, he was a member of Wolsey’s household, and in 1526 became a member of Wolsey’s council, which enabled him to build a close connection to the cardinal. After the downfall of Wolsey, however, he was faced with a lot of negativity, thanks to his contribution to dissolving the monasteries, as in the 1520s he had aided the dissolution of thirty monasteries. He recovered his career nonetheless and by late 1530, he was made a member of the King’s Privy Council.
In this position, as one of the King’s trusted council members, he became increasingly involved with matters to do with the Great Matter. He was a strong supporter of royal supremacy, and within parliament, garnered much support for this sentiment successfully and in May 1532, Thomas More’s resignation signalled the strong favour from government for Henry’s clerical supremacy. The reformation parliament and its many legislative reforms, including the significant Act in Restraint of Appeals (which made the acceptance of papal authority, over that of the King’s, illegal and thusly prevented Catherine of Aragon protesting the divorce decision), allowed the divorce and consequent marriage between Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII. In return, the King granted Cromwell a lordship in Wales and in 1534, Cromwell became the King’s chief minister. With the submission of the clergy, Cromwell was then commissioned to visit all of the country’s religious buildings to decide upon the most effective tax for these properties.
Shortly before the fall of Anne Boleyn, there was a clash between the Queen and Cromwell in regards to the purpose of the tax collected from the monasteries – she would have rather it be used for educational needs than for the King’s personal finances. This contributed to her fall as she encouraged her chaplains to speak out against this, which added to her already existent unpopularity. Cromwell was reported by Eustace Chapuys to prosecute and enact Anne’s trial and thusly held a significant part in her fall. This, however, helped reinforce his position with the King, and on the 8th of July 1536, he was made to be Baron Cromwell.
However, in 1937, Cromwell began to fall: he suggested, upon Jane Seymour’s death, the idea of Henry marrying Anne of Cleves. This, of course, was a total disaster, and Cromwell’s enemies began to find a weak spot to attack. In addition to this mistake, he had also revealed to Anne of Cleves the particular sexual preferences of the King. On the 10th June 1940, Cromwell was arrested and imprisoned in the tower of London, and executed on the 28th July 1940.
Theresa Dunthorne