CROMWELL'S EXECUTION Flashcards
1
Q
FALL OF CROMWELL REASON 1 - Failed marriage to Anne of Cleves
A
- Near the beginning of 1539, HEnry had invasion threats from France and Spain, so he needed to ally with a state that had broken out of the HRE, and Cleves provided him with this
- The succession wasn’t secure, as only Edward survived, and infant mortality rates were high due to TC
- Without the overbearing power of the Queen over Cromwell, there wouldn’t be anybody to cause problems of authority against Cromwell, reducing his opposition and making Henry more suspicious - there is also less trust in Cromwell for delivering him the “Flanders Mare”
2
Q
FALL OF CROMWELL REASON 2 - Religious differences
A
- After his Protestant epiphany, Henry wanted to direct himself back to Catholicism as he was fearful of the wrath of God, as he was coming into the latter years of his life. Near the end of the 1530s, he started supporting the Act of Six Articles again
- HOWEVER, Cromwell was seen to be wanting to make the Church more Protestant, and even as early as 1524, he had affiliation to fishmongers such as Thomas Somer, who was a well-known smuggler of Protestant ideologies in books. He protected other reformers from charges of heresy too, which made him act against the thoughts of the King.
- This would’ve been seen as a key moment of disloyalty between Henry and Cromwell, as he was recruited for his loyalty (as a factor). HE WAS CHARGED WITH HERESY, and an Act of Attainder was passed around Parliament for his execution
3
Q
FALL OF CROMWELL REASON 3 - The Duke of Norfolk
A
- The Duke of Norfolk hated Cromwell as:
- They had opposing religious views
- The Duke thought that Cromwell shouldn’t deserve to advise the King due to his lowly origins
- The Duke also thought he shouldn’t have the title of Earl of Essex (given in April 1540) - SO, Cromwell ordered the closure of the Thetford Priory in Norfolk on 16 February 1540, which was the burial ground of Norfolk’s family, so that he had to re-dig up his family and re-bury them elsewhere *He tried to have him exiled from court for being in contact with someone with sweating sickness
- In retaliation, The Duke told Catherine Howard, in 1540, to try and spread rumours that he was against the annulment. Norfolk also said that he opposed Catholicism, and that he was promoting Protestantism, as a way to try and go after his reputation
4
Q
FALL OF CROMWELL REASON 4 - Henry’s changed personality
(minor)
A
- After the jousting accident in 1536, Henry was seen to be in a very unpredictable mood, with mood swings and more irritability
- Because of this, he wasn’t able to make up his own mind when he was making decisions, so the Duke of Norfolk exploited this, and sold the idea of Cromwell’s disloyalty to him, as a piece of facilitating evidence
5
Q
FALL OF CROMWELL REASON 5 - Cromwell’s ambition for power
A
- It was said that Cromwell was building up his power for over 10 years, and that he wanted to be as great as Henry (constructive treason).
- It was also said that he wanted to marry Mary Tudor as a way to make himself more central in the government, and that his policies were a way for him to give himself more power
- THIS IS FALSE, as:
- Mary wouldn’t opt to marry a Protestant-driven Chief Minister anyways
- In his policy for the Royal Council, he voluntarily starved himself of power to give to others
DESPITE THIS, Henry thought the idea of ambition itself was enough to classify as treason
6
Q
HIS EXECUTION
A
- On 10 June 1540, he was arrested from a Privy Council meeting on the charges of heresy, and taken to the Tower of London
- While doing so, his possessions (valued at £7000 or £2,000,000 now) were taken from him, and on June 29, the Act of Attainder was passed around
- He wrote a letter on 30 June 1540, in which he was seen to be desperate to live, as he recorded how he was a “most woeful prisoner”, and “poor slave”, juxtaposed to his previously calm nature.
- He was beheaded on 28 July 1540, which was the same day he married Catherine Howard.
