Cromwell's Rise to Power Flashcards
Reason 1 - Cromwell’s Talents and Personality
Cromwell was very intelligent and understood things like warfare, religion and finances. He spent time in the Italian Wars as a mercenary.
Cromwell didn’t have very strong religious views – he was Protestant but this meant he was able to engineer the break from Rome, meaning that power over law making and taxes were transferred to Henry.
Cromwell was skilled in politics – getting people to do what he wanted. He used bribes, threats, legal arguments and patronage to force Parliament to make the necessary reforms.
Cromwell was quick and effective. For example, he was a self-trained lawyer with lots of experience working for Wolsey and managed to force the Church to accept the King as their lawmaker rather than the Pope in 1532.
Reason 2 - Cromwell’s actions when working for Wolsey
In the mid-1520s, Cromwell assisted in the dissolution of nearly thirty monasteries to raise funds for Wolsey to found The King’s School, Ipswich (1528), and Cardinal College, in Oxford (1529). By 1529, Cromwell was one of Wolsey’s most senior and trusted advisers and often took messages directly to the king.
By November 1529, he had secured a seat in Parliament as a member for Taunton and was reported to be in favour with the King appearing as loyal.
He used his position as MP for Taunton to speak in Wolsey’s defence. He also tried to defend Wolsey in court and gained audiences with the king himself. He also skillfully dealt with all of Wolsey’s estate after his death. At some point during the closing weeks of 1530, the King appointed him to the Privy Council.
Reason 3 - Cromwell’s handling of royal marriages
By 1531, Cromwell had started working on the case for Henry’s annulment after leading nobles, such as the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk, had failed to come up with a winning strategy.
Henry appointed Thomas Cranmer, a protestant reformer, as Archbishop of Canterbury. This may have been influenced by Cromwell.
Cromwell pushed the Act in Restraint of Appeals through parliament in March 1533– this provided the basis of granting Henry’s divorce.
January, 1533 - Cromwell arranges for Henry and Anne Boleyn to marry in secret. Cromwell made sure that Cranmer grants the divorce from Catherine of Aragon – the hearing started in May 1533.
