Thomas Cromwell : servant to Henry VIII

Thomas Cromwell was a self-made lawyer, who served first Cardinal Wolsey and then Henry VIII. His time with Wolsey was an apprenticeship that served him well in his work for the king, after the Cardinals fall from power in 1529. Cromwells time in office from 1530 until his execution in 1540 was one of the most crucial periods in English history. This biography explores how he tried to manage his relationship with Henry VIII and why he failed. It also shows how he manipulated the politics of the court that eventually destroyed him. The rise and fall of the Boleyns, the dominance of the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk, and the executions of Thomas More and John Fisher all play their part in Thomas Cromwells life. Eventually he overreached himself in his patronage of evangelical preachers, and in arranging Henry's marriage to Anne of Cleves, which played a crucial part in his fall and death in July 1540. Thomas Cromwell Was A Self-made Lawyer, Who Served First Cardinal Wolsey And Then Henry Viii. His Time With Wolsey Was An Apprenticeship That Served Him Well In His Work For The King, After The Cardinal's Fall From Power In 1529. Cromwell's Time In Office From 1530 Until His Execution In 1540 Was One Of The Most Crucial Periods In English History. This Biography Shows How He Managed His Relationship With Henry Viii And Why He Failed. The Making Of A Man, C.1485-1522 -- The Cardinal's Servant, 1523-1530 -- The King's Servant, 1533-1536 -- The Royal Supremacy, 1533-1536 -- The Lord Privy Seal, 1531-1540 -- Viceregent Of Spirituals, 1536-1540 -- The Fall Of Thomas Cromwell, 1539-1540 -- Cromwell And The State -- Historiography. David Loades. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 315-320) And Index. "Thomas Cromwell, chief architect of the English Reformation served as principal minister of Henry VIII from 1532 to 1540, the most tumultuous period in Henry's thirty-seven-year reign. Many of the momentous events of the 1530s are attributed to Cromwell's agency; the Reformation, the dissolution of the monasteries and the fall of Henry's second wife, the bewitching Anne Boleyn. Cromwell has been the subject of close and continuous attention for the last half-century, with generally positive appraisal of his work and achievements by historians. This new biography shows the true face of a Machiavellian Tudor statesman without equal"-- Publisher The Biography Of The Blacksmith’s Son Who Rose To Be Henry Viii’s Right-hand Man.