Fall of Cromwell

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Cromwell and Henry VIII's Marriage to Anne of Cleves

Henry VIII charged Cromwell with finding him a new wife. He was angered by the choice of Anne of Cleves.

A new wife

Cromwell started to look for a new wife for Henry virtually as soon as Jane Seymour died, as it was felt that one son was not enough for Henry to secure the Tudor dynasty.
Henry himself had seen how his elder brother had died young, making him (the second son) the heir.

Support for the match

Cleves actually wanted Anne to marry Henry.
He had received some rejections because other royal families had heard about how he treated his wives!
- This showed that Henry’s reputation had suffered from his treatment of Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn.

Choosing a Protestant wife

Cleves had broken away from the Pope’s authority but had not become fully Protestant, just like England.
Cromwell saw this as his chance to make more Protestant reforms, as a Catholic queen would oppose this.
It also shows that Henry was not going to return to the Catholic Church.

Choosing a foreign wife

A foreign wife would also be less likely to challenge Cromwell’s position as she wouldn’t have relatives wanting to take his place.
Cleves would make a good ally against France and the Holy Roman Empire, who were reported to be gathering troops in Belgium and Holland to invade England as a Catholic crusade.

Mistaking Anne of Cleves

Henry saw a painting of Anne in 1539 and liked what he saw.
He ordered Cromwell to organise the marriage, and a treaty confirming it was signed in October 1539.
Unfortunately, when Henry saw Anne he took an instant dislike to her, shouting “I like her not!”.
He tried for two days to get out of the marriage, but since Francis I and Charles V were meeting to organise their attack, he needed the alliance with Cleves and so had to marry her anyway on 6th January 1540.
The marriage was never consummated.

Annulling Henry VIII's marriage to Anne of Cleves

The alliance between Francis I and Charles V quickly broke down, and so by spring Henry no longer needed the Cleves alliance.
He had also fallen in love with Catherine Howard, a lady in waiting.
By the start of July, Henry annulled his marriage to Anne of Cleves on the grounds of non-consummation and the fact that Anne had been previously betrothed to the Duke of Lorraine.
Henry married Catherine Howard on the 28th July.

Reasons for Cromwell's Fall

Cromwell's downfall began after Henry VIII's marriage to Anne of Cleves. It was driven by the Duke of Norfolk's schemes and rumours.

Losing Henry VIII's favour

Henry blamed Cromwell for the failure of the Cleves marriage and wanted to punish him.
Cromwell had also been introducing more Protestant reforms, but Henry was still basically a Catholic despite the break from Rome. He didn’t approve of Cromwell’s actions.

Was all hope lost?

However, Cromwell was given the title of the ‘Earl of Essex’ in April 1540, so Henry was clearly not planning to remove his Chief Minister at this point.
So, what happened?

The role of the Duke of Norfolk

Norfolk was Catholic and hated Cromwell’s Protestant reforms.
Norfolk believed that the son of a blacksmith should not be advising the King or be given an earldom.
Cromwell had closed down Thetford Priory, which was the family burial place for Norfolk and where he had planned to open a college for priests.
Norfolk had to rebury his relative’s bones somewhere else. He took this as a personal attack.

Norfolk's scheming

Norfolk took advantage of Henry’s anger over the Cleves marriage and also used his influence over the king as Catherine Howard’s uncle.
He and Catherine spread rumours that Cromwell wasn’t trying hard enough to secure the annulment from Anne of Cleves and that he was trying to turn England fully Protestant.

Cromwell's downfall

Cromwell was arrested and charged with heresy and treason and taken to the Tower of London.
All of his possessions were taken from him (worth £2 million today) and parliament condemned him to death without a trial.
He was executed on the 28th July, despite writing a pleading letter to Henry protesting his innocence.
Henry married Catherine Howard the same day.
He never appointed a Chief Minister again, choosing to rule alone.

The resurgence of Catholicism

As a result, the Catholics became more powerful at court, and his death was celebrated by many as he was blamed for the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
However, Henry soon began to regret Cromwell’s execution as he realised how good Cromwell had been at his job.

1Henry VIII & Wolsey, 1509-1529

1.1Henry VIII & Wolsey, 1509-1529

1.1.1Henry VIII, Renaissance Prince

1.1.2The Rise of Wolsey

1.1.3Wolsey's Domestic Reforms

1.1.4Wolsey's Foreign Policy

1.1.5Evaluating Wolsey's Foreign Policy

1.1.6The Succession & Annulment

1.1.7Fall of Wolsey

1.1.8End of Topic Test - Henry VIII & Wolsey

1.1.9End of Topic Test - Henry VIII & Wolsey 2

2Henry VIII & Cromwell, 1529-1540

2.1Henry VIII & Cromwell, 1529-1540

2.1.1The Rise of Cromwell

2.1.2The King's Annulment

2.1.3Cromwell & the King's Marriages

2.1.4Cromwell & Government

2.1.5Cromwell & Parliament

2.1.6Fall of Cromwell

2.1.7End of Topic Test - Henry VIII & Cromewell

2.1.8End of Topic Test - Henry VIII & Cromwell 2

3The Reformation & its Impact, 1529-1540

3.1The Reformation & its Impact, 1529-1540

3.1.1The Break with Rome

3.1.2Opposition to the Reformation

3.1.3Impact of the Reformation

3.1.4Role of Religious Houses

3.1.5Dissolution of the Monasteries

3.1.6Impact of Dissolution

3.1.7The Pilgrimage of Grace

3.1.8Evaluating the Pilgrimage of Grace

3.1.9End of Topic Test - The Reformation

3.1.10End of Topic Test - The Reformation 2

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