If there’s one person in history who divides opinion like no-one else, it’s this man – Thomas Cromwell. As King Henry VIII’s right-hand man he changed Britain for ever, severing contact with the Pope to make the King head of the church, plundering monasteries and even conspiring to execute Anne Boleyn. Tracy Borman, Thomas Cromwell: A Very Modern Tudor I, Channel 5 2023
Thomas Cromwell was born around 1485 here in Putney on the banks of the River Thames. ibid.
Back in England, his CV bolstered, Cromwell was now on the lookout for a top job. He didn’t have to wait long. He was headhunted by none other than King Henry VIII’s special advisor, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. ibid.
A man capable of great kindness to his friends but terrible cruelty to his enemies. Tracy Borman, Thomas Cromwell: A Very Modern Tudor II
He masterminded England’s break from the Vatican and the Roman Catholic Church, all that the King could marry Anne Boleyn. ibid.
The Tudor court was a dangerous place, and Cromwell was always looking over his shoulder. ibid.
Henry VIII was also something of a sex machine. Sex: A Bonkers History II: The Tudors, History 2023