Relationship Between Henry And Anne Of Cleves

Improved Essays
In February of 1540, it was clear that the alliance between Germany and England would not last. Henry and Anne of Cleves simply did not get along. In July of the same year of their marriage, Anne was asked for her consent to an annulment (their marriage had not been consummated) and she quickly agreed. This is not surprising given the reputation that Henry had earned for himself already at the time. Raising up a huge fuss over a marriage that had not even lasted a year would not have been beneficial. Even though Cromwell had been made Earl of Essex, and Lord Great Chamberlin in April of that year, his fall came quickly. By the time the failed union had been absolved, his head was already on its way to a basket.
The shadow of Lord Thomas
…show more content…
Without a hearing, Cromwell was sent to the Tower of London and made to wait until a decision was made on whether to execute. There were various other claims made against Cromwell, although the majority were deemed insignificant after the arrest. However, the most damaging of these accusations was that he denied the presence of Christ in the sacrament, and was speaking treasonable words against the King. Though there needed to have been a legal reason for Cromwell’s arrest and then execution, it was no secret even at the time, that his real crime had been sticking Henry with Anne of Cleves. His fate was “sealed by Henry’s passion for Catherine Howard.” Norfolk’s niece was young, and still able to bare children for the Henry. His desire for her was apparent from the moment her uncle first suggested the pairing, even though Henry was still married to Anne. From the Tower of London while awaiting his fate, Cromwell wrote his King a letter. In the letter, he pleads for his life, or at least forgiveness from Henry. “The frail flesh inciteth me continually to call to your grace for mercy and pardon for mine offences… I cry for mercy, mercy, …show more content…
The rising fortune of Wolsey’s employee Thomas Cromwell, had the biggest impact on King Henry VIII’s reign than any other person working in the King’s service. Cromwell’s efforts in establishing the Reformation in England changed the course of history and strengthened the Tudor administration beyond what even Henry had originally predicted. “His fall did not end the Reformation, but it marked the end of competent government and purposeful policy in Henry’s reign.” All throughout Henry’s reign he had, had someone else that could do any of the leg work necessary for a monarch. There exists a lengthy list of people that met their end with Henry’s wrath. Cromwell, though he “did more towards promoting the Reformation, than any man at that age…” his efforts landed him in the same position as so many men and women

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Henry VII is remembered in history as having ended the Wars of the Roses and uniting a bitterly divided England. By defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 and marrying Elizabeth of York he brought together the Houses of Lancaster and York under his new Tudor banner. However, Henry’s reign was not going to be straightforward and he had many issues which challenged his security on the throne. Henry had to ensure he dealt with rivals to the throne as well as making sure he ruled England in a firm but fair way. At the start of King Henry VII’s reign, he was seen as a usurper, not the natural heir to the throne of England.…

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Cromwell even offered Richard Rich the York Office position to get more information about Thomas More from him, he did not offer the position to Rich because he thought he was worthy of the job but because he was bribing Rich to side with him and the…

    • 1717 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Apush Dbq

    • 682 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The 16th and 17th century were tumultuous times. Starting with one humble man, Martin Luther, the two centuries transform and have to conform to the religious changes. Protestants and Roman Catholics conflicted heavily with one another. Soon, Protestantism spread all over Europe and Protestants were rooted in most of the populations. However, the dominant religion changed with monarchs, and this pendulum caused discord within kingdoms.…

    • 682 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mid Tudor Crisis Analysis

    • 1310 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In Edward’s VI’s reign, there was most definitely a Mid Tudor crisis. As a crisis is considered to be ‘a time of intense difficulty or danger’, the definition suits the substantial threats faced throughout Edward’s reign. This was due to a range of factors including both Somerset and Northumberland’s foreign policy. In Somerset’s case, his inability to meet any of his aims shows the intense difficulty he faced. On the other hand, Northumberland unsuccessfully tried to rectify the situation but faced danger from the two main foreign powers in Europe.…

    • 1310 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Following the creation of new government policies in England, put in place by Thomas Cromwell, marchers protested against the concept of Henry VIII ruling over the Anglican Church. This movement, known as the Pilgrimage of Grace, occurred between October 1536 and February 1537. Both participants and people that opposed the movement showed concerns and goals toward the Pilgrimage of Grace. Class position, majority response, and monarchical action affected the movement.…

    • 558 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Now that Thomas Cromwell was Henry the VIII’s right-hand man, it was his duty to follow through with Henry’s plan to detach religiously from Rome. This was the ideal opportunity for Cromwell to prove that not only was he loyal to Henry and what he wanted, but that he was also capable of going beyond even what Wolsey had achieved. Fortunately, Cromwell recognized the power of the people in Parliament, and planned to use that power to his advantage in securing the strength of Henry’s overall power. His plan was rather simple, but could have completely fallen apart had it not been dealt with properly. Parliament needed to be convinced that the King’s sudden claim for supreme power was totally legitimate, and that the proposition to end Rome’s power and replace it with Royal Supremacy would be beneficial.…

    • 790 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Although Wolsey was able to celebrate success at the beginning of this juridical reformation and served his King successfully by making the system more efficient, meaning that his subjects were subjected to less waiting time and the system had less chance of being corrupted, it was eventually corrupted and abused. This turned a success into a failure and his own goals of removing threats to him from Henry, so that they would have no further influence, brought about another failure. He not only failed to serve his King, as his duties suffered when his timetable was overcome by too many court cases, but also failed to serve himself or the country. As a direct result of the Amicable Grant and the threatening poverty lead the problem of enclosure…

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The rise and fall of Wolsey plays a major part when examining the politics of Cromwell, as he was a close associate of Wolsey yet with Wolsey’s fall he was promoted. It may have been helped with relations at court that Cromwell persuaded Wolsey to bestow gifts and annuities from his remaining properties upon prominent lords, including Norfolk’s nephew, George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford. (69) It was during the fall of Wolsey that Cromwell entered the king’s service and thus enjoying the protection the king supplied. Coby gives three different stories about how Cromwell managed to adapt so quickly, Coby never took a stand on which one was the most logical explanation. Coby states that Anne of Cleves and Cromwell’s urging Henry VIII to marry her led to his down fall.…

    • 785 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Wolsey’s decisions throughout his life created the impression that he was an efficient administrator, both for the Crown and the church, although this can be debated. Once Henry VIII was announced king, Wolsey became a very important asset within the crown. In 1514, Wolsey was made archbishop of York, a year following, the pope made him cardinal. Soon afterwards the king appointed him Lord Chancellor; there was a strong bond between Henry and Wolsey, Henry delegated more and more state business to him, one being almost entire control over England’s foreign policy. However, his arrogance and grand style of living made him increasingly unpopular.…

    • 854 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Do you agree with the view expressed in source three that the diplomatic situation was the main reason for Henry’s failure to obtain an annulment of his marriage to Catherine by 1529? It is obvious that there is more than one reason behind Henry’s failure to obtain an annulment of his marriage to Catherine by 1529. It is however possible to identify that the diplomatic situation did not help his case in getting an annulment and was most certainly a hindrance. The diplomatic status was of great concern to Henry because at this time the Pope was under the influence of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Henry would require the Pope to allow his marriage to be annulled but due to the circumstances Charles would have a large input into the decision. Henry was greatly in love with Anne Boleyn by this time and desperately wanted to get married to her to produce a male heir to the throne.…

    • 1378 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Pope Gregory VII and Emperor Henry IV’s relationship changed drastically throughout the years of 1073-1077. Pope Gregory VII had power over Emperor Henry IV, and wanted him to know that. Pope Gregory wrote to the Emperor explaining that if he did not obey him, he would face serious consequences. Emperor Henry IV became angry at the Pope and refused to obey him. Henry tried to fight against the Pope’s orders by calling a council with the German Bishops in Worm.…

    • 197 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    King Henry Viii Influence

    • 477 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The significant happening here is when Henry severely split off the papal authority in England. The church forebode that Henry should marry someone other than royal blood. Henry VIII obviously inherited the throne from his father Henry VII. Henry happened to be a ladies man,…

    • 477 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It is arguable that Henry VII’s authority was greatly challenged by the Warbeck conspiracy. In this attempted usurpation, Perkin Warbeck emerged claiming to be Richard, the son of Edward IV who had been locked in the Tower of London. He then travelled around Europe, gaining the support of influential leaders. One reason that this particular conspiracy could be seen as such a danger to Henry’s influence is the support Warbeck managed to acquire from other European leaders. The most influential support that Warbeck gained in this time was the support of the Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian.…

    • 193 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    King Henry VIII is one of the most famous kings of all time for many reasons. One of these reasons is his many controversial marriages that ended in either exile or execution. All of his wives were good-natured and well-rounded, but King Henry always found something negative about them as a reason to divorce or execute them. Anne Boleyn is well-known for being one of King Henry’s most scandalous wives for her behavior that later led to her death. When the King’s Chancellor died, Anne Boleyn obtained an abundance of power over important topics in the King 's court such as political matters and government appointments.…

    • 1099 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the 16th century, there was a large criticism when dealing with the church. The criticism was known as the Reformation. The cause and results of the Reformation were viewed from two different viewpoints, from England’s and from Germany’s. The two countries have similarities of the reformation as well as the differences. Reformers such as Martin Luther, who led the reformation in Germany and Henry VIII, led the reformation in England, each one of them dealing with their own strategy for their own country.…

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays