Section D: The Fall of Cromwell

• what was anne of cleves described as?

  gentle, virtuous, and obedient
• when did the find anne of cleves?

  1539
• what was cleves?

  a small kingdom in the north of the holy roman empire
• how was anne found as a candidate to be henry’s wife?

  anne was the second daughter of the duke of cleves. the marriage offered him a chance to make an alliance with a great european power.
• what other reason made cromwell think that a marriage to anne of cleves would be good?

  at the start of 1539, it was feared that francis i of france and charles v of spain were about to launch a catholic crusade to invade england, and so cromwell thought a good way of saving england would be to marry henry to a potential ally against them.
• why was cleves also a good choice?

  like england, it had expelled the authority of the pope but not replaced it with protestantism.
• what was cromwell’s private motive?

  he did not want henry to marry a catholic, as cromwell himself wanted to make more protestant style religious reform. a foreign princess would also lack connections to the great english noble families, and so was less like to be used against him.
• what made henry sign a treaty confirming the match with anne?

  he had seen a portrait of anne by hans holbein and considered her very desirable.
• where was the treaty signed, confirming the match?

  october 1539
• when did henry first see anne of cleves in person?

  december 1539
• what was henry’s reaction when first saw anne?

  he took an instant dislike to her, famously shouting at cromwell, “i like her not! i like her not!”
• what happens to the wedding?

  it was postponed for two days, as henry desperately tried to get out of the marriage. however he had little choice as he needed an alliance and invasion seemed imminent.
• where were henry and anne married?

  6th January 1540
• what had been reported the next day after the marriage?

  henry had been unable to consummate the marriage.
• what had soon become clear about anne?

  she would not fit into sophisticated court life as she was shy, and her education had centred in needlework and household management. she did not have the skills of singing, dancing, and languages, which were expected of English nobelwomen.
• who did henry fall in love with instead?

  catherine howard, a young lady in waiting to anne of cleves, and was pursuing her seriously by the spring of 1540
• what helped henry annul his marriage with anne?

  it became evident that an alliance with cleves was no longer needed, as relations between francis i and charles v had broke down
• what happened by the start of july 1540?

  henry’s marriage had been annulled on the ground of non-consummation
• what happens by the end of july 1540?

  by the end of the month, catherine howard was henry’s fifth wife
• what was anne of cleves rewarded for her quiet acceptance of the annulment?

  she was richly rewarded with several manor houses, and a sizeable income, and granted the official status of the “king’s sister”. this made her a relatively rare thing in tudor england - any married woman with significant personal wealth.
• what did henry blame on cromwell?

  the failure of his marriage to anne of cleves
• what was wrong with cromwell's religious policies?

  they were too protestant for henry's taste, who was now demnding a return to traditional catholic values
• what was cromwell rewarded in april 1540?

  earl of essex
• who was the duke of norfolk?

  thomas howard
• who was thomas howard?

  anne boleyn's uncle, amd catherine howard's uncle
• why did norfolk hate cromwell?

  norfolk was a catholic, while cromwell suported protestant ideas

  norfolk believed that cromwell should not be allowed to advise the king because of his low birth

  norfolk was angry when cromwell was made earl of essex, which norfolk believed was too high a title for a commoner
• what did norfolk instruct catherine howard to early in 1940?

  to spread rumours that cromwell was not putting enough effort into securing the divorce from anne of cleves
• what did norfolk claim?

  cromwell was plotting to introduce protestantism to england
• what was henry's reaction to these accusations?

  he was angry and chose to believe them
• how did cromwell retaliate?

  by ordering the clousre of thetford priory in norfolk. this was the the family burial place for the howards, and norfolk had to arrange for hsi ancestors' bone to be dug up and reburied elsewhere
• what else did cromwell try to do to norfolk?

  he also tried to have norfolk exiled from court, claiming that he had been in contact with someone qith sweating sickness, but this plan failed
• what happened to cromwell on the 10 june 1540?

  cromwell was arrested on charges of treason and heresy, and taken to the tower of london
• what happened on 29 june?

  parliament passed on act of attainder and condemned cromwell to death
• what did the act of attainder say?

  that crowmell could be declared guilty without a trial
• when was cromwell executed?

  29th july 1540, the same day as henry married catherine howard
• what was the significance of cromwell's death?

  1. the death was greeted happily by many in england who saw him as responsible for the destruction of the monasteries
  2. religious reformers had lost a significant ally and the catholic faction in court, led by the duke of norfolk, became more influential
  3. within months henry regretted the decision, and accuses his councillors of brining about cromwell's downfall through false charges