Wolf Hall: how did the real Thomas Cromwell die?
Wolf Hall is the hit BBC adaptation of the bestselling novels by the late author Hilary Mantel. The story chronicles the life of King Henry VIII's advisor Thomas Cromwell in a rags to riches tale which - of course - ended in Cromwell's death by execution. So how did he die, and why? Find out here…
Thomas Cromwell was widely known to be a brilliant man, and rose to become Henry's most trusted advisor despite his lowly birth status as the son of a cloth merchant. Despite being an astute political figure, who helped Henry divorce his first wife and dispose of his second wife, Anne Boleyn, Thomas made a fatal misstep by suggesting a match to Anne of Cleves.
While what really happened has been debated, which reports claiming that Hans Holbein had painted Anne more flattering than she was in real life, to rumours that Henry was ashamed after disguised himself to meet his new bride, only for her to reject him while not knowing his true identity. Either way, Henry was deeply unhappy with his new wife.
His marriage to Anne also caused issues politically, as there was a war arising between the Duke of Cleves and Emperor Charles V, in which Henry would be forced to ally with Cleves, going against improved relationships with the French king, Francis I.
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Meanwhile, two of his political enemies, the Duke of Norfolk and Stephen Gardiner, planned to put the Duke's niece Catherine Howard on the throne as the new Queen.
Cromwell was quick to assist with the annulment of the marriage. Despite Anne of Cleves' match being one of the famous reasons behind Cromwell's downfall, Henry appeared to forgive his advisor, making him the Earl of Essex in the same year as his annulment.
However, the Duke of Norfolk was among Cromwell's enemies determined to see him fall from power, and Thomas was eventually arrested in June 1540 for charges including "his promotion of religious reformation," supporting anabaptists, corrupt practices, acting for personal gain and plotting to marry King Henry's daughter Mary. The King sentenced Thomas to death without trial, and he was beheaded in July 1540 on the same day that the King married Catherine Howard.
There are mixed reports about his execution, with some claiming that the executioner had struggled to kill him, while others claim that his beheading was swift. Tudor historian Edward Hall's account includes claims that Thomas suffered reading: "The stroke of the axe, by a ragged and butcherly miser, who very ungoodly performed the office," suggesting that the execution was botched.
King Henry's regrets
Famously, Henry did indeed deeply regret Cromwell's execution, reportedly as soon as six months after his death, and accused his advisors of "false accusations" leading to his former advisor's downfall. He later described Cromwell as "the most faithful servant he had ever had".
How did Henry VIII die?
Henry died aged 55 in 1947 after a series of medical issues which gout, boils and obseity, as well as a painful leg ulcer. It has also been considered that he could have died from scurvy, or that he might have had McLeod syndrome - which would have explained the high mortality in his wives' pregnancies.
