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A review by harveymcfly
The Rise and Fall of Thomas Cromwell: Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant by John Schofield
3.0
I wanted to give it a four but the writing was so stultifying that I could not. The research deserved a five and the earnestness and respect for the truth are impeccable. But it is tedious. No anecdote is unexplored and no rumor unexamined. There was simply an excess of accounts that didn't add immeasurably to our knowledge of the man.
This was a fair follow-up to Peter Ackroyd's brilliant Thomas More.
That said, I was grateful to learn so much about Cromwell and how inspired he was by the Reformation. The author fairly undresses Cromwell from the evil Machiavellian cloak that so often clothes him. He was the Everyman who rose to the pinnacle of success and fell to its greatest depths at the hands of the master he served. He was a polymath and a most loyal servant to his Tudor king. Henry VIII is quite fairly consigned to his place as the inconstant and despotic bully that he became after his serious injury in 1536.
This was a fascinating time in history, this nexus between Medievalism and the Renaissance in England. Thomas More finally allowed Medievalism triumph over Humanism while Cromwell embraced the Renaissance Humanism implicit in the Reformation
Thomas Moore and Thomas Cromwell both died at the hand of Henry VIII. More, because of his unshakeable belief in the Medieval Catholic Church and his very real terror that the Reformation and Henry's role as Supreme Head of the Church presaged the coming of anti-Christ. (Please read Ackroyd). Cromwell died because of his conviction that the Reformation was the true gospel route back to the true Church and the role of faith in salvation and free will. Henry simply was convinced of his own rightness and righteousness.
The judicial murder of both of these Thomas's present us with a remarkable view into a fascinating period in human history.
Fun Fact in History: Martin Luther called Henry VIII a "buffoon", "big sissy" and "stupid king."
This was a fair follow-up to Peter Ackroyd's brilliant Thomas More.
That said, I was grateful to learn so much about Cromwell and how inspired he was by the Reformation. The author fairly undresses Cromwell from the evil Machiavellian cloak that so often clothes him. He was the Everyman who rose to the pinnacle of success and fell to its greatest depths at the hands of the master he served. He was a polymath and a most loyal servant to his Tudor king. Henry VIII is quite fairly consigned to his place as the inconstant and despotic bully that he became after his serious injury in 1536.
This was a fascinating time in history, this nexus between Medievalism and the Renaissance in England. Thomas More finally allowed Medievalism triumph over Humanism while Cromwell embraced the Renaissance Humanism implicit in the Reformation
Thomas Moore and Thomas Cromwell both died at the hand of Henry VIII. More, because of his unshakeable belief in the Medieval Catholic Church and his very real terror that the Reformation and Henry's role as Supreme Head of the Church presaged the coming of anti-Christ. (Please read Ackroyd). Cromwell died because of his conviction that the Reformation was the true gospel route back to the true Church and the role of faith in salvation and free will. Henry simply was convinced of his own rightness and righteousness.
The judicial murder of both of these Thomas's present us with a remarkable view into a fascinating period in human history.
Fun Fact in History: Martin Luther called Henry VIII a "buffoon", "big sissy" and "stupid king."