One of the most influential figures during the reign of King Henry VIII was Thomas Cromwell, who rose from humble origins to become a man who ruined the livelihoods of so many. Cromwell’s raids on the English monasteries, Abbey’s and religious houses can still be seen today in the ruins around England, and he was a man who’s brutal streak attracted the King’s eye. He was a man who with utmost loyalty would carry out the wishes of Henry VIII, but he too would fall from grace shockingly on the scaffold on Tower Hill, with an executioner and his axe administering the brutal justice of the Tudor King. But on that day with thousands of people watching, Thomas Cromwell’s execution did not go smoothly.
Thomas Cromwell rose to prominence as a lawyer, and before he earned the trust of King Henry VIII, he was a key advisor to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chief advisor to the King, and the key liaison for the Pope in England. He was a well established lawyer and merchant in London, and he then in 1523 obtained a seat in the House of Commons as a Burgess. He was to begin with actually critical of Henry VIII, as he was preparing at the time a speech against the King’s intended invasion of France, but he then realised that this was not the best idea. He criticised parliament and the lack of productivity, but it was in 1524 he became a member of Wolsey’s household. He helped Wolsey in dissolving around 30 monasteries to raise funds to found Wolsey’s new schools including the Cardinal College in Oxford. But Cromwell was then appointed a member of Wolsey’s council and one of his most trusted advisors. But he quickly fell from power, and Cromwell made a number of enemies, however he then sought to have a career which would eclipse Wolsey, and would take him into the royal court.