Category: Writing Blog

THE FULL ATTAINDER OF THOMAS CRUMWELL, 17 – 28 June 1540 (Parl. Rolls, 32 Hen. 8, c. 62)

Published on by Caroline AngusLeave a comment
An Act for the Attainder of Thomas Lord Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex, 1540, Parliamentary Archives,
HL/PO/PB/1/1540/32H8n52

The first reading of Cromwell attainder began in the House of Lords on 17 June, with the second and third readings concluding on 19 June.[1] It went to the Commons on 28 June, where it was expedited and affirmed in the Lords the next day.[2] The Lords’ journals are not perfect; while it shows William Fitzwilliam assumed Cromwell’s role as the Lord Privy Seal on 18 June, that was also the first day Cromwell’s name was taken off the records of attendees. He could not have been in the Tower between 11-18 June and also attended the Lords as the highest ranked member present.[3]

The final version of Thomas Cromwell’s attainder passed through Parliament on 28 June 1540, based on the assumption that his reformist books, bibles, instructions, and law changes were heresy. They based high treason charges on the argument with Stephen Gardiner on 31 March.

In their most humble ways showing to your most Royal Majesty, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and all your most loving and obedient Subjects, the Commons in this, your high Court of Parliament assembled, that where your most Royal Majesty, our Natural Sovereign Lord, is justly and lawfully, really entitled to be our sole Supreme Head and Governor of this, your Realm of England, and of the Dominions of the same; to whom, and to none other under God, the Kingly Direction, Order, and Governance of your most loving and obedient Subjects, and People of this your Realm, only appertained and belongs, and the which your most loving and obedient Subjects your Highness prudently and quietly, without any manner of disturbance, by a long time, most graciously has preserved, sustained and defended.

And your Highness, for the Quietness, Wealth, and Tranquility of your said humble and obedient Subjects, has made, and ordained, diverse and many most godly, virtuous, and wholesome Laws. And for due execution of the same, has not desisted to travel in your own most Royal Person, to support and maintain, as well the Laws or Almighty God, as the Laws by your Highness made and ordained, by due and condign Execution of the same Laws, upon the Transgressors offending contrary to the same. And your Majesty has always most virtuously studied and laboured, by all ways, and alt means, to and for the setting forth thereof, in such ways as might be most to the Honour, Glory, and Pleasure of Almighty God and for the common accord and wealth of this your Realm, and other your Dominions. And for the true execution of the same, has elected, chosen, and made diverse, as well of your Nobles as others, to be of your most Honourable Council, as to the Honour of a Noble Prince appertained. And where your Majesty has had a special Trust and Confidence in your said most trusty Counsellors, that the same, your Counsellors, and every of them, had minded and intended, and finally purposed to hear, followed, and pursued your most Godly and Princely Purpose, as of truth the more number hath most faithfully done. Yet nevertheless, Thomas Crumwell, now Earl of Essex, whom your Majesty took and received into your trusty Service, the same Thomas, then being a Man of very base and low degree, and far singular Favour Trust and Confidence, which your Majesty bore and had in him, and did not only erect and advance the same Thomas unto the state of an Earl, and enriched him with manifold Gifts, as well of Goods, as of Lands and Offices, but also him, Thomas Crumwell, Earl of Essex, did erect and make one of your most trusty Counsellors, as well concerning your Grace’s Supreme Jurisdictions Ecclesiastical, as your most high secret Affairs Temporal. Nevertheless, your Majesty now of late has found, and tried, by a large number of Witnesses, being your faithful Subjects, and Personages of great Honour, Worship, and Discretion, Thomas Crumwell, Earl of Essex, contrary to the singular trust and confidence which your Majesty had in him, to be the most false and corrupt Traitor, Deceiver, and Circumventor against your most Royal Person, and the Imperial Crown of your Realm, that has been known, seen, or heard of, in all the time of your most noble Reign.

Insomuch that it is manifestly proved and declared, by the Depositions of the Witnesses aforesaid, That Thomas Crumwell, Earl of Essex, usurping upon your Kingly Estate, Power, Authority, and Office, without your Grace’s Commandment or Assent, has taken upon himself to set at liberty diverse Persons being convicted and attainted of Misprision of High Treason, and diverse others being apprehended, and in Prison, for Suspicion of High Treason. And over that, many and diverse Times, at sundry Places in your Realm, for manifold Sums of Money to him given, most traitorously has taken upon him, by several Writings, to give and grant, as well unto Aliens, as to your Subjects, a great Number of Licenses for conveying and carrying of Money, Corn, Grain, Beans, Beer, Leather, Tallow, Bells, Metals, Horses, and other Commodities of your Realm, contrary to your Highness’s most Godly and Gracious Proclamations made for the Commonwealth of your People of your Realm in that behalf, and in Derogation of your Crown and Dignity. And Thomas Crumwell, elated and full of Pride, contrary to his most bounden Duty, of his own Authority and Power, with no regard for your Majesty Royal.

And further, taking upon him your Power, Sovereign Lord, in that behalf, diverse and many times most traitorously has constituted, deputed, and assigned many singular Persons of your Subjects to be Commissioners in many your great, urgent, and weighty Causes and Affairs executed and done in this your Realm, without the Assent, Knowledge, or Consent of your Highness. And further also, being a Person of as poor and low Degree, as few be within this your Realm, pretending to have so great a Stroke about you, our, and his, natural Sovereign Liege Lord, that he letted (made and allowed) Falsehoods. The said Thomas Crumwell, Earl of Essex, being a detestable Heretic, and being In himself utterly disposed to set and sow common Sedition and Variance among your true and loving Subjects, has secretly set forth and dispersed into all Shires, and other Territories of your Realm, and others of your Dominions, great Numbers of false erroneous Books. Whereof, many were printed and made beyond the Seas, and diverse others within this Realm, comprising and declaring, among many other Evils and Errors, manifest Matters to induce and lead your Subjects to diffidence, and refusal of the true and sincere Faith and Belief which Christian Religion binds all Christian People to have, in the most Holy and Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, and other Articles of Christian Religion, most graciously declared by your Majesty, by Authority of Parliament.

And certain Matters comprised in some of the said Books, has caused to be translated into our Maternal and English Tongue. And upon report made unto him by the Translator thereof, that the Matter so translated has expressly been against the said most Blessed and Holy Sacrament. Yet Thomas Crumwell, Earl of Essex, after he had read the same Translation, most heretically affirmed the same material Heresies so translated, to be good, and further has said that he found no fault therein, and over that, has openly and obstinately held Opinion That it was as lawful for every Christian Man to be a Minister of the said Sacrament, as well as a Priest.

And where also your most Royal Majesty, being a Prince of Virtue, Learning, and Justice, of singular Confidence and Trust, did constitute and make Thomas Crumwell, Earl of Essex, your Highness’ Vice-Gerent within your Realm of England, and gave unto him Authority and Power, not only to redress and reform all, and all manner of Errors, and erroneous Opinions, insuring and growing among your loving and obedient Subjects of your Realm, and of the Dominions, but also to order and direct all Ecclesiastical and Spiritual Causes within your Real, and Dominions. The said Thomas Crumwell, Earl of Essex, not regarding his Duty to Almighty God, and to your Highness, under the Seal of your Vice-Gerent, has without your Grace’s Assent or Knowledge, licensed, and authorised diverse Persons, detected and suspected of Heresies, to openly teach and preach amongst your most loving and obedient Subjects within your Realm of England.

And under the Pretense and Colour of the said great Authorities and Cures, which your Majesty has committed unto him in the Premises, has not only, of his corrupt and damnable Will and Mind, actually, at some time, by his own Deed and Commandment, and at many other Times by his Letters expressly written to diverse worshipful Persons, being Sheriffs, in sundry Shires of this your Realm, falsely suggested thereby your Grace’s Pleasure so to have been, caused to be set at large many false Heretics, some being there indicted, and some others being apprehended, and in Ward. And commonly, upon Complaints made by credible Persons unto Thomas Crumwell, Earl of Essex, of great and most detestable Heresies committed and sprung in many places of this your Realm, with Declaration of the Specialties of the same Heresies, and the Names of the Offenders, Thomas Crumwell, Earl of Essex, by his crafty and subtle Means and Inventions, has not only defended the same Heretics from Punishment and Reformation, but being a Fautor (patron), Maintainer, and Supporter of Heretics, diverse times has terribly rebuked diverse of the credible Persons being their Accusers, and some others of them were persecuted and vexed by Imprisonment and otherwise. So that thereby many of your Grace’s true and loving Subjects have been in much Dread and Fear, to detect or accuse such detestable known Heretics, the Particularities and Specialties of which said abominable Heroics, Errors, and Offences, committed and done by Thomas Crumwell, being over-tedious, long, and of too great a Number here to be expressed, declared, or written.

And to the Intent to have those damnable Errors and Heresies, to be inculcated impressed and infixed in the Hearts of your Subjects, as well contrary to God’s Laws, as to your Laws and Ordinances. Most Gracious Sovereign Lord, Thomas Crumwell, Earl of Essex, has allured and drawn unto him by Retainers, many of your Subjects sundrily inhabiting in every of your Shires and Territories, as well erroneously persuading and daring to them the Contents of the false erroneous Books, above written to be good, true, and best standing with the most Holy Word and Picture of God, as others of his false and heretical Opinions and Errors. Whereby, and by his Confederacies, he has caused many of your faithful Subjects to be greatly infected with Heresies, and other Errors, contrary to the right Laws and Pleasure of Almighty God. And Thomas Crumwell, Earl of Essex, by the false and traitorous Means above-written, supposing himself to be fully able, by Force and Strength, to maintain and defend his said abominable Treasons, Heresies, and Errors, not regarding his most bounden Duty to Almighty God, and his Laws, nor the natural Duty of Allegiance to your Majesty, in the last Day of March, in the 30 Year of your most gracious Reign,[4] in the Parish of St, Peter the Poor,[5] within your City of London, upon Demonstration and Declaration then and there made unto him, that there were certain new Preachers, as Robert Barnes, Clerk, and others, whereof part were committed to the Tower of London, for preaching and teaching of loud learning against your Highness’s Proclamations, the same Thomas, affirming the same preaching to be good most detestably, arrogantly, erroneously, willfully, maliciously, and traitorously expressly against your Laws and Statutes, then and there did not let to declare, and say, these most traitorous and detestable Words ensuing, amongst other Words of like Matter and Effect.

That is to say,:

‘That if the King would turn from it, yet I would not turn; and if the King did turn, and all his People, I would fight in the Field in mine own Person, with my Sword this my Hand, against him and all others.’

And then and there, most traitorously milled out his Dagger, and held it on high, saying these Words:

‘…or else this Dagger thrust me to the Heart if I would not die in that Quarrel against them all. And I trust if I live one Year or two, it shall not lie in the King’s Power to resist or lett (prevent) it if he would.’

And further, then and there swearing by a great Oath, traitorously affirmed the same his traitorous Saying and Pronunciation of Words, saying, ‘I will do so indeed,’ extending up his Arm, as though he had had a Sword in his Hand; to the most perilous, grievous, and wicked Example of all your loving, faithful and obedient Subjects in this your Realm, and to the Peril of your most Royal Person.

And moreover, our most gracious Sovereign Lord, Thomas Crumwell, Earl of Essex, has acquired and obtained into his Possession, by Oppression, Bribery, Extort, Power and false Promises made by him to your Subjects of your Realm, innumerable Sums of Money, and Treasure. And being so enriched, has had your Nobles of your Realm in great Disdain, Derision, and Detestation, as by express words by him most opprobriously spoken has appeared. And being put in remembrance of others, of his Estate, which your Highness has called him unto, offending in like Treasons, the last Day of January, in the [32nd[ Year of your most noble Reign, at the Parish of St. Martins in the Field, in the County of Middlesex, most arrogantly, willingly, maliciously, and traitorously, said, published and declared, ‘that if the Lords would handle him so, that he would give them such a Breakfast as never was made in England, and that the proudest of them should know,’ to the great Peril and Danger, as well of your Majesty, and your Heirs and Successors. For the which, his most detestable and abominable Heresies and Treasons, and many others of his like Offences and Treasons, over-long here to be rehearsed and declared.

Be it Enacted, Ordained, and Established by your Majesty, with the Assent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and the Commons in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, that Thomas Crumwell, Earl of Essex, for his abominable and detestable Heresies and Treasons, by him most abominably, hectically, and traitorously practised, committed, and done, as well against Almighty God as against your Majesty and your said Realm, shall be, and stand, by Authority of this present Parliament, convicted and attainted of Heresies and High Treason, and be adjudged an abominable and detestable Heretic and Traitor. And shall have and suffer such Pains of Death, Losses, and Forfeitures of Goods, Debts, and Chattels, as in cases of Heresies and High Treason, or as in cases of either of them, at the Pleasure of your most Royal Majesty. And that Thomas Crumwell, Earl of Essex, shall, by Authority above said, lose, end, and forfeit to your Highness, and to your Heirs and Successors, all such of his Castles, Lordships, Manors, Messuages,[6] Lands, Tenements, Rents, Reversions, Remainders, Services, Possessions, Offices, Rights, Conditions, and all other his Hereditaments, of what Names, Natures, or Qualities so ever they be, which he, Thomas Crumwell, Earl of Essex, or any other to his Use had, or ought to have had, of any Estate of Inheritance, in Fee-Simple or Fee-Tail,[7] in Reversion or Possession, at the said last Day of March, in the said [32nd] Year of your most Gracious Reign, or any time since or after, as in Cases of High Treason.

And that all the said Castles, Lordships, Manors, Lands, Messuages. Tenements, Rents, Reversions, Remainders, Services, Possessions, Offices, and all other the Premises forfeited, as is above said, shall he deemed, invested, and adjudged, in the lawful, real, and actual Possession of your Highness, your Heirs and Successors forever in the same, and in such Estate, Manner and Form, as if the Castles, Lordships, Manors, Messuages, Lands, Tenements, Rents, Reversions, Remainders, Services, Possessions, Offices, and other the Premises, with their Appurtenances, and every of them, were especially or particularly founded, by Office or Offices, Inquisition or Inquisitions, to be taken by any Escheator or Escheators,[8] or any other Commissioner or Commissioners, by Virtue of any Commission or Commissions to them or any of them, to he directed in any County or Counties, Shire or Shires, within this your Realm of England, where the said Castles, and other the Premises, or any of them, been, or do lie, and returned Into any of your Majesty’s Courts.

Saving to all and singular Person and Persons, Bodies politic and corporate, their Heirs and Successors and their Successors and Assignees of every of them, other than Thomas Crumwell, Earl of Essex, and his Heirs, and all and every other Person and Persons, claiming by Thomas Crumwell, and to his Use, all such Right, Title, Entry, Possessions, Interest, Reversions, Remainders, Lease, Leases, Conditions, Fees, Offices, Rents, Annuities, Commons, and all other Commodities, Profits, and Hereditaments whatsoever they or any of them might, should or ought to have had, if this Act had never been had or made. Provided always, and be it enacted by the Authority aforesaid, that this Act of Attainder, nor any Offence, nor other thing therein contained, extend not unto the Deanery of Wells in the County of Somerset; nor to any Manors, Lands, Tenements, or Hereditaments thereunto belonging; nor be in any ways prejudicial or hurtful unto the Bishop of Bath and Wells.

Nor to the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral Church of St, Andrew of Wells, nor to any of them, nor to any of their Successors, but that the said Bishop, Dean, and Chapters, and their Successors, and every of them, shall and may have, hold, use, occupy, and enjoy, all and singular their Titles, Rights, Manors, Lands, Tenements, Rents, Reversions, and Services, and all and singular other their Hereditaments, Commodities, and Profits, of what nature, kind, or quality, or condition so ever they be, in as ample and large manner and form, as thorough this Act of Attainder, or any Offence therein mentioned, had never been had, committed, nor made; and that from henceforth the Dean, and his Successors, Deans of the said Cathedral Church that hereafter shall be perfected, elected, and admitted to the same, Shall, by the Authority aforesaid, be Dean of the said Cathedral Church, fully and wholly incorporated with the Chapter of the same, in as ample, large, and like manner and form, to all intents and purposes, as the Deans before this time hath been and used to be, with the said Chapter of the said Cathedral Church of Wells. And that the same Dean and Chapter, and their Successors, shall have, occupy, and enjoy, all and singular their such Possessions, Manors, Lands. Tenements Rents, Reversions, and Services, and all and singular their Hereditaments, of what nature, kind, name, or names they be called or known. And shall be adjudged and deemed in actual and real Possession and Seisin[9] of, and in the same Premises to all intents and purposes, according to their old Corporation, as through this Act of Attainder, or anything, clause, or matter therein contained had never been had, committed, nor made. This said Act of Attainder, or any other Act, Provision, or anything heretofore had or made to the contrary notwithstanding.

[1] House of Lords, Journal I, p145-146

[2] House of Lords, Journal I, p149

[3] House of Lords, Journal I, p146

[4] should read 32nd year of Your Gracious Reign (under the Gregorian calendar)

[5] St Peter le Poer on Broad Street, beside Austin Friars

[6] All buildings or houses with adjacent lands

[7] fee-simple – inheritance without restriction to class of heirs; fee-tail, inheritance with restriction to class of heirs

[8] Lawyers appointed to oversee land reverting to the crown

[9] Possession of freehold land and/or chattels

NEW – BECOMING THOMAS CROMWELL: ON THE FICKLENESS OF LOYALTY

Published on by Caroline AngusLeave a comment

AVAILABLE 4 MAY 2026

Before Thomas Cromwell could rule Henry VIII’s England, he first had to survive Machiavelli’s Florence.

—

Thomas Cromwell is eighteen when he arrives in Florence, carrying little but the memory of war and the instinct to survive.

Taken into the household of the powerful Frescobaldi, he finds himself in a city balanced between republic and ruin, where Piero Soderini governs in the uneasy absence of the Medici, and where influence is measured not in titles alone, but in gold, information, and silence.

Under the watch of Francesco Frescobaldi, and in the orbit of Niccolò Machiavelli, he begins to understand that power is rarely declared, but quietly constructed through alliances, through deception, and through trade. For Florence’s wealth does not rest in its streets, but in its reach. From Rome to the Low Countries, from the Papal monopoly of alum to the court of King Henry VII of England, commerce binds the city to forces far beyond its walls. And where such wealth moves unseen, so too does danger.

Yet not all risks are counted in coin. As Cromwell is drawn deeper into the lives of those around him, loyalty begins to blur, and the cost of belonging reveals itself in ways he cannot easily control.

As the Italian Wars redraw the balance of Europe, Cromwell is pulled ever further into a network of ambition and secrecy, where survival demands more than obedience, and where every choice leaves its mark.

In Florence, nothing is ever simply bought or sold. And every debt must be paid in full.

PRE-ORDER IN HARDBACK AND KINDLE NOW 

ON THE FICKLENESS OF LOYALTY – THOMAS CROMWELL AUTHOR Q+A

Published on by Caroline AngusLeave a comment

Welcome to the author Q+A! I tried to combine question where possible to fit everything into one post.

On the Fickleness of Loyalty is out now here, or your chosen Amazon site. It might take a few days to load on other stores’ sites (can’t control that, sorry!)

Why do you like Thomas Cromwell so much? How long have you been researching Cromwell? Why Cromwell?

The question I get asked most often! Why Thomas Cromwell is easy for me. For the vast number of men at the Tudor court, they are duke/baron/whatever of somewhere, the son of  duke/baron/whatever of somewhere, on and on and on. For the women, the are the lady of somewhere, daughter of him and her of somewhere, on and on and on. Then there is Thomas Cromwell, a guy from nowhere, with no family pedigree, no history anyone can trace, who, on a mixture of charm, quality public speaking, and the ability to remain invisible when it suited, managed to make his way through life to the very top of society. The story writes itself. I love a cheeky opportunist. It gives so much more range, because Cromwell was not confined by court rules or social customs like other people. He had to go to great lengths to rise high as a nobleman at court, earn every penny personally, and put up with the grief he would get from those born with a silver spoon. For the first 45 years of his life, he disappeared from England as a teenager, only to turn up years later in Florence, and then in Antwerp and Middelburg a decade later, marries for a modest inheritance and family connections to let him work as a lawyer, and be accepted into Gary’s Inn without any actual legitimate education. By the time King Henry noticed Cromwell, he was a multi-millionaire (by today’s standards), and all entirely on his own work. Attempting to help his master Cardinal Wolsey saw Cromwell placed into court life and ends up recreating government as we know it today and breaking down the Catholic Church’s hold over England. The scope of storyline in fiction is immense in a way others at court don’t have. When I wrote my first three novels on Cromwell, I felt like the narrative could have gone on forever, and now, doing his early life, I can spread out so much wider again, add new characters, and create a whole new world. I don’t want to write about a man who was born on third base. I don’t want to write about a pretty girl with rich parents and the ability to read. I want bigger than that, and the nobility rarely provides it. (I am happy to read about what others make of them of course)

Why put Cromwell in Florence instead of England with Wolsey?

Because Florence is amazing! The history of Florence is incredible, and it is the only location, other than Garigliano, that Cromwell can be placed before 1510. It created such a massive world for me to build, because the majority of historical novels in Florence feature the Medici, but Cromwell lived there in a period where the Medici were ousted. No one says they are dying to write about the reign of Piero Soderini, do they? The way Florence was run under Soderini’s rule was totally different the structure to the century prior under Medici rule, or the century after, also under Medici and papal rule. There was this small pocket of time where anything can be created, and it was the exact time that Cromwell lived in Florence. Cromwell can walk down the street and help Botticelli with his bag, have dinner with Michelangelo, catch up with da Vinci at a goodbye party, buy remedies from Caterina Sforza, throw stones at the statute of David (which was apparently a popular activity), and most importantly, drink at a bar with Machiavelli, who, I discovered, was nothing like his works would suggest.

What sources or records were most important in shaping your version of Cromwell’s early life? Are the Frescobaldi family real?

Matteo Bandello’s story of the Frescobaldi family is the only written record of Cromwell under the age of 25, and that was limited to a few lines. It was enough for me to recreate the Battle of Garigliano at the start of book one, before moving to create a world about a young unemployed Englishman hungry enough to take on anything. The Frescobaldi family mattered a great deal to Thomas Cromwell, as seen by later actions back in England and his close relationships with the allies who lives in London. Again, the story of a starving teen soldier stumbling into the path of a Florentine family who takes pity on him practically writes itself.

There is a book, underrated in my opinion, The Winter King by Thomas Penn, which has some of the most well researched information on the smuggling operation the Frescobaldi family created with King Henry VII. These were shrewd people who managed to get their name into the most powerful circles of Europe; Henry VII, James IV, Duchess Margaret of Savoy, Maximilian, King of the Romans, Pope Julius II, Philip of Burgundy and Juana of Castile. The scale of historical figures I can use is limitless.

When the comes to the Frescobaldi family, which is still prestigious today, the people I have created are not based on the real life people of 1503-1513. There are similar names, yes, and the Frescobaldi palaces are a location, but the people are 100% fictional. The information about these particular generations of the family are limited to their business dealings in ledgers around Europe; their personal lives are not a subject for scrutiny. I completely made up the characters. However, what is happening in Florence and Europe at the time is completely accurate, with people at different levels of power having to deal with the realities that life sent them. I have worked as closely as possible with primary sources to ensure that when they are in the city, they are dealing with what was happening at that time, when they travel, they must skirt around war and disease accurate to the period. Historical events and weather anomalies change their lives the way it would have 500 years ago.

Is this another Medici drama based in Florence? Is this like a mystery novel, or more a historical take on Florence? How much Machiavelli is in this book?

In 1494, Piero de’Medici, ruler of Florence for only two years, lost control and the Medici family were exiled. Girolamo Savonarola came in as a religious fanatic and completely upended the city and its way of life before he was eventually killed less than five years later. Piero Soderini, a politician and statesman, stepped in and was eventually voted in for life to rule over the Republic of Florence, which was controlled by councils that regularly rotated men in and out of power, until the Medici storm the republic and recapture the city in 1513. For the bulk of the series, the Medici are a threat in the distance, giving other families and alliances to breathe. In the first book, Cromwell is constantly reminded of his dealings with Piero de’Medici at Garigliano, which he hates.

As for Machiavelli, he does pop up from time to time. In this time period, he is not the great author that his name inspires, he is a chancellor and diplomat with varying degrees of skill, poor decision-making skills, and exceptionally loose morals. It is a mystery novel I guess, in that there is an element of mystery, however most of the mystery is how long the characters will take to admit the inevitable truth they already know.

Do you see Cromwell as someone shaped more by ambition or by circumstance? Do you think Cromwell knew how high he would rise in life? Do you think Cromwell ever wanted to stay in Europe?

There must have been a fairly large portion of Cromwell that ran on ambition, to reach the heights he did. But the bulk of his life is only seen through his ten years at the royal court for Henry VIII. He could have tried breaking into court much earlier, but chose not to, despite ample opportunity to do so. He was able to sit in parliament in 1523 on behalf of Sir  Thomas Grey, and gave a speech to the king, telling him not to go to war because of the provisioning costs, and yet that was not at all what he was meant to do in parliament. Grey wanted petitions for the north to be read (I can assume they were, though records from 1523 have been destroyed). Did Cromwell  burn with an ambition to create modern government? Did he burn with desire to create the Church of England? I don’t think so, but when the opportunity came, he took it. It tends to be a theme throughout his years prior to court life too, he found himself somewhere, with certain people, and chose to make the best of it. As a result, he ended up with a wide network of friends in different places, not in high places, but in places where he was respected. As for staying in Europe, it is hard to tell. From what I can gather, his father died around the time Cromwell retuned to England. Obligation kept him home for the rest of the 1510s, except for few times to Italy.

How do you decide when to stay strictly accurate to history, and when to let the story take over?

Generally, I will change history if I have to for the story, but it might mean I move a historical event up by two months or something and the story doesn’t get affected in any way. There aren’t huge changes to history as we know it. Because many of the characters are fictional, I can bend them around history. One example in book one is the death of Isabella of Castile in late 1504, and then the shipwreck of Philip of Burgundy and Juana of Castile in early 1506. It would have been great if I could have moved one of those events to have them close together, but instead I moved around the lives of fictional characters and made it fit. I don’t like changing history if I can avoid it. One thing to consider though is that different people from different places and cultures see different events in a different light. How an event is perceived in one place may not be the way you perceive in yours as the reader.

Are there parts of Cromwell’s life that are harder to write than others? Is it hard to write when there are so few historical facts to use?

I hate writing romance! No shade to romance authors, I just hate doing it myself. I’m amazed I ever managed it. Cromwell’s personal life is a blank, throughout his life. Yes, he had a wife at one stage, but I don’t place much stock in that. Marriage was a system where even the poorest man could have a maid. He made a choice based on what appears to be a smart financial decision to marry someone related to his brother-in-law, who could offer him legal work. That gave me plenty of scope when writing my 1529-1540 series, because there are zero romantic entanglements to have to deal with, and it was great. Now, in this series, because so many people are fictional, or I have been able to research their personal lives, I can be entirely fluid with sexuality as much as I please outside the traditional notions of arranged marriages and tepid relationships between strangers. The men and women of Florence were up to A LOT. Though, no, I don’t write sex books, don’t worry.

Another thing is the clothing of the period. I don’t want to get bogged down in dresses or caps, or hairstyles, I describe things in a basic way and move on. Please google if you want an in-depth idea! There are some exceptions; I do describe fabrics, as that is relevant to Frescobaldi trade, and the cover image, of Cromwell wearing a red brocade cloak with gold embroidery is very relevant. He wears this cloak (that obviously is not his) and it starts a chain of events that spiral out of control over a year. Fabrics are relevant to how a person felt in society, but this isn’t a great book if you want fancy gowns.

I was amazed by how much historical research I could use in this book. I was unsure when I started if I could fill a book covering 1503-1513, and before I realised it, I had written four books’ worth. I started writing this series in early 2023, but it was interrupted by several non-fiction contracts I needed to finish, and real life got really hard in 2024 and 2025. It has been very nice to finally finish this project.

It says book one of Becoming Thomas Cromwell, what more could there be? Is this book part of a series? Does this book match up with your other Cromwell series?

This book covers 1503 at Garigliano, though to early 1506 when Cromwell… well, you have to read it. In this book, Cromwells works at Palazzo Frescobaldi and is a secretary helping with the smuggling arrangement for King Henry in England and dealing with a lot of metaphorical ghosts of things that have happened. Book two, currently scheduled for a Christmas 2026 release, covers 1506-1508, book three in mid-2027 will cover 1509-1511, and Christmas 2027 will have book four covering 1512-1513. Could it go beyond that? It’s entirely possible. The Becoming Thomas Cromwell series is in the same universe as the Queenmaker series, and you will recognise certain characters that are in both.

Why do you only write about men?

Seriously? Who do you think is running all these men?

One thing that falls in Cromwell’s favour is that he helped people when they were down. He helped women when they had been wronged. He pulled wayward husbands into line. He gave out money and did not get it back. Cromwell didn’t look down on people, and when I write fiction like this, where young Cromwell is beguiled by the powerful women he encounters, he gives him their dues, he sees their importance. I will always write that way, and I don’t have to bend history to do it. Had there been a plucky opportunistic who was female at court, maybe I would have written her. Instead, I took historical figures and made fictional women around them. I wish we had more primary sources on women, written by women, about women, for women. But we don’t.

I know many people like to portray Anne Boleyn as a kind of hero, but I don’t see her that way. She did some nice things for some people, and she did some horrible things too. People generally get annoyed at Cromwell works because he was the man who killed Anne Boleyn, and no, there is nothing that can redeem such an act. I literally wrote Planning the Murder of Anne Boleyn, and I didn’t do it to absolve Cromwell of his part in it, but it does show the underbelly that propelled Anne to her death, entirely because of her husband. So please, send me rude messages about Cromwell if you like, but I have a tight schedule, so don’t expect a reply.

THE COMPLETE TRANSCRIBED LETTERS AND REMEMBRANCES OF THOMAS CROMWELL NOW UPDATED 2025

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THE TRANSCRIBED LETTERS AND REMEMBRANCES OF THOMAS CROMWELL

Four hundred years passed between Thomas Cromwell’s death in 1540 and the recognition that this faithful servant was more than another agent of Henry VIII. Born a common man with no recorded education, Cromwell became a wealthy lawyer, politician, minister, and peer of the realm, and created the modern style of government in England. An extraordinary man of wisdom, charm, strategic cunning, and boasting an incredible memory, Cromwell redefined bureaucracy, broke a nation from Rome, reformed parliament, created royal supremacy and developed the revolutionary administrative procedures still in place today.

But after his execution, Thomas Cromwell became an intellectual genius lost to history, only now again known for his brilliance, finally appearing out from the shadows of the king he served. Cromwell laid the foundations for the success of Britain throughout the centuries, emerging from archives through the past seventy years of fine academic research, and now historical fiction brings the great man into public view once again.

Many know of Thomas Cromwell’s life through the words of others, their letters, tales, and opinions passed down through the years, with much of Cromwell’s vast correspondence lost to time and destruction. For the first time, Cromwell’s surviving letters are together in a single volume, alongside his personal remembrance lists, transcribed from original primary sources. Here are Thomas Cromwell’s letters on an array of subjects, without opinions from others, without the legal definitions of his legislation, the chance to read Cromwell’s own words.

AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE IN HARDBACK, PAPERBACK AND ON KINDLE 

 AVAILABLE HERE 

OTD with Thomas Cromwell – 29 October 1533: Cromwell discusses Queen Katharine with King Henry

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Katherine of Aragon, Charles Robert Leslie, 1826, Royal Academy of Arts 03/1361

Cromwell wrote to King Henry as the king was away from London, to tell him of the progress with sending his warrants to Queen Katharine as Cromwell was preparing to put his Queen Katharine Act through parliament, settling her income and lands from her marriages. Cromwell also mentions concerns of the ‘traitorous’ Observant Friars, and their involvement with Elizabeth Barton, the Holy Maid of Kent, who Cromwell needed to interrogate, and money owed to Henry from the Emperor. 

MASTER CROMWELL TO KING HENRY VIII, 29 October 1533 (SP 1/80 f. 50)

It shall please your royal majesty to be informed how that returning homewards, one of my lord Chancellor’s servants met with me and delivered me your warrants, signed with the hand of the princess dowager (Queen Katharine), which I do send to your Grace herein enclosed. What your pleasure shall be to have done I shall right gladly accomplish.

I have also since my return to London spoken with Friar Lawrence, who has since his return to London heard several things touching the holy maid which he will declare to your highness and no other, and he showed me also that there be two strange friars of the order of Observants lately returned into this realm, which two friars have explored here. For all such books, sentences and determinations as has passed touching your highness, Matrimony, which they intend with other privy practices to convey with them, to Friar Petow who as I am credibly informed sent them into your realm. The said two friars as I am ascertained have brought with them privy letters to diverse people and now have gone to the said princess dowager. In my poor opinion it shall be right well done that they might be sent for by some trusty person, howbeit would be best that they first should be suffered to speak with her and such others of hers as would peradventure deliver to them anything, whereby their further practice might be perceived and so their cankered intents might be thereby deciphered. I am also informed that there is a merchant of London which does practice with them in this premise. I shall go very near to have knowledge therein. If it be true, he is worthy to suffer to make others beware in time if he is of good substance. I will this day go about to know the truth of these things would be met with all in time and the sooner the better. I trust your highness will, by this bearer, advertise me in writing what shall be your pleasure touching the said friars, as also touching of the said dowager’s warrants.

I have also sent to your Grace one acquittance to be assigned for the 24 thousand crowns due to your highness for the residue of the Emperor’s diet and also a warrant to your Chancellor for the sealing of the same warrant and acquittance. It may please your majesty to assign and to send the same by this bearer to Robert Fowler, who may be dispatched. The rest of the acquittances for your ordinary pension and sale been already signed and sealed. And this, the holy trinity to whom I shall continually pray to preserve your highness in long life and most prosperous health and send the same the victory with honour over all your enemies.