Thomas Cranmer

@Religious Leaders, Timeline and Facts ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Thomas Cranmer was the first Protestant archbishop of Canterbury and a leader of the English Reformation Cancer Celebrities Execution British Leaders Spiritual & Religious Leaders Thomas Cranmer was the first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury and a leader of the English Reformation. As the Archbishop of Canterbury he was responsible for establishing the first doctrinal and liturgical structures of the reformed Church of England. Along with Thomas Cromwell who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII of England, he supported the principle of Royal Supremacy which gave the king power over the Church within his realm. He also advocated for the king’s desired divorce from Catherine of Aragon and helped in building the case for the annulment of this marriage. However, he was not much successful in making any radical changes to the church under Henry’s rule due to the turbulent political situation and power struggles between religious conservatives and reformers. Once King Edward VI ascended to the throne, opportunities opened up for Cranmer to implement major reforms. He was considered one of the outstanding theologians of his time and is credited to have written the first two editions of the ‘Book of Common Prayer’, a complete liturgy for the English Church. However, things started falling apart for him after Queen Mary ascended the throne. A Roman Catholic, she put Cranmer on trial for treason and he was burned at the stake.

Personal Details

Birthday: July 2, 1489 Died on: March 21, 1556 Nationality: British Famous: First Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury, Religious Leaders, Spiritual, Leaders, Spiritual & Religious Leaders Spouses: Joan Cranmer Known as: Кранмер, Томас Universities: Jesus College Cambridge Magdalene College Cambridge University of Cambridge Information Detail Birthday July 2, 1489 Died on March 21, 1556 Nationality British Famous First Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury, Religious Leaders, Spiritual, Leaders, Spiritual & Religious Leaders Spouses Joan Cranmer Known as Кранмер, Томас Universities Jesus College Cambridge Magdalene College Cambridge University of Cambridge Cause of death Execution Birth Place Aslockton Religion Anglicanism Gender Male Father Thomas Cranmer Mother Agnes Hatfield Sun Sign Cancer Born in Aslockton Famous as First Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury Died at Age 66

Aslockton

Thomas Cranmer born at Unsplash Birth Place

Thomas Cranmer married a woman named Joan shortly after receiving his MA. His wife died in her first childbirth. Unsplash Personal Life

In 1532, he married Margaret, a Lutheran and a niece of the prominent Lutheran scholar Andreas Osiander. The couple had one daughter and one son. Unsplash Personal Life

After King Edward VI's death, Mary I became the Queen of England and Ireland. A Roman Catholic, she had over 280 religious dissenters burned at the stake. She had the Protestant Cranmer arrested and tried him for treason. He was eventually burned at the stake on March 21, 1556. Unsplash Personal Life

Thomas Cranmer was born on 2 July 1489, in Aslockton, Nottinghamshire, England to Thomas and Agnes Cranmer. He hailed from a family of modest means. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

While nothing concrete is known about his childhood and schooling, it is believed that he attended a grammar school in his village. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He was sent to the Jesus College, Cambridge, when he was 14. He studied there for eight long years before completing his Bachelor of Arts degree. While studying logic, classical literature and philosophy at the college, he also began to collect medieval scholastic books. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He then embarked on a study on the humanists, Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples and Erasmus, for his master’s degree and received his Master of Arts degree in 1515. Shortly afterwards, he was elected to a Fellowship of Jesus College. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He soon got married and because of this he was forced to forfeit his fellowship at Jesus College. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Thomas Cranmer started working as reader at Buckingham Hall (later reformed as Magdalene College) to fend for his family. His wife became pregnant and died in childbirth. Unsplash Career

Following the death of his wife the Jesus College reinstated his fellowship. He started studying theology and was ordained by 1520. He received his Doctor of Divinity degree in 1526. Unsplash Career

In August 1529, he had a chance meeting with Stephen Gardiner and Edward Foxe, two of King Henry VIII’s chief councilors. At that time the king desired to be freed from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, in order to marry his mistress Anne Boleyn. The king was desperately looking for help and appointed Cranmer in the royal service with the request that he help the king in getting a divorce. Unsplash Career

Cranmer agreed to write a propaganda treatise in the king’s interest and worked towards obtaining the annulment of Henry's marriage with Catherine of Aragon. Unsplash Career

He was appointed the resident ambassador at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, in 1532. He was sent to Germany and was ordered to establish contact with the Lutheran princes in order to learn more about Lutheranism. Unsplash Career

Information	Detail
Birthday	July 2, 1489
Died on	March 21, 1556
Nationality	British
Famous	First Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury, Religious Leaders, Spiritual, Leaders, Spiritual & Religious Leaders
Spouses	Joan Cranmer
Known as	Кранмер, Томас
Universities	Jesus College Cambridge Magdalene College Cambridge University of Cambridge
Cause of death	Execution
Birth Place	Aslockton
Religion	Anglicanism
Gender	Male
Father	Thomas Cranmer
Mother	Agnes Hatfield
Sun Sign	Cancer
Born in	Aslockton
Famous as	First Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury
Died at Age	66

Thomas Cranmer

British

Jul 2, 1489

Biography

Personal Details

Aslockton