He arranged the king’s third marriage to Jane Seymour, whom Henry credited with giving him a male heir.
Later, Cromwell engineered the politically controversial marriage to Anne of Cleves, designed to secure a Protestant alliance with Germany. Though the marriage failed personally, Cromwell took responsibility and suffered for the king’s displeasure.
Cromwell’s Downfall: The Perils of Tudor Politics
Despite his long service, Cromwell’s fall was swift and brutal. In 1540, just months after arranging Henry’s marriage to Anne of Cleves, Cromwell was arrested on charges of treason and heresy.
Historians debate the exact causes of his downfall, but it likely stemmed from court rivalries (notably the influence of the Duke of Norfolk), the king’s anger over the failed Cleves marriage, and Cromwell’s enemies exploiting his association with Protestant reforms.He was condemned without a formal trial and executed by beheading on July 28, 1540. shutdown123