The Rise and Fall of Thomas Cromwell│Henry VIII's Right Hand Man

Thomas Cromwell might have pulled off the most meteoric social climb of the 16th century, rising from the son of a blacksmith to become Henry VIII’s chief minister and right hand man. He was a reformer, a champion of the power of Parliament, and the architect of the disillusion of the monasteries. Often seen as a villain of history, his famous depiction in Hillary Mantel’s ‘Wolf Hall’ series presents him in a more sympathetic light. But who was the real Cromwell? How did he rise so high at the Tudor court? And why did he find himself facing execution at the Tower of London? In this episode of the Historic Royal Palaces Podcast, Tracy Borman explores the true history of the man behind the infamy. Joined by Chief Curator Eleri Lynn in the amazing Tudor Great Hall at Hampton Court Palace, she discusses the Reformation, Anne Boleyn, and Cromwell’s all important relationship with Henry VIII. You can find more episodes of the Historic Royal Palaces Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/64ORUgr... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast... Read more about Thomas Cromwell on our website: https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-londo... Buy Tracy’s biography of Cromwell from our shop: https://www.historicroyalpalaces.com/... Image credits: Thomas Cromwell ,1532-33 by Hans Holbein the Younger (German, 1497/1498–1543). The Frick Collection, New York. Image © The Frick Collection 18th Century Old Map of Surrey (1724), England, United Kingdom (UK) by the German cartographer Herman Moll. ARCHI UK Woodcut of Florence (Firenze), Italy, from the Nuremberg Chronicle. Wikipedia. Plate from the "Copperplate" map of London, 1550s, showing the eastern City area. Wikipedia. Portrait miniature of Hans Schwarzwaldt (sometimes identified as Gregory Cromwell). Hans Holbein the Younger. Royal Collections of the Netherlands. Behind the scenes of ‘Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light’ at Hampton Court Palace. © Playground Entertainment/BBC Pictures Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cromwell’s books of hours on display. Photograph provided by Hever Castle. The Banquet of Henry VIII in York Place (Whitehall Palace). James Stephanoff. © Royal Collection Enterprises Ltd 2025 | Royal Collection Trust The Pilgrimage of Grace illustration. Licensed through Alamy. Jane Seymour. Hans Holbein the Younger. Mauritshuis, The Hague. Portrait of a Lady, probably a Member of the Cromwell Family. Hans Holbein the Younger. Toledo Museum of Art. Anne of Cleeves. Hans Holbein the Younger. © GrandPalaisRmn (musée du Louvre) / Adrien Didierjean Portrait of a Lady, perhaps Katherine Howard (1520-1542) c. 1540 © Royal Collection Enterprises Ltd 2025 | Royal Collection Trust Thomas Cromwell’s final letter to Henry VIII from the Tower of London. Reproduced with permission of the Marquess of Salisbury, Hatfield House. Portrait of a man, perhaps Sir Ralph Sadler. Hans Holbein the Younger. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.