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Thomas Cranmer

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   Thomas Cranmer ( July 2, 1489 – March 21, 1556) was the Archbishop of
   Canterbury during the reigns of the English kings Henry VIII and Edward
   VI. He is credited with writing and compiling the first two Books of
   Common Prayer which established the basic structure of Anglican liturgy
   for centuries and influenced the English language through its phrases
   and quotations. Cranmer was an important figure in the English
   Reformation. He was one of the first Anglican martyrs: he was burned in
   1556 for heresy. He is commemorated by the Church of England on March
   21. The Episcopal Church in the United States of America commemorates
   Cranmer with the other Oxford Martyrs on October 16.

Early years (1489–1533)

   Cranmer was born in 1489 in Aslacton, now Aslockton, near Nottingham.
   His parents, Thomas and Agnes (Hatfield) Cranmer, were from the lesser
   gentry and had only enough wealth and land to support their eldest son
   upon their death. Due to this lack of land the scholarly Thomas and his
   younger brother entered the service of the church.

   A plague forced Cranmer to leave Cambridge for Essex. Here he came to
   the attention of Henry VIII, who was staying nearby. The King and his
   councillors found Cranmer a willing advocate for Henry's desired
   annulment from Catherine of Aragon and he became involved with the case
   as a researcher. He and Foxe compiled the Collectanea Satis Copiosa
   (the sufficiently abundant collection) in 1530, giving legal and
   historical precedent of cases such as Henry's, allowing the King to
   build an academic case to break with Rome. Cranmer was sent as part of
   the embassy to Rome in 1530, and in 1532 he became ambassador to the
   Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

   Cranmer met his second wife Margarete, relative by marriage of the
   Lutheran scholar Andreas Osiander, while spending the summer of 1532 in
   Nuremberg.

Archbishop under Henry VIII (1533–1547)

   An oil painting of Thomas Cranmer by Gerlach Flicke (1545) - National
   Portrait Gallery, London
   An oil painting of Thomas Cranmer by Gerlach Flicke (1545) - National
   Portrait Gallery, London

   By January 1533 Henry found out that Anne Boleyn, the woman he wanted
   to marry, was pregnant. This added urgency to the matter of the King's
   annulment and they were married in secret by the end of the month.

   On March 30, 1533, Cranmer was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury after
   the death of Warham. Cranmer was chosen as Henry believed that he would
   support his policies and find solutions to his problems. This
   appointment by Henry, in spite of the Pope's refusal to consent, shows
   that he had given up the hope of getting consent for an annulment from
   Rome.

   Cranmer brought his German wife Margarete with him when he became
   Archbishop but kept her presence quiet so as not to be seen breaking
   the rules on clerical celibacy.

   In May, Cranmer declared the marriage of Henry to Catherine of Aragon
   void and Anne Boleyn his lawful wife. In doing this, Cranmer went
   directly against the Pope's command. In September, Anne gave birth to
   Henry's second daughter Princess Elizabeth. Cranmer was the godfather.

   Under Henry, Cranmer was able to push through the reforms that led
   gradually to the reform of the Church of England. This included writing
   the 10 Articles, which stated the reforms but also showed a politeness
   that Cranmer possessed because he didn't want to offend anyone. For
   example he didn't say that transubstantiation was incorrect, but that
   there was a possibility that it might be.

   In 1538, he condemned the views of John Lambert when he denied
   transubstantiation. Lambert was burnt at the stake, but Cranmer later
   came to adopt his views.

   Cranmer also opposed Henry VIII's 6 Articles, which reaffirmed clerical
   celibacy.

   At the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries Cranmer was given
   various former church properties, such as the former Cluniac Nunnery at
   Arthington.

   Cranmer greatly admired Henry and on his death declared he would not
   shave his beard again as a sign of mourning.

Archbishop under Edward VI (1547–1553)

   A Portrait of Thomas Cranmer by Unknown Artist - Lambeth Palace, London
   A Portrait of Thomas Cranmer by Unknown Artist - Lambeth Palace, London

   On Henry's death in 1547, Cranmer became an indispensable advisor to
   his son and successor, Edward VI, who, as a child, had been brought up
   with Protestant views.

   During Edward's reign, Cranmer set about the completion of his great
   liturgical work begun during Henry's reign. He produced an English
   language liturgy with a Protestant character. The Book of Common Prayer
   (BCP), as it came to be known, was heavily influenced by continental
   theologians, such as Peter Martyr, Martin Bucer (both of whom he
   invited and hosted in England), and by Hermann of Wied (Archbishop of
   Cologne, whose Consultatio was the source of a good number of elements
   of the new book). Cranmer was responsible for the first two editions of
   the BCP. The first edition in 1549 was comparatively conservative in
   appearance, though full of Cranmer's inimitable prose. The second
   edition in 1552 was more radically Protestant, greatly toning down the
   sacrificial element in the eucharist, removing prayers for the dead,
   and removing many ceremonies, including the admixture of water with the
   wine at Communion, the exorcism, the putting on of the chrysom robe and
   the triple immersion in baptism. The current official BCP of the Church
   of England was produced in 1662.

   Cranmer also encouraged the destruction of images, in imitation of the
   followers of John Calvin and Zwingli, describing these latter
   activities as 'jolly musters'.

   Concerned about the need for good Reformed preaching and the lack of
   literate clergy he compiled and wrote the first Book of Homilies, as
   well as the 42 Articles that summarise Anglican doctrine. These, in
   general, led the Church of England in a more Protestant direction.
   Cranmer also published Defence of the True and Catholic Doctrine of the
   Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ in July 1550, which
   propagated the new doctrine about the Eucharist. He testified at his
   trial (September 1555) that he had written this book seven years
   earlier in 1548. The 39 Articles were another of his works, and were
   based on the 42 Articles. Adopted during the reign of Elizabeth I, they
   are still recognised as part of the Anglican heritage to which clergy
   in some of the national churches in the Anglican Communion vow to swear
   allegiance.

Final years (1553–1556)

   Cranmer’s martyrdom, from John Foxe’s book (1563)
   Cranmer’s martyrdom, from John Foxe’s book (1563)

   Edward VI died in 1553, to be succeeded by his half-sister, Mary I.
   Mary was the daughter of Henry’s first wife ( Catherine of Aragon), a
   Spanish princess, and was brought up in the Roman Catholic faith. In
   line with her Catholic beliefs, she began, so far as she felt able, the
   process of restoring the old religion. Inevitably, this had a profound
   effect on Cranmer and the institutions of church and state with which
   he was inextricably associated.
   Stained glass window depicting martyrdom of Cranmer, Ridley. and
   Latimer - Christ Church (Episcopal), Little Rock, Arkansas
   Stained glass window depicting martyrdom of Cranmer, Ridley. and
   Latimer - Christ Church ( Episcopal), Little Rock, Arkansas

   He was first charged and convicted of treason for his part in
   supporting Lady Jane Grey as Queen, but Mary spared his life. Mary had
   resolved to have Cranmer tried for heresy. He remained in prison until
   she brought these charges in February 1556. But because the
   negotiations for reunion with Rome were not yet complete, Cranmer
   remained archbishop during this time. In November 1554 Cardinal Pole,
   the Papal legate, came to receive England back into the Catholic fold.
   Pole was appointed as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1556. Meanwhile,
   Cranmer, weakened by more than two years in prison, made several
   recantations affirming his belief in transubstantiation and papal
   supremacy. He said later that he did this in order to avoid execution.
   Despite this, which should have absolved him under Mary’s own Heresy
   Act, Cranmer was sentenced to death by burning.

   According to John Foxe, on March 21 1556, Cranmer was brought in
   procession to St. Mary’s Church in Oxford where he was to make a public
   statement affirming his recantation. Instead, Cranmer withdrew his
   recantation and denounced Catholic doctrine and the Pope from the
   pulpit, reportedly stating, "And as for the Pope, I refuse him, as
   Christ's enemy and Antichrist, with all his false doctrine." After this
   Cranmer was taken to be burned at the stake.

          Then was an iron chain tied about Cranmer and fire set unto him.
          When the wood was kindled and the fire began to burn near him,
          he stretched forth his right hand, which had signed his
          recantation, into the flames, and there held it so the people
          might see it burnt to a coal before his body was touched. In
          short, he was so patient and constant in the midst of his
          tortures, that he seemed to move no more than the stake to which
          he was bound; his eyes were lifted up to heaven, and often he
          said, so long as his voice would suffer him, "this unworthy
          right hand!" and often using the words of Stephen, "Lord Jesus,
          receive my spirit", till the fury of the flames putting him to
          silence, he gave up the ghost.

   This is confirmed by an account by a Catholic observer known only as
   J.A.

   Bishops Ridley and Latimer had earlier been burned at this place on
   October 16, 1555. These three martyrdoms in Oxford are commemorated
   with the Victorian Martyrs' Memorial.

Recognition

   Cranmer is commemorated as a martyr by the Evangelical Lutheran Church
   in America on March 21.

Fictional Portrayals

   Cranmer has appeared as a character in several plays and movies that
   depict the Tudor period. He is a supporting character in William
   Shakespeare's Henry VIII and Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons; in
   the film version of the latter, he was played by Cyril Luckham. He was
   also portrayed by Bernard Hepton in the famed TV miniseries, The Six
   Wives of Henry VIII (1970).

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