Yes he was. Psychopath and tyrant. Even by the standards of those cruel times. It is surprising why British historians have not yet given a fair assessment of this sinister figure.
Henry fell off his horse at a young age and this concussion on the head, which left him unconscious, may have changed his persona. Before this incident, he wasn't a psychopathic killer. David Starkey, the expert British historian, has given a thorough assessment on Henry and all the Tudors.
A psychopath, or a sociopath?? Trump, for example, very clearly meets the definition of a malicious narcissistic sociopath; but he’s not a psychopath. Not sure what to call Henry.
Henry VIII surrounded himself with people like Cromwell and others who were not of royal status who could make any claim to the throne, were ambitious, and did the king's bidding for their own personal gain. His paranoia probably resulted from his father's usurping of the throne from the Plantagenets, many of whom he had executed to eliminate any threat to his reign.
Which proves what a very clever lady Anne Of Cleves was. Ended up in a life of luxury, and she didn't even have to have sex with Henry (with risk of death in child birth).
@@SuperNevilethat’s mostly because he was too busy complaining about how she looked because his ego was bruised. Honestly she got the best compared to everyone as much as she was mistreated herself.
@@bartsanders1553 Except the fact that only two of his wives were beheaded. The "divorced" and "survived" ones had quite a "quiet" life afterwards, though none lived beyond 50.
Cromwell excuted so many people, and now it was his turn. Although, he did get a less brutal execution. Henry VIII was a tyrant. He ordered the death of thousands of people. He destroyed the Monasteries of England for greed. Monasteries were the Education system, medical systems, and scientific community of England. Monasteries took care of the disabled. Monasteries provided lodging for the Travelers. This is a why the North of England rebelled against Henry VIII. He profited from the destruction of the Monasteries, but returned nothing back to the community.
@@malph123 You are right about the Monasteries. Monasteries were very important to the people of the Middle Ages. Monasteries provided hospitals, schools, education and scientific development. In the process, Monasteries became wealthy. Henry VIII dismantled the Monasteries, extracting the wealth. The people of Northern England revolted because of religious beliefs and the loss of their social structures. Cromwell was the person commanded the dismantling of the Monasteries, while he excuted anyone who opposed him.
Such brutal times when Henry Viii ruled England. Thomas Cromwell's fall from grace is tragic but he was partially responsible for Anne Boleyn's execution. What goes around comes around.
Yep, Anne was not an angel ( HOW SHE AND HENRY TREATED CATHERINE WAS NOT RIGHT EITHER)but history has shown She was innocent. Yes, He set her up .Basically had her and four innocents men to their death. What goes around comes around. .
I have learned one thing ( I think? ) in reading about Henry VIII. When you went to work for him, you took your life into your hands! Great video, thank you.
The painting of Anne of Cleves is a beautiful and accurate depiction by Hans Holbein. The quote "She is nothing so fair as she hath been reported" is not the primary reason for Henry's discontent, but rather Anne's failure to recognize him in disguise and "regarded him little". By the time Henry met Anne, his leg ulcers, "he has a sorre legge that no pore man would be glad off, and that he should not lyve long" (Marquis of Exeter and Lord Montagu ) gave off a fetid stench that courtiers suffered, but never mentioned to the king. The history of the Tudors is more contorted and knotted than a grapevine, starting with the venal and miserly Henry VII's killing Richard III, and during Henry VIII's reign, the futile attempts to produce a male heir which resulted in death and misery. Ironically, it was the two girls who succeeded him, and the dynasty died out anyway. "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!"
Good points well made. Even describing Henry VII as "venal and miserly". I initially took issue with that, given the extremely sound finances that he left his spendthrift son. But on reflection, you're probably right, although more in the realm of "miserly" than "venal". It's poor old Empson And Dudley that I really pity.
H7 never lifted a finger on the battlefield & it was those cursed Stanley's who were basically responsible for his winning.And to have his reign dated to the day before so he could have men loyal to the true king , executed, was beyond despicable!I also agree with Sean about Empson & Dudley who were only carrying out the king's orders.
How can you claim Annes of Cleves painting was accurate? You havin't seen her in life. No paintings were ever accurate, as they were all done to make the said person look far better than in real life. Henry 8th had it correct when saying to Holbine don't do shadow on my face, as it accentuates age. The paintings were all very 2 dimensional wether Holbine painting or not. No one really looked close to how the paintings were, & that was the norm right up to the 19th century. The real reason he didn't consummate his marriage to Anne was because he'd become impotent, after a jousting accident which knocked him unconscious for nigh on 3 hrs & messed his leg up badly. Hence he never had any more children. 1st 3 wives gave him kids. 2nd 3 wives couldn't as he couldn't raise to the occasion. Not even with Catherine Howard who was only 17 & pretty.
@@michealtaylor7745 There are several accounts of why Henry divorced her. Of course, I haven't ever seen Anne, and neither have you. I think you should watch Waldemar Januszczak's documentary on Holbein's Tudor portraits which is compelling. Your comment has several misspelled words, e.g. Holbine, which is not a disqualifier in and of itself if you are not a native speaker. It does bring into question your reasoning and attention to detail. In English, monarch's names use Roman numerals, not Arabic, e.g. Henry VIII.
Picture this: Cromwell was spared by Henry VIII from hanging, drawing, and quartering; he only suffered Beheading! DANG! Those rich guys get all the breaks!
A man was once asked what he thought about the prospect of being hanged, drawn and quartered. His reply was, “if it wasn’t for the honor involved, I would just as soon skip the whole thing”.
But, are you aware. A novice was employed to behead him. The first blow, ended up in his back. The novice, full of horror took a blind swing, that did the job. Indeed, it was a gruesome way to go.
Its true that Thomas Cromwell's most determined enemies were from the landed nobility especially the extended family of the Duke of Norfolk & the Boleyn family. They all hated Cromwell regarding him as an upstart commoner & his elevation to an earldom was intolerable to them. However it's plausible that the beheading of Cromwell was deliberately botched as revenge for what happened to one of their own Lady Margaret Pole on 27 May 1541. A devout Catholic she has been imprisoned by Henry VIII for two years prior because she had children without his permission and those children were (distantly) in the line of succession and also one son Cardinal Pole living in France was a serious enemy of Henry's reformation. Henry suddenly ordered Cromwell to have her executed within an hour & she was taken to a hastily arranged execution with an inexperienced axeman and her struggling all the time. It took 11 blows to kill her. Killing her in such a brutal way was Henry's gruesome message to her son. All it did was turn a large section of the nobility into determined enemies (on the quiet) and it can be said they got their revenge on Henry by setting up his most loyal servant for a brutal execution on what Henry later realised were mostly false accusations.
@@BunyipToldMe no. they’re right. Oliver Cromwell was a descendant of Thomas’s sister, which would obviously make him Oliver’s uncle - generations back of course. The name came from his nephew, Richard, changing his last name to Cromwell from Williams as Thomas had practically raised him
@@whoifwhat aye that’s right, his sister and her husband died so he took him in. But I wouldn’t say Cromwell _made_ Richard change his last name from Williams, Richard wanted to
Many believe Henry Vlll died of syphilis. Anyone thought, he may have died from complications of Type 2 diabetes. Ulcerated, gangrenous leg ulcers Monstrously over weight. Impotence Think about that
That narrator's whining English accent grates on the ears, can't make out half of what he is actually saying, get someone who can speak be English properly !
He caused a lot of terrible things for England and the Church. May God have mercy on him. Henry was the cause of many of those terrible things also after being called the defender of the Faith.
Think what you will about the man. He rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most powerful men in England. He faithfully carried out his King's wishes. Condemned without a trial, indicating that the charges were suspect. Good or bad, he was a remarkable man.
The Tudor dynasty and those connected to the seat of power are endlessly fascinating for me. Leicester’s wife with a broken neck at the bottom of some stairs proven to be impossible as the stairs still exist. Was Catherine really a virgin? What was Anne Boleyn guilty of of anything? Was Elizabeth a virgin all her life? Did Mary Queen of Scots plot to blow up her husband which went wrong and ended with him being finished in the garden? Was Catherine poisoned with her black heart? Was Joanna mad or just scapegoated for family greed? How big was Charles’s chin (Holy Roman Emperor)? How the heck did we beat the Spanish in the armada against the of odds. Was Elizabeth a sufferer of hermaphroditism, a more outrageous claim? Endless subterfuge.
"How the heck did we beat the Spanish in the armada against the of odds?" I once saw a documentary about this topic. If I remember correctly, among other things, the English used a German cannon maker to build better cannons with a longer range. Of course, this was treason against the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation and had to be kept secret.
Oliver Cromwell however, put every man, woman and child to the sword in my hometown, Drogheda, there is a street here called Scarlet street, because of the blood from the massacre.
They probably dont even feel sorry, those regret merely an act to save himself from the allies of those executed...then pointing finger at other enemy who 'slandering my loyal minister'😅
@@samcolt1079 actually honestly if you really think about it he had a worse fate than all the people he executed. He was obese, practically going insane drifting in and out of consciousness with a fungus infested leg that was also highly painful for the last ten years of his life. Honestly a quick beheading sounds better than completely degenerating over the course of 10 yrs.
All the brown nosing he did got him no were and begging for his life at the end after all the people he had killed and churches he robbed good riddance
Small point but when Cromwell said "I die in the Catholic faith" he wasn't referring to the Church of Rome. You'll find the term 'Catholic' in modern English would be 'universal'. It's in the Creed in the Common Book of Prayer, which Cromwell was instrumental in the production and roll out of in the Church of England. Cromwll understood exactly what he was saying, even at the execution block and it wasn't a plea to a Roman church he had spent a career destroying.
One of the most famous Queens of England's Saxon period Lady Aethelflaed was buried at one of these monasteries that was destroyed during King Henry VIII's reign. If Lady Aethelflaed's burial site had been destroyed from this how many other Saxon monarchs burial sites had been destroyed too.
I have always thought badly of Cromwell, because he seems to have gone against what he believed was right for personal and financial gain. Karma usually does a fine job of balancing the books.
the shocking thing is that Cromwell was instrumental in the deaths of Saint Thomas More and St John Fisher as well as helping to tear this country from the true Faith
Absolutely. He got what he deserved, unlike the two great martyrs you mentioned. However, in the other life all is set right. I don't like to think where Cromwell is spending eternity!
It would've been nice to mention why Henry VIII was at war (and also Elizabeth I) with Europe. Pope Clement VII (or VIII, I forget) ordered France and Spain to invade England to enforce Catholicism on the country. Henry needed a lot of money quickly, he seized the vast wealth of the Catholic Church and used that to fund his defence against European invasions. Lots of coastal forts still stand that were made from repurposed monastery stonework. He successfully fought off a French invasion which caused the Spanish to delay theirs. Spain linked with the Dutch to invade 40odd yrs later which Elizabeth and Drake fought off. It was also around this time (1546) that the English (later Royal) navy was formed. This was in direct response to the threat of invasion as ordered by the then Pope. Religion, its killed more people than all diseases combined.
Thank you for this post. I didn’t know that and I’ve read books and watched a lot of shows and documentaries about Henry. Tudor history is so fascinating.
My opinion henry 8 gone mad with power and erratic behavior. He kill people left and right. Henry 8 could just fire them and send them back to their village, instead of killing them.
He didn’t say ‘I die in the Catholic faith’ out of humour, he did it to be ambiguous. Cromwell was a reformer, and had been charged with not just treason, but heresy. It was a measure to protect his family and friends. Plus, the term ‘Catholic faith’ didn’t mean then quite what it means now. other reformers used the same phrase - including Martin Luther. I’m not denying that there was greed and corruption - absolutely there was - but Cromwell _did_ want the money from the monasteries to go to charitable causes, and had planned for the larger ones to remain open as educational foundations. If it had been down to him alone we would still have places like Fountains abbey. But Henry was too greedy for that. Also he literally told Henry, ‘hey, don’t close all these monasteries at once, you’ll cause a rebellion’. he voted against the general dissolution in parliament and tried to thwart the bill, which Henry was very indignant about. No one listened, but he was proven right in the end with the Pilgrimage of Grace. And interestingly, Cromwell also kept in storage in his home many relics from closed religious houses that were supposed to have been burnt. They were plundered after his death, so where they went after that isn’t known
@@susanmccormick6022 90% cruel isn’t a fair assessment imo. did he do some awful things? Yeah, absolutely. But he also did and tried to do a lot for the common people/the country overall - way way more than I’ve listed here. It’s a shame so many of the charitable causes he attempted never got through parliament. People often paint Cromwell as one of the worst evils at Henry’s court, but he cared more for ordinary folk than most other ministers ever did
@@francesca9423 Thank you for the info,it's appreciated.I guess he felt more for the common folk than did most at court, because his roots were there.And it was a cruel age.Mind you,with wars,famines,'cleansing' it's still a cruel age in many ways.I wonder if humanity will ever come of age.Regards.
@@susanmccormick6022 it’s no bother! :) And I agree with you, having been there himself I guess he felt much closer to common folk than those born into nobility. (A good example is enclosures. Cromwell loathed them, the nobility were all for them. The difference is likely due to the fact that he grew up in a village, and would’ve known about the commons first hand - his own family used it. So he would personally understand what that land meant to ordinary folk. the nobility would not). And definitely. It was an incredibly harsh time to live.
@@francesca9423 I am a village girl.From the sweet S.W.Due to a dumb decision now far from home with little chance of getting back.I even had to live in a city for some years.Horrible.I miss the ocean 🌊 so much.As my father said "For somebody who loves the ocean & spends much time in it,you could not have got further away!"I like exploring the history in cities but also like coming away even more.How about u?Where u based?At least I have a nearby river & lots of trees,& 3 spoilt rotten felines.Lost our dog 3 yrs ago.Salud.
Another historical example of why petty tyranny must always, and henceforth, be fought against in any leadership position, including the force of gossiping enemies of those in powerful positions who can manipulate with their lies and distortions and guile and cunning.
Accurate history but the elocution of the reader leaves a lot to be desired. Why not endeavour to enunciate in more regular English rather than "Cockney'?
@@jandopando It has nothing to do with snobbery but more a case of speaking a language with some precision and regularity rather than a dialect. Start practising, "The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain" rather than " the Rhine in Spine flows minely in the pline" which would sound confusing.
@@patriciusborealis1708 Confusing to whom? I’m Scottish and I could understand every word he said. Didn’t sound very ‘cockney’ to me. Much more pleasant than listening to someone who sounds like Jacob Rees Mogg for example. It’s refreshing that nowadays regional accents are seen by most (not yourself obviously), including national broadcasters, as being as acceptable and valid as ‘received pronunciation’ aka upper middle class Home Counties. I assume you’ve also complained about Lord Alan Sugar’s accent? That’s a proper cockney accent…..rhyming slang and everything!
It's not Cockney. Sounds more Midlands to me. And there's nothing wrong with a nice Midlands accent: heart of England & all that, and maybe the accent of Shakespeare. But there is something wrong with the delivery of this narration. I can't quite put my finger on it, but the tone is all wrong somehow. It's perfectly understandable, but it's just not all that pleasant to listen to, not because of the accent, but because of the delivery. Perhaps the narrator *could* benefit from some elecution coaching or similar.
The Duke of Norfolk was a main player in his downfall. Cromwell had Norfolks' ancestors dug up from the abbey where his family has always been buried. Bad move!
I believe Anne of Cleves portrait was accurate it was the fact that Henry met anne incognito , and she didnt recognise him until he returned later in his regalia
@@francesca9423Cromwell had begun to be in fear of his life after Queen Anne backed a sermon to be preached regarding Haman of the old Testament. He and Henry were certainly in concert to destroy the Queen.
@@EllenYoung-q3p in concert is a good way of putting it. Cromwell was the architect of the plot absolutely, but imo I think henry must have wanted it/been aware she was innocent
Thank you, very well presented and informative. I have never heard that Henry VIII showed regret for Cromwell's execution but I have certainly read that he was contrite about Sir Thomas More's death.
More was no angel either.He kept a rack in his house for the heritics & learned all he knew about Diccon of York from that blamed Bishop Morton.A pity Richard had too much respect to have a churchman killed.H8 sure had no problems with it.
@@susanmccormick6022 An old allegation with no solid evidence to back it up. Its a claim made by Protestant polemics over the centuries which has been repeated until it became established 'fact'.
Why do you want to learn? are you in school and forced to? NO so STOP IT. I DO NOT LIKE IT WHEN OTHER PEOPLE GET CLEVERER THAN ME. I REFUSE TO LEARN AND MAKE EFFORT. I want to play games and watch movies FOREVER AND I WILL NEVER LEARN AGAIN
He narrator nées to on an elocution course: or something to loose the very irrational rise or superfluous stress and inflections at the end of e2ch sentence
Henry VIII also beheaded Thomas Moore, Cromwell's predecessor as Chancellor. The vestigial medieval concept of absolute monarchy endured until Charles II. William of Orange was appointed King by the privy council, despite a fragile claim, on the understanding he would work within a constitutional framework.
I think Henrywas a psychopath and he treated Cromwell very badly to put it mildly . Henry only thought of himself and he treated others as nothing. He was a cruel vicious bully and lying creep. Cromwell was treated by his jealous contemporaries to lies which the King delightedly accepted and arranged his brutal execution. I admired Cromwell but did not think much of lying and gross 😮Henry.
"In 1503 (...) Cromwell left England to go to Europe"... oh dear. You emphasize the last word of every sentence. This makes your comments very monotonous and tiring to listen...
I just want to point this out that Cromwell had it coming. He had already brought down and executed Anne Boleyn as well as five other innocent men. What goes around comes around
Cromwell was an evil dangerous character . His fate was almost expected in the dangerous and vicious politics of the Tudor Court . Cromwell had a lot of enemies .....and sooner or later they would seek revenge.
A complex figure but ultimately in my opinion a zealot and unpleasant man. He did indeed do Henry's dirty work whilst pursuing his own Protestant agenda. His judicial murder was not deserved of course, being a result of political intrigue and envy, particularly that of the Duke of Norfolk (who himself only escaped death because Henry died a few days before Norfolk's due date for execution).
Norfolk was a self seeker.He is rumoured to have rolled in spurs & armour,upon his naked wife to 'cure her of her shrewness' after she complained about his mistress,a household servant.
What puzzles me the lies he spread about Anne bolyne why was she done for treason accused of adultery while she was queen yet the king could get his leg over with anything in a dress.
Just a bit of helpful criticism, I hope. Your video is just eleven minutes, so, it hardly requires a detailed minute long introduction. Your opener will work best as a twenty-second teaser, otherwise you just end up saying things twice which is a bit draining.
I like to hear about the life of Walsingham the advisor of queen Elizabeth I. Was he really like the character in that movie starring Kate Blanchette as queen Elizabeth I?
'the North rose up to demand that the change was REVERTED'. Afraid a change cannot be reverted but it can be 'REVERSED'. What is perhaps meant is that they demanded the confiscated PROPERTY be 'reverted'. The voice is better than a computer voice but natural speech would be less uncomfortable to listen to. Try listening to David Starkey, for example.
He got what he deserved. The religious bigot reaped that which he had sown. Jesus desires mercy. His Mastery is gentle. III Elijah of Malachi Chpt 3 on 20th Adar 5777
Thomas Cromwell was the first man in England to keep gerbils as pets. He bought them from Turkish traders along with pepper corns and various tropical hardwoods .
It's strange that he let Charles Brandon slide for marrying his sister without permission. But killed Cromwell for advising him to marry Anne of Cleves. Henry was such a brat. And Cromwell was his fixer. His Kingdom never recovered from that tantrum act. Henry 8 never cared for the day to day operations of the country. Cromwell was his architect and threw him to the block.
What madness Henry and Cromwell brought. The Tudor were unlikely kings. If not Margret Beaufort, they never would have been. It did make many noble families rich, ripping those abby's to shreds and then burning them to the ground. Good money in collection. Ever wonder where the Spencers got their money and position? They can thank Cromwell and the king.
Cromwell overstepped the mark over the Cleves debacle. He grew too overconfident. What he caused to happen to Boleyn happened to him too. He got his just deserts. The man responsible for it all was Henry VIII. Although he reigned long enough to stamp it, what a lousy stamp it was indeed!!
So, unfortunately, our narrator has a very weak grasp of the English Reformation. His remark that Cromwell's comment at his execution that he died in the Catholic faith was anything but "humor." As a committed Protestant, this statement refers to his belief that the Church of England now WAS the true Catholic Church. This point is far from a fine nuance; it is basic to an understanding of 16th century English history.
All the elements that lead yo the 30 years war, were developing throughout Europe at this time. The 30 year war had neighbors slaughtering neighbors. This had a third of European population murdered. History has context.
Thomas Cromwell was a very evil man. He and Anne Boelyn egged Henry on in his evil actions. Thousands were killed in Henry's reign to satiate Hnery's bloodlust. Hundreds if not thousands of religious were hung drawn and quartered for not supporting Henry's adulterous marriage to Anne Boleyn. It was an age of martyrs, not seen since the rule of Diocletian. cromwell reminds me of Lavrenti Beria another man who would do anything to plcate his eil master. i laugh at people like Hilary Mantel who have tried to " rehabilitate " Cromwell. she knows damn fine that Cromwell was a vicious eil man. why sis she trying to downplay his brutality. Read what William cobett says about jiim he gies the best testimony on him.