Thomas Cranmer

This major biography traces Thomas Cranmer's life from his east-Midland roots through his career as a Cambridge scholar to his role as Archbishop of Canterbury under Henry VIII.

MacCulloch reconstructs the crises Cranmer navigated, including his involvement in Henry's divorces, plots by religious conservatives to oust him, his role in attempting to establish Lady Jane Grey as queen, and his persecution under the Catholic Mary Tudor.

The work demonstrates how Cranmer evolved from a conservative thinker to an evangelical Protestant, ultimately turning his execution into a dramatic demonstration of his faith.