“Have you not read it in The Book Called Henry which I wrote for you? Never say what the King will not do. – Thomas Cromwell
In the penultimate episode of Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light, everything that could go wrong goes wrong for Cromwell, reminding us what the Imperial Ambassador Chapuys tells him in Episode 1 Wreckage:
“For when all is said, you are a blacksmith’s son. Your whole life depends on the next beat of Henry’s heart and your future on his smile or frown.”
We have seen Cromwell guiding the King’s thoughts in the direction that he prefers for a long time. However, as his tasks pile up, Cromwell is not able to spend as much time with the king as he would like. He is well aware of his vulnerability: that he has more enemies than friends in the court and there is a lot of conversation going on without him especially after Gardiner’s return from France. And the fever that keeps Cromwell away from Henry for some time gives Gardiner enough time to get closer to the King and poison him against Cromwell.
From Cromwell’s point of view, an arranged marriage is a political statement. As a staunch defender of the Reformation, he thinks that an alliance with a Protestant country is critical to make sure England does not return to Catholicism. Add to this the recently signed 10-year long peace treaty between the Emperor and the King of France, and England definitely needs new allies. That is why Cromwell looks into House of Cleves and chooses Anne of Cleves, the sister of Duke Wilhelm, as a potential bride for Henry. Holbein is sent to Germany to paint Anne so Henry could see her.
As Henry appreciates the painting, he has questions about Anne and is baffled by the answers. Anne does not know any other language but English. She never had a music teacher because ladies may lose their good name in Germany if they sing or dance. But then what will they do after supper? Norfolk recommends drinking, this is his way of insulting the Germans.
Henry signs the marriage agreement, sends a ring to his new bride who has started her long journey from Germany to England. Fitzwilliam is tasked with meeting Anne of Cleves when she arrives on English soil in Calais. Cromwell also sends Gregory to welcome the queen-to-be and make her look at the Cromwells for anything she wants or needs.
Now that he is sacrificing himself for his country, Henry expects his daughter to do the same and marry Anne of Cleves’ cousin Philip of Bavaria and make the new alliance stronger. While Mary, if reluctantly, agrees to the marriage, and even lets Philip kiss her when he visits to court her, Cromwell voices a concern at the Privy Council meeting. He thinks it is risky to have Mary leave England. The Emperor still threatens Duke Wilhelm’s rule, and if the Duke fails, Mary will fall in the hands of Henry’s enemies who would use her against him. UGH. This is exactly the moment Norfolk is looking for to make Cromwell look bad in front of Henry!
“Your daughter will never marry. Cromwell breaks every match made for her. I wonder why.”
Norfolk is obviously talking about the rumors that Cromwell wants to marry Mary!
Cromwell is no fool. When Henry tells him that he has few friends in the courts of Spain and France, Cromwell responds that it is so because they know he serves Henry well and they want him to be displaced to weaken Henry’s rule. And while he probably knows that it is not a realistic request, Cromwell still kindly asks Henry to talk to him before believing anything about him. The King is not convinced. He thinks Cromwell has few friends in the courts of Spain and France because of what he is. They don’t know what to make of him.
So… what is Cromwell?
A blacksmith’s son?
Henry remembers his first meeting with Cromwell. I remember it, too, vividly. Here is what I wrote in my Wolf Hall, Episode 1: Three Card Trick recap:
The King does not make an appearance until the last few minutes of the first episode; however, he has a strong presence all over it, because people are constantly talking about him and his “private matter.” And, when we eventually get to meet him, all the gloom that we have had so far in the episode, goes away. With Henry, comes a romantic setting with finely manicured gardens, beautiful flowers — you can almost smell the roses — and the bright daylight!
The first conversation between Henry and Thomas starts the relationship that will be central to the series.
Henry: “You said, in Parliament, in a speech, some six years ago, that I could not afford a war.”
Cromwell: “Wars are not affordable things.”
Henry: “When I went into France, I captured the town of Therouanne which you called…”
Cromwell: “A dog hole, majesty?”
Henry: “How could you say so?”
Cromwell: “I’ve been there…”
Henry: “So have I, at the head of an army! You told me I could not lead my own troops. You told me if I was taken prisoner, the ransom would bankrupt the country. So what do you want? You want a king to huddle indoors like a sick girl?”
Cromwell: “That would be ideal, for fiscal purposes.”
At this very moment, the LOOK Henry gives to Cromwell is PRICELESS! He is obviously pissed off with Cromwell, but he also gets that the man is right… so he just takes a deep breath and decides to… smile
Henry is intrigued. He now sees what Wolsey has seen in Cromwell. He does not necessarily trust or like Cromwell at the moment. But he knows he can make some good use of him.
This was more than 10 years ago. And how appropriate that the actors are now 10 years older than they were when they filmed Series 1!
Henry admits that Cromwell has got some great work done for him in the last 10 years. But then he is not surprising Henry like once he did. The King still misses the Cardinal of York. I wonder if Cromwell thinks that his days could be numbered as he tells Rafe that Henry takes Wolsey’s ghost over him.
The word from Fitzwilliam, who has met Anne of Cleves in Calais, is all high praise that makes the king impatient to meet his new bride.
In one of the funniest scenes in the series, Cromwell and Wriothesley find the king rummaging his treasure – costume – chests to find the right disguise in which to go surprise his new bride. Henry remembers his young days when he used to get in disguise and surprised Catherine of Aragon who played along and pretended she did not recognize him…
“Because everybody knows the King.”
Cromwell tries to convince Henry that this may not work out since Anne of Cleves may be embarrassed if she does not look at her best when he shows up without any notice, but the king is not listening. And he does not expect Cromwell to understand him, either; Cromwell was not born as a courtier. Henry is highlighting this fact more than once in this episode!
The only challenge Henry faces at the moment is what disguise to have: A Russian nobleman with the great fur boots? A shepherd? One of the Magi? With the intention of stopping the King from surprising his new bride in some bizarre costume, Cromwell kindly suggests him go as a Gentleman.
“A gentleman with no name? Yes! Very well. I shall be ruled by Lord Cromwell as all the foreigners claim I am.”
I wonder if Cromwell is as concerned as I am about this last comment!
Wriothesley, whose consolation is in knowing that Henry will not be wearing his Turkish costume, rides to Rochester to warn Anne about the king’s imminent arrival in disguise. And that she is supposed to look delighted when he arrives in his costume.
Alas, it’s all downhill from here for Cromwell.
Historical records tend to argue that Henry does not like the appearance of Anne of Cleves and asks for the annulment of their marriage. Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light gives us an alternative and, in my opinion, a more plausible story that we hear from Gregory who arrives at Austin Friars in the middle of the night to ask his father how on earth he let the king meet his new bride in disguise!
It turns out that the young woman has not recognized Henry and ignored him. Chances are, she has taken him as some old, fat man with a bad leg. And, when she has eventually realized who he is, says Gregory:
“As Christ is my saviour, father, the look in her eye… I will never forget it. Nor, I think, will the King. She recoiled from him.
The King, infinitely offended, is desperate to get out of this marriage now. He openly blames Fitzwilliam for giving him false information about Anne. She is too tall, he says. Too stiff. Like the Cornhill Maypole. And he’s inquiring about the marriage promise between Anne of Cleves and Duke of Lorraine’s son when the two were children which he shrugged off in Episode 4 Jenneke to avoid any delays.
On wedding day, Cromwell keeps his position that the show must go on. This marriage is political at its core and very important for England to defend herself against the new Spanish-French alliance. Add to that Ireland and Scotland being England’s enemies, and England certainly needs new allies. The entire Privy Council, except for Norfolk, back Cromwell that there is no turning back from this point. However, the bridegroom has cold feet.
“If it were not for fear of driving her brother into the Emperor’s arms, I wouldn’t do what I must do this day for none earthly thing.”
The wedding ceremony takes place in a very different mood than the previous one. Henry kisses the bride only on her cheeks and makes her wait to no avail, eyes closed, for a kiss on the lips.
Henry gives his new queen her Morgengabe, a gift given to the bride on the morning after the wedding night in German tradition. The King does not look good. He is limping, seems to be out of breath and constantly complaining about his new wife not being attractive enough and Cromwell’s inquiry in the queen’s chambers attests to Henry’s poor performance in bed.
The only thing that holds this marriage together is the peace treaty between the Emperor and the King of France. Cromwell may be safe as long as the peace prevails. However, Wriothesley rushes into the Privy Council meeting with a letter from Thomas Wyatt – whom Cromwell tasked with ending the peace between Spain and France! Even though Cromwell signals him that he wants to see the letter first, Wriothesley reads it aloud: Wyatt has been able to make the Emperor insult all kings as inferior men and the peace between Spain and France is over. This means England no longer needs an alliance with Germans. And Henry does not need to be married to Anne of Cleves. Fitzwilliam may be right that everybody in England may sleep safe now.
Except Thomas Cromwell.
Cromwell is probably expecting bad news when the King summons him about some matter of gravity. But it’s all good news: Henry is making Rafe and Wriothesley, two Cromwell proteges, master secretaries. Cromwell is to be made Lord Great Chamberlain and taking the title of Earl of Essex who died last night. So, when he comes back home, Cromwell does not pay much attention to the letter that the French ambassador wrote to the King of France that Wriothesley has got thanks to a spy he has on the ambassador’s train: It says Henry is planning to take the Privy Seal from Cromwell and give it to Fitzwilliam. He also means to remove Cromwell from the office of Vicegerent and promote Bishop Tunstall to this position.
Next time Cromwell sees the King, Henry asks him if he could have another child and answers it himself:
“I think you could. You are of common stock. Common men have vigour.”
This is Henry accepting the fact that he is failing in the act. He is desperate to get out of this marriage and wondering if they can pay Anne of Cleves off. I don’t know what has got into Cromwell but his words are overconfident and borderline threatening, especially when they are spoken to the King:
“We could offer her a settlement, sir, but I don’t know how much we would need to find to placate her brother. And I do not know how to salvage Your Majesty’s reputation if you were to renounce a lawful match. Imagine it would be hard for you to hold your head up before your fellow princes. Or come by another wife.”
Henry thinks he can come by a new wife in a day, and Cromwell, who has been left in the dark for so long, knows all about it now.
Earlier in the episode, Lady Rochford shows Cromwell the new queen’s maids of honor and, in particular, points out the young lady Norfolk has brought in – another niece of his – Catherine Howard! Cromwell, knowing that Norfolk may do everything to get closer to the throne, tells Rochford to send the girl away, but then he notices her as one of the queen’s maids. Catherine Howard finally leaves the court but Cromwell’s daughter-in-law Bess brings the news that the King visits her and gives her gifts, including Jane Seymour’s prayer book which she is now wearing in her wrist. This has Norfolk’s name written all over it. And Wriothesley was right when he told Cromwell to destroy Norfolk when he had the chance in Episode 2 Obedience.
Cromwell admits Henry can definitely come by a wife tomorrow. But she will probably be a Papist and he would wish himself far away. UGH. This should convince Henry that Cromwell is a Lutheran. A traitor.
Well, Thomas, some wishes come true.
The thing is Henry never says good-bye. When he’s done, he’s done. He just delegates the “execution” of his decisions to others and moves on. Like the time Katherine of Aragon would not let him go and he left her one morning without a good-bye. Like the time Wolsey was not able to fix a new wife for him and Henry sent him to exile without a good-bye. Like the time Thomas More resigned from his post as Lord Chancellor and Henry sent him to the Tower without a good-bye. And like the time he left Anne Boleyn at the jousting tournament at Greenwich and rode back to Whitehall without a good-bye.
Henry does not say good-bye to Cromwell, either. Their last conversation is pleasant. They talk about the old days, the trip they have never been able to take to Kent. Because the King, as Jane Seymour pointed out, never does an unpleasant thing.
It falls on the Privy Council members, all of whom agreed with Cromwell about the King’s marriage to Anne of Cleves, to call him a traitor. It should be easy to scapegoat the son of a bloacksmith. One that quotes Cicero: “Live hopefully, die bravely.” Oh, and why does Wriothesley call Rafe minutes before Kingston shows up to take Cromwell to the Tower? Has he sided with his original mentor Gardiner who is taking the Privy Council seat that Cromwell has now vacated?
Not that she said it, but some argue that Hilary Mantel took her time to complete the last volume of Wolf Hall probably because she was not ready to part with Thomas Cromwell, the well-beloved protagonist she created on page and, I think, believed in. If this was why Mantel took her time writing the book, I would completely understand and sympathize. Wolf Hall is my all-time favorite book. I think the BBC production is one of the best things that happened to TV ever. I find so much joy in writing episode recaps every week. That said – I am not looking forward to the final episode and writing its recap. It’s been a pleasure following Thomas Cromwell as he tried to change the map of the world. I will miss him.
Still unsure why he should be called a traitor, seems a bit harsh.
Because they want to get rid of him.
Likewise
I’ve really enjoyed your summaries, there’s always something I feel I’ve missed and I come here to recap what I’ve seen and learn what slipped past me!
You pointed out both the letter of the ambassador and Rafe being called over by Wroithesley as a bit open ended so it will be interesting to see if these amount to anything.
Thank you so much for reading! I’ve always thought Rafe has been one person Cromwell could trust 100% but I’ve never trusted Wriothesley 100% and even Cromwell never trusted him completely since he is a Gardiner protege. I think Cromwell once said that Wriothesley couldn’t decide which horse to bet on. He might have sided with his original mentor when he felt that Cromwell could fall from the King’s favor. I think, if Rafe was there, he would try to stop the Privy Council members from attacking Cromwell.
Excellent recap
Thank you, you make my day! 🙂