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Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex (''c.'' 1485 – July 28 , 1540 ) was an English statesman, one of the most important political figures of the reign of Henry VIII Of England . Cromwell was born about , he entered the service of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey and became a Member Of Parliament in 1523 . Following the crisis over Henry's divorce from Catherine Of Aragon , Cromwell came to prominence at Wolsey's expense. By 1533 , he had risen to the position of Secretary Of State . Cromwell was the most prominent of those who suggested to Henry VIII that the king make himself head of the English Church, and saw the Act Of Supremacy of 1534 through Parliament . In 1535 Henry appointed Cromwell as his last Vicegerent in Spirituals. This gave him the power as supreme judge in ecclesiastical cases and the office provided a single unifying institution over the two provinces of the English Church. As Henry's vicar-general, he presided over the Dissolution Of The Monasteries , which began with his visitation of the monasteries and abbeys, announced in 1535 and begun in the winter of 1536. As a reward, he was created Earl of Essex in 1540 . He is also the architect of the Laws In Wales Acts 1535-1542 , which united England and Wales . Although the dissolution of the monasteries often has been portrayed as a cynical money-grabbing initiative, Cromwell and his supporters had genuine theological reservations about the idea of monastic life, specifically on the nature of intercessory prayers for the dead. While Cromwell was in power, Henry's government was far more open to religious reform than subsequently. Cromwell had supported Henry in disposing of Anne Boleyn and replacing her with Jane Seymour . His downfall was the haste with which he encouraged the king to re-marry following Jane's premature death. The marriage to Anne Of Cleves , a political alliance which Cromwell had urged on Henry, was a disaster, and this was all the opportunity that Cromwell's conservative opponents needed to press for his arrest. Cromwell was subject to a writ of Attainder and was privately executed at the Tower Of London on July 28 , 1540 . It is said that Henry VIII intentionally chose an inexperienced executioner. The young boy had three attempts at chopping Cromwell's head before he succeeded. After execution his head was boiled and then set upon a spike on London Bridge – facing away from the City of London. Henry came to regret executing Cromwell [http://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/cleves.html . The inscription on the paper lying on the table in the original portrait describes Cromwell as "Master of the Jewell House," an official position that he occupied for just one year from April 12 , 1532 , thus neatly dating the portrait (''illustration, upper right''). The Lord Protector of England, Oliver Cromwell ( 1599 – 1658 ), was descended from Thomas Cromwell's sister Catherine Cromwell. Thomas Cromwell's daugther-in-law was Elizabeth Seymour — sister of Queen Jane Seymour . REFERENCE
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