Cranmer, Thomas (1489-1556), was the first Protestant archbishop of Canterbury, the leader of the Church of England. He became a leading figure of the English Reformation, which was the movement that led to the establishment of Protestantism in England.
Cranmer was born on July 2, 1489, at Aslockton, in Nottinghamshire, England. He attended Cambridge University, became a fellow of Jesus College, and was ordained to the priesthood by 1520. Cranmer came to the attention of King Henry VIII in 1529, when he met with the king’s advisers concerning Henry’s attempts to annul (cancel) his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Cranmer suggested that the question of whether the marriage should be annulled be put to theologians (religious scholars) at the universities for judgment rather than to the pope. In 1532, Cranmer was sent as part of a delegation to Europe, which met with political leaders and theologians. In Germany, Cranmer also married the niece of a religious reformer. Cranmer kept the marriage secret because the marriage of priests was still illegal in England. In 1533, Cranmer became archbishop of Canterbury. He annulled Henry’s marriage to Catherine, and he supported Henry’s efforts to separate the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church. See Henry VIII [of England].
During Henry’s reign, Cranmer authorized using an English language Bible in parish churches and published an English version of a litany, a form of prayer. In the reign of Edward VI, Cranmer organized the preparation of the Book of Common Prayer (1549). He also shaped a statement of doctrine that eventually became the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England.
In 1553, Mary, the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, came to the English throne. Mary, a devout Roman Catholic, had Cranmer imprisoned. In 1554, he was charged with heresy—that is, holding beliefs not accepted by the church. Two years later, on March 21, 1556, he was burned at the stake.
