Cromwell, Thomas, Earl of Essex

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Cromwell, Thomas, Earl of Essex (1485–1540) English statesman. Cromwell was secretary to Cardinal Wolsey and succeeded him as Henry VIII's chief minister in 1531. He was responsible for the acts of the Reformation parliament that established the Church of England with the King as supreme head. Cromwell's ruthless management of the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536–40) was demonstrated by the Pilgrimage of Grace (1536). He made vital reforms of local government. Cromwell fell from power after the failure of Henry's marriage to Anne of Cleves, and was executed.

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