This finely written and absorbing biography of Henry VIII's most effective, yet least loved, minister is a compelling page turner to read. Even though the historical story itself is well known. That it should come out now must at least be in part because of Hilary Mantel's heavily fictionalised and Booker Prize winning Wolf Hall Trilogy.
Like Mantel, Diarmaid MacCullough has the unenviable task of bringing the man to life from often such slender sources. For the historical biographer, making up what's missing and going straight for fiction, is not a route you can take. Informed conjecture and supposition, simply putting two and two together, is how you fill in the gaps in the narrative. With Cromwell there are significantly more gaps and traces that need following up and fleshing out, to give a better sense of the man. Other people's recorded impressions are important, Eustace Chapuys, the Emperor Charles Vs ambassador for instance. An unusual level of respect and a friendly relationship developed between them, but one has not to forget that what his communications back to his master will always be slanted towards what he wants to hear.
Immediately prior to Cromwell's fall and execution, it is clear that a large part of his correspondence is disposed of, lest it proved to be too useful to his accusers, by adding to the incriminating evidence for treason. So what is left is only half of a conversation. Mostly of people are either writing to Cromwell, or are people who knew him writing of him to others, or about him after his fall from power. All done with a large dollop of hindsight. From this McCullough skilfully weaves a different sense for what the man may have been like. Cunning - very likely, a bit of a chancer - true, able to improvise policy on the hoof - certainly. But he always semed to have a clear idea of where things might go should he be able to either bend the kings will in his direction or more often take full advantage of Henry's whims or disinterest when they arose.
Henry himself, later spoke of regretting the loss of his most loyal servant. Chosing, as he was often prone to, to place the blame on others for this rather than his own vengeful anger. Cromwell's loyalty to him was certainly there, but also an ongoing and developing religious reformism that he found ways of slipping past Henry disguised beneath the king's own rapacious desire for increased sovereignty and money.
The idea for dissolving monasteries to fund other projects came from his former master Cardinal Wolsey. Once the idea of breaking with Rome, as a way to resolve the King's Great Matter over his marriage came to the fore, the dissolving of these papist institutions was not rolled out fully formed. It evolved in fits and starts, and its clear Cromwell himself was pragmatic and didn't initially think a root and branch fundamentalist removal was necessary. That it went as far as it did was entirely at the King's behest. Though when it came to his worst intentions and actions Henry always appeared to find ways to make them appear to be other people's ideas. Particularly if it went wrong or his subjects disapproved..
Stern portraits by Holbein don't really give you the real sense for what the qualities of Cromwell were. Who rose from being the son of a brewer to becoming the Earl of Essex. He lived close to the edge of disaster many times, surviving - Wolsey's infamy - Henry's marriage crisis - the Pilgrimage of Grace where the rebels all blamed him not the king - until the arranged marriage to Anne of Cleve's proved to fatefully trip him up.
One of his main legacies to us in modern Britain is the increased centrality of Parliament as a governing body, beginning to act independent of the Monarchy. The dissolution itself profoundly changed the religious and cultural landscape of England. From which many current day attitudes towards Catholicism and overseas bureaucratic institutions, have their origins.
The English Reformation did not arise out of religious principles, but was driven primarily by the lust of its sovereign, his greed for increased sovereignty, self interest and a pecuniary driven land grab on a huge scale. As a period in history it holds many echoes of the Brexit movement and the divisive atmosphere of contemporary Britain, where 'Remainers' are the equivalent of the Anti-Christ. Increased sovereignty may be what grabs the headlines, when more importantly 'for whose economic benefit' is the question that should really be being asked.
CARROT SCORE - 6/8
No comments:
Post a Comment