Thomas Cranmer

Bitesize Biographies

by Colin Hamer

‘Colin Hamer’s "Thomas Cranmer" presents the story of the great English reformer in an appealing manner, with an honest description of his weaknesses and failures as well as a proper emphasis on his good and endearing qualities. An additional benefit from this brief book is a readable and accurate survey of the convoluted English history during the time of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary Tudor. I was informed and inspired as I read of Cranmer, “the architect of the Church of England”.’ David B. Calhoun, Professor Emeritus of Church History, Covenant Theological Seminary

Genres: Biography, Christian, Church History, Nonfiction

126 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Neil Kruger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thomas Cranmer is one of the most fascinating characters of the Reformation. He fluctuated between compromise and conviction, affirmation and recantation, and yet died as a martyr for the Protestant cause.

This short biography does a terrific job of sketching the complex context Cranmer found himself in and how he went about navigating this.

[Miles Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good short biography of Cranmer that gets the broad scope of his life correct but is somewhat hampered by Evangelical ideological and theological tics.

[Rick Shrader]

While visiting my son’s apartment, I spent the afternoon reading this small book which is in a series on church history. Having been in England many times and being interested in its history, especially from Henry VIII forward, I found this book fascinating. Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) was an evangelical force behind Henry VIII’s departure from the Roman Catholic Church and establishing of the Church of England with the King as Supreme Head. Cranmer served as Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry, his son Edward, Mary Tudor, or “bloody Mary,” under whose rule he was executed. Cranmer supported Henry’s annulment of marriage to Catherine of Aragon so he could marry Anne Boleyn, the first and second of the six wives of Henry VIII. This was against Catholic marriage law and caused Henry, with Cranmer’s support, to declare the Church of England a separate, mostly Protestant Church with the King as Head.
The next three rulers of England were Henry’s children by different wives: Edward VI by Jane Seymour, Mary Tudor by Catherine of Aragon, and Elizabeth I by Anne Boleyn. Mary Tudor (Bloody Mary) tried to return the Church to Rome and so Thomas Cranmer was in trouble for previously supporting the departure. He was arrested with two other evangelical preachers, Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley and sentenced to burn at the stake. In an unfortunate twist of history, though Latimer and Ridley burned in Oxford, Cranmer recanted and was spared—for a while. Later, however, at Mary’s increased hounding, Cranmer was again sentenced and this time went to the flames. He first extended his “unworthy” hand that had written the recantation into the fire, saying, “This which hath sinned, having signed the writing, must be the first to suffer punishment,” and then he was burned himself in the fire.

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[Phil Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, very readable and honest account of the life of Thomas Cranmer over the changing times of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary. It shows his important, and maybe not well understood, contribution to the Church of England during the Reformation as one who accepted the Bible as the final authority.

[Mark Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A basically a friendly biography of Thomas Cranmer and not entirely undeserved. Cranmer was set into a turbulent and rocky time and he acquitted himself well. Living within the politics, both church and state he often compromised out of necessity. He saw the end game as more important than the individual battles. May we do as well in our turbulent and rocky times.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A concise biography of Thomas Cranmer, the person at the center of the English Reformation. A really good overview of English politics in church and state covering Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary.
A quick read without too much detail to give an overview of the period.