Did Thomas Cromwell really want to marry Lady Mary?

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, episode 2

Episode 2 of Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light makes two strong claims as the BBC historical drama returns for season 2 – namely, that Cromwell is accused of plotting to marry Lady Mary, which would have disastrous consequences without Henry’s permission, and that he proposed to Dorothy Wolsey in marriage. The episode features the latter coming shortly after the former, suggesting it is in part a move to combat any rumors of intentions to marry Mary.

As the plot unfolds, historical facts dance with dramatic license. Sometimes this is done for visual effect, such as juxtaposing Anne’s execution with Henry’s marriage to Jane Seymour. For courtly political intrigue to work so well in the tense and brilliant series, showrunners need to plant seeds for Cromwell’s downfall. They do this by introducing hints that there is a kernel of truth to the accusations about his feelings for Lady Mary. However, how they execute this is historically questionable.

Thomas Cromwell ordered a medal for Mary in real life, not a ring

The inscription on obedience would have been too long

In Wolf Hall season 2, episode 2, Thomas Cromwell is ordering a ring as a gift for Lady Mary with an inscription praising obedience. The show uses deliberate ambiguity to promote a romantic narrative between Thomas Cromwell and Lady Mary. Cromwell’s jeweler highlights that the ring is considered a kind of promise and advises something else, reinforcing the romantic connotations of the gift. The message itself is far from romantic, but rather with pious references.

This is the full Latin inscription that Cromwell requested:

“Obedientia unitatem parit, Unitas animi quietem et constantiam; Constans vero animi quies thesaurus inestimabilis. Respexit humilitatem Qui in Filio nobis reliquit Perfectum humilitatis exemplar. Factus est obediens Patri, Et ipsa etiam natura parentibus Et patrie obediendum docuit.”

– through British History

Translated into English, the inscription says:

“Obedience gives rise to unity; unity of mind, stillness and constancy. But constant peace of mind is a priceless treasure. He looked at humility, which left us in the Son a perfect example of humility. He was made obedient to the Father, and nature itself also taught obedience to parents and country.”

It is simply unlikely that this number of inscriptions would fit on one ring and historians, such as Dermot McCullough in his biography Thomas Cromwell: A Revolutionary Life, pointed this out. McCullough also claims that information about the commission was poorly translated and the gift was probably a locket. A medal would be much more suitable for the long text. However, in Wolf Hall, Cromwell keeps a ring anyway, against his jeweler’s advice.

Thomas Cromwell’s Lady Mary Controversy Foreshadows Her Downfall in Wolf Hall Season 2 Episode 2

Cromwell’s downfall is yet to come, but episode 2 plants seeds

So far in the new season, Lady Mary’s plight is a significant thread running through the story. Although the producers don’t overtly show Thomas Cromwell having a love affair with her, they do seem to plant seeds to hint at feelings between them. In episode 1, this was Wolf’s HallCromwell convinces Mary to accept her illegitimacy to save her life and then comforts her tears with a hug. In real life, Cromwell bullied Mary into submission. According to Tudor TimesCromwell said to Mary:

“If you do not abandon all sinister advice […] I will never think that you are anything other than the most ungrateful, unnatural and obstinate person there is…”

This fundamental vagueness to make their connection more ambiguous and engaging continues into episode 2. The pair have a conversation about marriage and children that lingers in Cromwell’s mind afterwards, remembering her saying how she would like to have a child. However, this could have been intended to speculate that Cromwell may have thought of Mary but never acted upon it. In fact, according to Tudor historian Kirsten Claiden-Yardley: “There is no evidence that Cromwell actually wanted to marry Mary – it would be a breathtaking piece of arrogance and stupidity…”

Aside from the fact that neither Henry VIII nor Lady Mary would likely have supported this union, however, the producers could be opening space for conjectures that would contribute to the downfall of Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell is finally getting a taste of his own treasonous medicine – ultimately his downfall is helped by the betrayal of an old friend, Thomas Wriothesley. He gave evidence to the council showing Cromwell’s apparent conspiracy to marry Mary.

It didn’t stop there. He also gave evidence that he made jokes about Henry’s inability to consummate his marriage to Anne of Cleves. One thing Henry VIII evidently couldn’t stand was being embarrassed – an earlier example of this was Anne Boleyn’s brother George. At his trial he was given a list of charges with specific instructions from Cromwell not to read them aloud. However, he did, and they included a statement questioning the king’s virility. Some say this is what cursed him (for On the Tudor Trail).

There was no real-life evidence of Thomas Cromwell’s romantic relationships portrayed in Wolf Hall

The Mary controversy isn’t the only possible proposition Wolf Hall explores

Mary isn’t the only potential match for Cromwell explored in Season 2, Episode 2 of Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light. Cardinal Wolsey’s daughter, Dorothy Wolsey, also appears. Again, this part of Cromwell’s story is unverifiable. In the context of the episode, the producers seem to suggest that he proposed to her out of a combination of desperation after first learning of Mary’s controversy, and also a guilty conscience regarding Wolsey. However, there is no evidence that he met Dorothy (put Kirsten Claiden-Yardley).

Furthermore, there is no historical evidence that Thomas Cromwell had romantic feelings for Lady Maryin addition to some references in his records about her being his “Valentine’s Day” which is more likely a part of the courtly love that was so central to decorum in the Tudor era. That way, his arc could be quite poetic. Exaggerated evidence arising from courtly flirtation is what helped Cromwell overthrow Anne Boleyn, whose execution is shown in Wolf Hall season 2 opening.

However, rumors that Cromwell seriously pursued Mary, as depicted in Wolf Hall, were likely driven by jealousy over his rise to power. He married his son Gregory to Elizabeth Seymour, so this connection to the king would probably have been enough for him, ever the strategist.

Sources: British HistoryDermot McCullough, Thomas Cromwell: A Revolutionary Life, Kirsten Claiden-Yardley, On the Tudor Trail