Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 – 21 March 1556) is a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI.
He helps build a favorable case for Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon which results in the separation of the English Church from union with the Holy See.
Along with Thomas Cromwell, he supports the principle of Royal Supremacy, in which the king is considered sovereign over the Church within his realm.
During Cranmer's tenure as Archbishop of Canterbury, he is responsible for establishing the first doctrinal and liturgical structures of the reformed Church of England.
Under Henry's rule, Cranmer does not make many radical changes in the Church, due to power struggles between religious conservatives and reformers.
However, he succeeds in publishing the first officially authorized vernacular service, the Exhortation and Litany.
When Edward comes to the throne, Cranmer is able to promote major reforms.
He writes and compiles the first two editions of the Book of Common Prayer, a complete liturgy for the English Church.
With the assistance of several Continental reformers to whom he gives refuge, he develops new doctrinal standards in areas such as the eucharist, clerical celibacy, the role of images in places of worship, and the veneration of saints.
Cranmer promulgates the new doctrines through the Prayer Book, the Homilies and other publications.
Cranmer is tried for treason and heresy after Mary I, a member of the Catholic Church, comes to the throne.
Imprisoned for over two years and under pressure from the Church authorities, he makes several recantations and apparently reconciles himself with the Roman Catholic faith.
However, on the day of his execution, he dramatically withdraws his recantations, to die a heretic to Catholics and to Protestants, a martyr.
His legacy lives on within the Church of England through the Book of Common Prayer and the Thirty-Nine Articles, an Anglican statement of faith derived from his work.
