Life & Death After Cromwell: What Happened After 'Wolf Hall'

Wolf Hall: The Mirror & the Light's final two episodes, called "Mirror" and "Light," respectively, portray the shocking downfall of Thomas Cromwell (Mark Rylance) as precipitated by his selection of Anne of Cleves (Dana Herfurth) as Henry's fourth wife. But in reality, Cromwell had been dicing with disaster (aka the King’s whims) for years. Henry (Damian Lewis), in failing mental and physical health ever since his 1536 jousting accident, had become notoriously vindictive and unstable, and given to wild rages. In addition, he was grieving for Jane Seymour (Kate Phillips) and still desperate for more sons to ensure the succession.

Was Henry becoming afraid of Cromwell, now related to the throne with his son married to Bess, sister of Jane Seymour? Had Cromwell overstepped in his intensely emotional relationship with Henry’s daughter Mary (Lillit Lesser)? Above all, Cromwell was massively influential and rich, after years of shrewd deals and property purchases.

The shorthand version of the fall of Thomas Cromwell is that Henry VIII, humiliated by marriage to the German princess, took it out on his Lord Privy Seal. However, the chronology of events in 1540 clearly indicates the volatility of Cromwell’s relationship with his King.