Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light gives us a look at Thomas Cromwell’s downfall, and we’re seeing that it starts with the loss of Jane Seymour. The series itself indicates that Cromwell loved Jane and wanted to marry her, but how historically accurate is that?
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light episode 4.
We’ve reached 1537 in Wolf Hall, which brought the good news of Edward’s birth but the devastating news of Jane’s death. Many are distraught, but none more so than Cromwell. In fact, this is clearly where the turning point for Cromwell’s life as the No. 2 in all of England starts.
Cromwell lashes out with his words in his grief, saying that if he had married Jane then she would still be alive. Maybe that’s so, but those are not the words you want to say in a room full of your enemies. They’re going to use this to knock Cromwell further down in Henry’s favor, and it’s not going to be pretty.
Did Thomas Cromwell want to marry Jane in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light?
In a previous episode, Cromwell did say that he was interested in Jane. When he visited Wolf Hall with King Henry VIII before the fall of Anne Boleyn, he took an interest in sweet Jane. And it seems like the interest may have been returned.
However, Henry also took an interest, and what the king wants, the king gets. The Seymours saw that this was a chance to get their own families at the top of the political ladder with their sister as queen, and they ran with it. Cromwell also wasn’t going to get in the way, knowing that it would cost him his life and the Seymours were willing to work with him to get rid of the Boleyns.
Did Cromwell really love Jane in real life?
There is no evidence that the Wolf Hall storyline is historically accurate. Cromwell was married to Elizabeth Wyckes until the time of her death from the sweating sickness in 1529, which also claimed the lives of their two daughters. He never remarried, and there are no signs that he was looking for a bride. As the most eligible bachelor in England, he could have potentially had any woman he wanted, and yet, he was more focused on his career.
He focused on Henry’s needs, as he pushed his own way to the top. However, Hilary Mantel wanted to paint Cromwell in a more sympathetic light in her novels, and that led to him showing affection toward many women he crossed paths with. History doesn’t show he necessarily felt any sort of empathy for the women, as most historians paint him as a man who focused only on power and influence. He literally caused the execution of a queen and five men for it!
Painting the main character in a story in a sympathetic light is important, though. After all, we need to somewhat want the main character to win, even though we know how Cromwell’s story plays out.
Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light airs on Sundays at 9/8c on PBS.
Stay up to date with the latest historical fiction news with Claire and Jamie.