BABE-BOLYAI UNIVERSITY, CLUJ-NAPOCA

FACULTY OF LETTERS
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

THOMAS CROMWELL: FRIEND OR FOE?

THE FICTIONALISATION OF HISTORY

STUDENT:

PAPER ADVISER:

TUNYOGI ANDREA

CONF. DR. ADRIAN RADU

MA BRITISH CULTURAL STUDIES

1ST YEAR

CLUJ NAPOCA JANUARY 2015

INTRODUCTION

The concept of history is introduced to children since fourth grade. They start to acknowledge
the origins of certain nations, significant battles, outstanding historical figures and the social and
political life of a certain age. Later on, if students mention these key concepts during a history
exam, they are likely to pass the exam and to be seen as people who know something about
history. Further on, they can cultivate their skills and become PhDs in History. At this level one
may justly claim that he/she is an expert in history. But can anybody claim that? Who knows in
fact something about history? To answer these questions, it is essential to discuss about the
concept of history.
The definition of this concept is so vast and multidimensional that this paper could not
attempt to cover it up. However, it tries to highlight some aspects of history that serves as a basis
to its hypotheses, which is the following idea: history is subjective. In order to support this idea,
Ive chosen a long forgotten historical age together with its long forgotten historical figure, who
has resurrected in Hilary Mantels novel. Who is Thomas Cromwell? Is he a friend or a foe?
How can the man of today know somebody who lived centuries ago? Does the expert in history
really know Cromwell? Before trying to answer these questions, let us reflect upon the concept
of history.
It is often said that yesterday is history. Everything that happened on that day survives
only in ones memory. It becomes a copy of the real events. As time passes, this copy goes
through many changes. It is highly possible that somebody who had experience something, may
not be able to recall it exactly how it happened. In order to fill the missing gaps, he/she tends to
invent those information to make the story round and coherent. If this can happen to ones own
experience, what is the probability of knowing such events and characters who lived centuries
ago and who had no direct connection with us? How do we seize the past? Can we ever do so?
(qtd in Berce, 2012: 101).
History may seem objective, because it is said to be built on facts. But what happens to
these facts? They go through a process becoming more and more subjective. Let us take for
example the Siege of Boulogne. If we want to know what happened in that battle, we might read
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an article on the internet. That article is written by somebody, therefore it is subjective. It was
also inspired from another work, again written by somebody, who based his/her work on another
source, and the chain may continue until we lose the trace of the information. Consequently, the
Siege of Boulogne appears to us as a result of many reinterpretations, adding one more, namely
our own one.
So who is Thomas Cromwell? Based on the ideas mention above, let us try to depict him,
starting from Hilary Mantels novel entitled Wolf Hall. Cromwells character serves as an
example to highlight the subjectivity, therefore the fictionalization of history.
CROMWELL IN THE 21ST CENTURY
And if we cant dispose of it, we can alter it. The dead dont shout. (Winterson, 1996: 92)
Thomas Cromwell is dead. What is the purpose of his resurrection? Everybody heard of the
ruthless King Henry the VIII. Most people associate his name with the Tudor dynasty, because of
his striking behaviour and mostly because of his wives 1. He is the main character in nearly every
piece of writing concerning his era. No wonder, he was the king and he supposed to be the most
important person in England. But what did Hilary Mantel do? She has chosen a man, a
blacksmiths son, a man who became very close to the king and wrote a novel putting this person
in the centre of attention, making him the main character and presenting the events through his
experiences: I wanted to revisit2, and see what happens if you place him dead centre in the
familiar narrative, and look through his eyes.(Mantel, 2014, online interview)
If we have a closer look on the term revisit we may conclude that it refers to an action which had
already been done before and now it is happening again. Based on the quotation above, this
revisit is an experimental act, because she wants to see what happens if. This conditional
sentence shows that she herself is curious about the outcome of this strategy. So practically, she
revisits history, a long forgotten era, picks up a character, brings him to the present, places him in
the centre of attention and creates a new interpretation of that era, consequently of history.

1 Out of his six wives, two were banished and two were decapitated in the Tower of London.
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/henry_viii/)
2 My italics
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Before we continue to demonstrate that history is subjective through Cromwells character, let us
look at some other examples where history is revisited therefore fictionalized.

ENGLAND, ENGLAND SAYS HAWKSMOOR AND YOUR CITY OF THE MIND!

Mantel is not the only one who revisits history. There is a tendency among the contemporary
British writers to represent England and Englishness in several ways. These three novel whose
titles are contracted in the subtitle represent Englishness and history in such unique ways, yet
again their starting point is very similar: the reinterpretation of history.
How does Julian Barnes revisit history in England, England? His technique is very
suggestive. Past is brought to the present by models which replace the real things. This
replacement is partly because the original no longer exists, or because the model can easily be
regarded as the original, so the original is not necessary any more. 3 Consequently, past or history
is brought to the present meaning to create exactly the same situation. So the aim of revisiting
history was to create exactly the same atmosphere regardless of space and time. However as it
has been highlighted before, history cannot be brought to the present without undergoing some
changes. Pitmans final project is a failure not only for England but also for the island itself.4
Further on, how does Peter Ackroyd revisit history in his novel entitled Hawksmoor? His
technique is also unique and worth much attention. He does not bring past into present the same
way as we have seen in England, England, but presents the two timespans simultaneously. His
technique is also very complex. Past and present are not just simultaneous but also
interconnected. The lines are deliberately blurred causing sometimes a confusion between the
time shifts, but not a chaos. So at the same time, past and present confront and complete each

3 In the case of historical characters such as Robin Hood or Dr. Samuel Johnson, the model or
the replica was necessary because the original was no longer available, whereas in the case of the
Royal Family, the replica was still created even if they were alive, causing the destruction of the
original in favor of the replica.
4 See the behavior of Dr. Samuel Johnson or Robin Hood, who at a certain moment started to act
as their real characters causing their banishment from the island which demonstrates that history
is no longer tolerated in the present in its authentic form. (Barnes, 1998: 207-208)
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other. Consequently, history is revisited and also distorted, in other words, it is changed, which
again leads us to the conclusion that history is subjective therefore fictionalized.
Penelope Lively revisits history and creates the City of the Mind. London is presented in a
peculiar way: the present day London has such an effect on the main characters imagination,
that he inevitably recalls the past image of the same city, creating the city of the mind. Whereas
in Hawksmoor a past cause has a present effect5, in the City of the Mind a present stimulus such
as a building or an advertisement recalls the image of the past. Yet again we have the two time
spans coexisting in the mind of Halland. The fictionalization of history appears in Hallands own
interpretation and imagination based on present stimulus.
Starting from Hilary Mantels revisit in history, we have seen that many contemporary British
novels are based on the same idea, although presented with different techniques. These examples
meant to highlight the basic idea of this paper, namely that history cannot be treated objectively
because it is much more complex than the mere existence of historical facts. After this brief
presentation on revisiting history, let us continue with the character of Thomas Cromwell and see
how he becomes a man of the 21st century.
CROMWELL OR CROMWELLS?
The question of identity is very significant in the postmodern era. Phrases such as multiple self,
the crisis of the self are often associated with the perception of present times. There is a big gap
between the 16th and the 21st century. Can we manage to fill this gap in case of Cromwells
character? Let us start by having a closer look on a letter he had sent to the king before his
execution. This should be a good starting point considering that these are his own words,
therefore the closest to his person.
Prostrate at your Majestys feet, I have heard your pleasure by your Controller, viz., that I should
write such things as I thought meet concerning my most miserable state. And where I have been
accused of treason, I never in all my life thought to displease your Majesty; much less to do or
say that thing which of itself is so high and abominable offence. Your Grace knows my
accusers, God forgive them. (Thomas Cromwells letter to Henry VIII, 12 th June 1540, online
article)

5 The murder cases. It seems that the crimes committed in the past have a strong connection with
those committed in the present.
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In this letter we see a desperate man who begs for mercy. He is humble and pleads for
forgiveness even for his accusers. It is also obvious that he loves and respects the king very
much. Based on this letter, we imagine a suffering and repenting Cromwell who deserves all the
pity. But let us look at other sequences of his life. Hilary Mantel begins his novel with a rather
crude image of the little boy named Cromwell:
Felled, dazed, silent, he has fallen; knocked full length on the cobbles of the yard. His head turns
sideways; his eyes are turned towards the gate, as if someone might arrive to help him out. One
blow, properly placed, could kill him now. Blood from the gash on his head which was his
father's first effort is trickling across his face. Add to this, his left eye is blinded; but if he
squints sideways, with his right eye he can see that the stitching of his father's boot is unravelling.
(Mantel, 2009: 14)

The reader doesnt even know who this person is, but he/she already pities him. This kind of
beginning also suggests the way Mantel approaches her main character. She could not possibly
look at him as an enemy if she begins the novel by raising pity for him. Consequently, the very
beginning of the novel demonstrates the fictionalization of history, by manipulating the reader
to feel pity for that person who is maltreated by his father. Further on, we cannot pass through
those scenes of his life, which are presented with such details, that it is impossible not to think
that they are the authors pure imagination. As it has been mentioned before, the gap between the
past and present is so big, that there is a need to fill it by using different methods. For example
let us look at a dialogue between Cromwell and his wife: Forget where you lived? He sighs.
How was Yorkshire? He shrugs. The cardinal? He nods. Eaten? Yes. Tired? Not really.
Drink? Yes. Rhenish? Why not. (Mantel, 2009: 23). It is highly improbable that this
conversation really happened between the two in the same way. This conversation is put into the
mouth of two 16th century people by a 21st century writer. It is this very technique that brings
Cromwell to the present days and demonstrates that history revisited equals history rewritten.
Thomas Cromwells private life is largely off-the-record. So yes, theres imaginative
reconstruction. (Mantel: 2014, online interview).
Who is Thomas Cromwell? According to the Catholic Herald, he was cruel: Cromwell
is separated from us by half a millennium, which is a safe distance. He is not going to hurt us

now, and we are safe from his capricious cruelty6. (Lucie-Smith, 2015, online article). Are we
safe? Wasnt he brought to the present and put in the centre of attention in Wolf Hall? In a review
by Lucy Hughes-Hallett about Tracy Bormans book entitle Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story
of Henry VIIIs Most Faithful Servant she claims that History can give the reader reliable
information (Hughes-Hallett, 2014, online article). Which is the reliable information?
Nothing that was told so far can be considered reliable. All is a matter of interpretation,
speculation and imagination. She goes further and says that Cromwell was a professional, a
lawyer. []. He was an excellent manager. He was generous to his protgs (Hughes-Hallett,
2014, online article).
Continuing the idea of historys reliability proposed by Hughes-Hallett, let us examine what do
we know about the birth of Cromwell? Here is an interesting fact that questions this reliability:
Thomas Cromwell born probably not later than 1485 and possibly a year or two earlier7
(Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1910. 501, online article). The words probably and possibly are not at
all connected to reliability.
Further on, let us look at three more interpretations about the figure of Thomas Cromwell before
we draw the final conclusion. The next quotation also bears the mark of changeability because it
draws a contrast between how Cromwell was perceived in the past and how he is seen today:
Thomas Cromwell had been, for many, a rather shadowy, sinister figure []. Now, he is
acclaimed as the architect of the English Reformation. (Wilson, 2012, online article). The
next quotation enforces the inseparable relationship between fact and fiction, as it has already
been highlighted, and also demonstrates that history cannot be treated as a mere assembling of
facts: Thomas Cromwell is a good subject for fact and fiction. He was and remains somewhat of
an enigma (Horowitz, 2011, online article). Finally the next quotation is probably the best
illustration of this chapters subtitle: As my research progressed, I was forced to relinquish
some of the more endearing characteristics with which my Cromwell was imbued. (Borman,
2014, online article). If there is a my Cromwell, then there should be a your, our or their
Cromwell as well. Consequently, as an answer to the subtitle, we can declare that the plural form
is the most suitable in this case.

6 My italics.
7 My italics.
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CONCLUSION
The aim of this paper was to demonstrate that history is subjective, therefore fictionalized. In
order to support this idea, Ive chosen the character of Thomas Cromwell, starting from Hilary
Mantels novel entitled Wolf Hall. Mantel claimed in her interview that she had revisited history
and brought a rather shadowy person to the present, putting him in the centre of attention.
Starting from the idea of revisiting history, I have highlighted other examples of contemporary
British novels that are based on the same idea: England, England, Hawksmoor and City of the
Mind. These novels revisit history, but they do this by using different techniques. However, the
final conclusion is the same: history cannot be revisited and brought to the present without being
changed. To continue this idea, I have attempted to mention a few interpretations about the
character of Thomas Cromwell to demonstrate that there are many Cromwells, so a historical
figure therefore history is subjective and depends on our own interpretation, where we add our
own experiences and our own personality. So who is Thomas Cromwell? Is he a friend or a foe? I
consider that everyone has his/her own personal Cromwell, who is uniquely shaped in ones
mind.
History is similar to this image. It is up to us whether we see the old woman or the young lady.

WORKS CITED
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Barnes, Julian, England, England. London, Jonathan Cape, 1998.
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Lucie-Smith, Alexander, Hilary Mantels Wolf Hall propagates the myth that Britain became
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Thomas Cromwell, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Ed. Vol VII.

Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press, 1910. 501. 10. Oct. 2006. Online article. Accessed on 01. Feb. 2015.
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Image from: https://answersto.wordpress.com/2010/07/16/use-you-illusion-p1-double-meaning/

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