George Cromer | |
---|---|
Archbishop of Armagh Primate of All Ireland | |
Church | Roman Catholic |
Archdiocese | Armagh |
Appointed | 2 October 1521 |
In office | 1521–1543 |
Predecessor | John Kite |
Successor | George Dowdall |
Orders | |
Consecration | April 1522 |
Personal details | |
Born | c.1470 |
Died | 16 March 1542 |
Nationality | English |
Parents | Sir James Cromer, Catherine Cantelowe |
George Cromer (died 16 March 1542) was Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland in the reign of Henry VIII of England, from 1521/2. [1]
Cromer was English by birth, a descendant of the Cromer (also spelt Crowemer) family of Tunstall, Kent and Cromer, Norfolk. He was the younger son of Sir James Cromer of Tunstall (died 1503) and Catherine Cantelowe, daughter of Sir William Cantelowe, a wealthy merchant of Milk Street, London. [2] He was probably born around 1470.
He was referred to as a Doctor of Divinity, and appears to have been a royal chaplain attached to the English Court by 1518. He was consecrated Archbishop in 1522. [2]
Caught up in Henry's Reformation of the Church of England, he was deprived of his See of Armagh. [3] He continued in place as Archbishop of Armagh, despite suspicions from Henry about his true beliefs and his loyalty to the Crown, and despite being suspended by the Pope on a charge of heresy, and in spite of his failing health. [4] [5]
He was Lord Chancellor of Ireland 1532-4, as a placeman of Gerald FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Kildare, whose family dominated Irish politics from the 1470s until the late 1530s, and wielded such power that they were known as "the uncrowned Kings of Ireland". [6] [7] When the FitzGeralds destroyed themselves in the Rebellion of Silken Thomas, Cromer's own loyalty was naturally suspected, even though he had tried to prevent the Rebellion [2] (in 1536 he had opposed the Acts of Supremacy which made Henry VIII Supreme Head of the Church of England). [2] He was suspended from office as Chancellor and narrowly escaped prosecution for treason. In his last years, he was restored to limited royal favour, and was allowed to attend Parliament in 1541, but died the following year. [2]
Conn Bacagh O'Neill, 1st Earl of Tyrone, was king of Tyrone. In 1541 O'Neill travelled to England to submit to Henry VIII as part of the surrender and regrant policy that coincided with the creation of the Kingdom of Ireland. He was made Earl of Tyrone, but his plans to pass the title and lands on to a chosen successor Matthew were thwarted by a violent succession dispute that led to another son, Shane O'Neill, emerging triumphant.
The Lord High Chancellor of Ireland was the highest judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 to the end of 1800, it was also the highest political office of the Irish Parliament: the Chancellor was Speaker of the Irish House of Lords. The Lord Chancellor was also Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of Ireland. In all three respects, the office mirrored the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain.
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Thomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildare, also known as Silken Thomas, was a leading figure in 16th-century Irish history.
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Events from the year 1534 in Ireland.
John Alen was an English priest and canon lawyer, whose later years were spent in Ireland. He held office as Archbishop of Dublin and Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and was a member of the Privy Council of Ireland. In the latter office, for a few years, he played a central role in the government of Ireland.
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