"Thomas Cranmer:" Jasper Ridley (#18): Ch.4--Archbishop of Canterbury & ...

Prof. Ridley never mentions the date of Tom's consecration as the ABC, a rather remarkable omission. He does stress the three, pre-vetted, pre-approved and required protestations that were read at the consecration. The date is 30 March 1533. Within 40ish days, Cranmer is calling for an ecclesiastical court at Dunstable to adjudicate the case of Henry's marriage, but all of this was also pre-planned and the outcome was certain. It was rigged. Anne was pregnant. The Dunstable Judgment was needed by Whitsunday, 1533, with Anne's coronation by Pentecost Sunday, 1 Jun 1533. All this happens within 20ish days. Script followed. Tom is Henry's puppet doing a ventriloquism act for Henry. Henry also is eyeing the strengthening of the Tudor rule with some pre-vetted work on Tom's plea to allow him to sit as a Judge for the King's case. Henry makes it clear that Tom is a subordinate, not a superior to Henry. This thing is rigged from the git-go.

As we noted earlier, buckle up. 1533 moves at high speeds. Tom is now the ABC. Catherine is tossed. Anne's pregnant and will soon be England's new Queen. The people still favor Catherine, their erstwhile Queen of some 24 years.