Thomas Cromwell rose from obscurity to become Henry VIII’s chief fixer—then fell just as fast. Arrested without warning, denied a proper trial, and executed on Tower Hill, his death was chaotic and humiliating. The man who engineered others’ downfalls was erased in public, proof that power under the Tudors had a short memory and a sharp blade. Interesting fact: Cromwell’s execution was botched; the inexperienced executioner needed multiple blows to remove his head, turning a political purge into