Thomas CranmerTHOMAS CRANMER (1489-1556) was Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, briefly, Mary I. As a leader of the English Reformation, he advanced the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church. Like the political leader Thomas Cromwell, he supported the principle of royal supremacy, in which the king was considered sovereign over the church within his nation. Read More Read Less