Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex
Cromwell tried to modernize government, but this meant that both the nobility and the church would have less power. Because of this he was seen as an upstart. He was one of the strongest supporters of the English Reformation, the English Church's break with the papacy in Rome. Henry VIII was made the head of the Church of England by Parliament in 1534. Cromwell helped control the new Church with his two new jobs; Vicegerent for spirituals and Vicar general.