March 30, 1533 - Thomas Cranmer Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury

When Henry VIII appointed Thomas Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury on March 30, 1533, Cranmer was reluctant to take on this role. Cranmer eventually acquiesced, he and used his great influence to accomplish several goals. He granted Henry his long awaited divorce from Catherine of Aragon, and he continued to increase the spread of Protestantism within the Church of England. However, Catherine’s daughter Queen “Bloody” Mary was angered by these decisions, and she had Cranmer burned at the stake.