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Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell of Oakham, (c. 1520 – 4 July 1551) was an English Peer. He was the only son of the Tudor statesman Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex (c. 1485 – 1540) by his wife Elizabeth Wyckes (c. 1489 – c. 1528). Gregory's father Thomas Cromwell rose from obscurity to become the chief minister of Henry VIII, who attempted to modernize government at the expense of the privileges of the nobility and church. He used his office to promote religious reform and was one of the strongest advocates of the English Reformation. In 1537, Gregory married Elizabeth, Lady Ughtred, widow of Sir Anthony Ughtred, sister to Jane Seymour and therefore became brother-in-law to Henry VIII and uncle to Edward VI. Gregory survived the dramatic fall from royal favour and subsequent execution of his father in 1540, as well as the ousting of his brother-in-law and patron, Edward Seymour in 1549. He became a wealthy landowner, owning land and property in several counties in England, mainly in Rutland and Leicestershire. Gregory's family connections had provided him with wealth, property and privileges; however, it was through his own intelligence and ability, combined with the remarkable education and training provided by his father, that he was able to benefit from them, leaving his wife and family well provided for at his death. Gregory was succeeded by his eldest son, and heir, Henry. Gregory Cromwell died in July 1551, the same month as Henry Brandon, the young Duke of Suffolk and his brother Charles. There does not appear to be a surviving portrait of Gregory Cromwell; however, given Thomas Cromwell's patronage of Hans Holbein the Younger, it would be surprising if no portrait was painted during his youth or at the time of his marriage. == Early years == Gregory Cromwell was born in London around 1520. Surviving letters suggest that the home where he lived with his father, mother and grandmother, Mercy Pryor, was a happy one. Gregory's father, Thomas Cromwell, had "The habit of not taking himself too seriously, the friendly and familiar atmosphere out of which this comes, was evidently the atmosphere of Cromwell's house. And he seems to have early displayed that ready gratitude for kindness, that fidelity to those who had helped him, for which he became noted at home and abroad. People liked to go to his home and remembered their visit with pleasure." A successful merchant and lawyer, Thomas Cromwell was a self-made man of relatively humble beginnings whose intelligence and abilities enabled him to rise to become the most powerful man in England next to the king. His own father, Walter Cromwell, had been a jack of all trades - a blacksmith, fuller and brewer who had, from time to time, come to the attention of the authorities. Thomas Cromwell was sent to school as a boy, where he learned to read and write and was taught a little Latin. Thomas Cromwell was determined to provide a more extensive education for his own son, Gregory. Thomas and Elizabeth had three surviving children - a son, Gregory, and two daughters, Anne and Grace. Thomas Cromwell's wife, Elizabeth is believed to have died during the epidemic of sweating sickness sweeping across England in 1527–1528, mostly likely in the summer of 1528. The last reference to his wife was in a letter from Richard Cave, a man who knew him very well, on 18 June 1528. Cromwell's daughters, Anne and Grace, are believed to have died not long after their mother. Provisions made for Anne and Grace in Thomas Cromwell's will, written on 12 July 1529, have been crossed out at a later date. Thomas Cromwell had another daughter, Jane (c.1520/25 – 1580) whose early life is a complete mystery. According to Hilary Mantel, "Cromwell had an illegitimate daughter, and beyond the fact that she existed, we know very little about her. She comes briefly into the records, in an incredibly obscure way – she’s in the archives of the county of Chester." Jane married William Hough (c.1525 – 1585), of Leighton in Wirrall, Cheshire, sometime between 1535 and 1539. William Hough was the son of Richard Hough (1505 – 1573/4) who worked for Thomas Cromwell from 1534 to 1540. Hough was Cromwell's agent in Chester. It is unknown what role Thomas and Gregory Cromwell played in her life. However, it would be safe to say that, after her marriage, Jane did not share her father's religious beliefs. Jane and her husband William Hough were staunch Catholics who, together with their daughter, Alice, her husband, William Whitmore and their children, all came to the attention of the authorities as recusant Catholics in the reign of Elizabeth I. Gregory Cromwell came to share his father's interests and religious beliefs and was closely following the religious developments taking place in England while his father was in office. Gregory's close friends, William Cecil and Ralph Sadler were known adherents of the reformed faith. A letter written to Gregory by Henry Dowes in March 1540 reveals that he was deeply concerned about the recantation of the vicar of Stepney, William Jerome. In his report to his former pupil, Dowes noted that "your comaundemente hath fully persuaded me you to be nott a litle desyrous to receyve knowledge after what sorte he behaved himselfe, aswell concernyng his Recantation, as also the reste of thinges conteyned in his saide Sermon." After the deaths of his wife and daughters, Thomas Cromwell was devoted to his son, Gregory, and his sister Catherine's son, Richard Williams (alias Cromwell) and they were a close family. One of Richard's letters to his uncle bemoaned their separation from one another. He wrote that "I never more desired anything, than since your departure, to see you, nor thought time longer in your absence." Gregory was equally effusive in a letter where he asked only for his father's blessing, which he described as "more treasure unto me then all the abundance of worldly goods." Gregory remained close to his father and looked up to his older cousin, Richard Cromwell (born by 1502 – 1544), who had distinguished himself by his military skill and gallantry. Richard Cromwell adopted his uncle Thomas Cromwell's surname when he was made a Privy Councillor in 1531. Richard must have been fond of Gregory, leaving him "a great horse" in his will. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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