Thomas Cranmer was born 2 July 1489 at Aslacton, Nottinghamshire, England.
Thomas Cranmer was the Archbishop of Canterbury (1533 - 1556) during the reigns of the English kings Henry VIII and Edward VI. He was a leader of the English Reformation and was responsible for establishing the basic structures of the Church of England. He was England's first first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury.
Cranmer declared Henry VIII's marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, void and four months later married him to Anne Boleyn at Westminster Abbey.
With Thomas Cromwell, he supported the translation of the bible into English.
In 1545, he wrote a litany that is still used in the church.
In 1549, he helped complete the book of common prayer.
Mary I of England, who had been brought up a Catholic and wished to return England to its former faith (Catholic). Crammer was accordingly removed from office, imprisoned and charged with both treason. He was burnt to death in Oxford on 21 March 1556.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England. It is the Archbishop of Canterbury who has the privilege of crowning the kings and queens of England and today the kings and queens of the United Kingdom.
The Archbishop's official residence is at Lambeth Palace, London, and second residence at the Old Palace, Canterbury.
The first Archbishop of Canterbury was Augustine. He was sent to England in AD 597 by Pope Gregory I with the mission to convert the natives to Roman Christianity.
Rowan Williams, a Welshman, is the present Archbishop of Canterbury. He was elected the 104th archbishop on 23rd July 2002.
The traditional, ceremonial head-dress of bishops is called a mitre. They carry a staff called a crozier, symbolising the role of the bishop as the Good Shepherd.