Imagine being remembered not just as a bishop, diplomat, and court insider… but also as the student who annoyed a future martyr with your recorder practice!

That was Thomas Thirlby, a man whose life saw the reigns of Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Lady Jane Grey, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. He supported Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn, helped suppress the Pilgrimage of Grace, became the very first Bishop of Westminster, rose high under Mary I as Bishop of Ely, and yet ended his life under house arrest in Elizabeth’s reign.

In this video, I explore:
- Thirlby’s rise under Cromwell and Cranmer - His role in diplomacy and religious change
- Why he had to degrade his old friend Thomas Cranmer before his execution
- How his Catholic faith cost him dearly under Elizabeth I
- And of course, that quirky ...