How One Family Remade Britain: Thomas and Oliver Cromwell, with Miranda Malins

Intelligence Squared · Oct 15, 2026 · 57m

Thomas Cromwell helped Henry VIII break with Rome, reshape government and establish the Church of England. A century later, his distant relative Oliver Cromwell helped defeat a king, establish a republic and became Lord Protector. Both men are usually remembered as exceptional commoners who rose through talent and ruthless pragmatism. But neither rose alone. What does the familiar ‘great man’ version of history miss? And how did one extended family acquire power, lose it and then rise again? In this episode, Mia Sorenti speaks with historian and author Miranda Malins about what placing Thomas…