What happened to Wolf Hall’s major figures after The Mirror and The Light?

However, if you're interested to know what became of certain key figures in Wolf Hall after the events of The Mirror and The Light, you've come to the right place.

Truly, it was an unpredictable time, with some characters managing to maintain a privileged position against all odds, and others facing the chopping block on the orders of the bloodthirsty King Henry VIII (Damian Lewis).

Then, of course, there's the monarch himself, whose final years were far from dignified as his health rapidly declined. Read on for more on what happened after Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light.

King Henry VIII

What happened to Henry VIII after Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light? Henry is believed to have regretted having Cromwell executed, with the aides and advisors who stepped up in the aftermath proving less than capable of pleasing the tyrannical monarch as he once did.

As alluded to in The Mirror and The Light's series finale, conflict was the inevitable result of Cromwell's absence as Henry waged war against Scotland and France, very nearly bankrupting the country in the process. All the while, his obesity was causing major health issues.

Ultimately, he died in 1547, aged 55, thought to have been suffering from boils, gout and an ulcerated leg wound from the jousting accident depicted in Wolf Hall.

Henry's cognitive decline has been theorised to be caused either by a brain injury incurred in this same incident or by a genetic condition such as McLeod syndrome.

Read more: Wolf Hall restores dignity to Anne of Cleves by flipping the script on Henry VIII in vital way

Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk

What happened to Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk, after Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light? Howard had some of the best luck of any of the historical figures depicted in the show.

Despite his disastrous role in marrying off two of his nieces to King Henry VIII (both of whom were beheaded), Howard avoided the chopping block himself, having no qualms with disowning the young women he'd thrown into the lion's den.

Towards the end of Henry's reign, Howard was stripped of the title of Duke of Norfolk and imprisoned as his son was suspected of treason. Once again, however, he avoided execution as Henry died midway through the investigation.

He would spend a total of six years behind bars, before being pardoned and released following Mary I's coronation, spending his final months back in favour with the throne – before succumbing to an illness between the ages of 80 and 81 (remarkable for the time).

Catherine Howard

What happened to Catherine Howard after Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light? Sadly, Catherine Howard was yet another soul to have been claimed by Henry VIII's barbaric and brutal reign.

His fifth wife was only a teenager when they married, and her difficult upbringing had left her with a substandard education for a noblewoman, further heightening the immense power imbalance in their marriage.

It is possible that Howard was having an affair with Henry's close friend Thomas Culpeper, although some historians have theorised that their relationship was strictly political.

In any case, they both paid the ultimate price for it. Culpeper went first in December 1541 and Howard's execution followed two months later.

Gregory Cromwell

What happened to Gregory Cromwell after Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light? Gregory and his wife, Elizabeth, were in a very precarious position following the downfall of Thomas Cromwell, with every chance that suspicion of treason could have fallen upon them too.

Luckily, after several months in limbo and facing long-term homelessness, Gregory was made a baron and spent the remainder of his life as an active member of the House of Lords. He died in 1551 of sweating sickness – a mysterious disease not recorded since its final major outbreak that year.

Ralph Sadler

What happened to Ralph Sadler after Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light? Sadler lived a remarkably long and successful life, in spite of his close association with Thomas Cromwell.

Although he was arrested in the unstable period following his mentor's execution, he was released mere days later having presented a strong case for his innocence. He regained King Henry VIII's favour during the legal proceedings against his fifth wife, Catherine Howard.

Sadler would go on to be involved in one of the stranger moments in Tudor history, when the Henry VIII's heir – the ailing boy king Edward VI – attempted to cut his half-sisters out of the line of succession.

Instead, he wished to pass the throne to his cousin, Lady Jane Grey, in a daring bid to keep Protestantism the dominant religion in England. Alas, Mary and her supporters quickly outwitted the manoeuvre, ousting Jane after only nine days of rule.

As a signatory of Edward VI's will, which attempted to invalidate her claim, it isn't surprising that Sadler fell out of favour during the reign of Mary I. After laying low for several years, he was restored to a senior position when Elizabeth I inherited the throne.

In 1587, Sadler died of an unknown cause, aged between 79 and 80.

Bishop Stephen Gardiner

What happened to Stephen Gardiner after Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light? One of Cromwell's most bitter nemeses, Gardiner also eventually fell from favour during the reign of Edward VI, even serving time in the dreaded Tower of London – but luckily for him, managed to keep his head long enough to bounce back.

Indeed, when Mary I snatched the throne back from Lady Jane Grey, she freed Gardiner and gave him the senior role of Lord Chancellor. She considered him an ally due, in part, to his conservative religious views, which had put him at odds with Edward. Alas, Gardiner died in 1555, midway through Mary's reign, so his time back at the top was short lived.

Mary Tudor

What happened to Mary Tudor after Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light? As depicted in Wolf Hall, the prospect of Mary becoming Queen had been deemed unlikely following the birth of her half-brother Edward.

However, the boy grew up very sickly and ultimately passed away aged only 16, with no heirs. As previously mentioned, he attempted to cut Mary out of the line of succession, but this effort failed and she ascended to the throne in 1553.

Despite only reigning for five years, she acquired the unflattering nickname 'Bloody Mary' for her persecution of Protestants on charges of heresy, executing hundreds in her attempt to reinstate Catholicism in England.

She died in 1558, aged 42, also with no heirs. It is possible she was suffering from a form of cancer.

Lady Rochford

What happened to Lady Jane Rochford after Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light? Anne Boleyn's resentful sister-in-law was brought down in the proceedings against Henry VIII's fifth wife, Catherine Howard, having admitted to facilitating meetings between herself and her alleged adulterous partner Thomas Culpeper.

She was declared insane after her incarceration in the Tower of London, meaning that Henry VIII had to implement a new law solely to have her executed. She was beheaded on the same day as Catherine Howard.

Thomas Wriothesley

What happened to Thomas Wriothesley after Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light? Wriothesley remained a key figure in the Tudor dynasty after the execution of Thomas Cromwell.

When Henry VIII died, he served as an executor of the late monarch's will. That led to a position on the regency council, which worked to manage the country after Edward VI took the throne, as he was too young to rule independently.

Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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