First published in 1962, Jasper Ridley's biography of Thomas Cranmer, leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury under Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary I, examines the attitude of Cranmer's biographies and critics from Morice and Harpsfield to Pollard and Belloc, but draws its facts exclusively from contemporary authorities, subjecting their statements to careful scrutiny, and presenting a considerable amount of material for the first time, ignored by all previous biographers.

Ridley threw new light on many old controversies and put forward a new interpretation of Cranmer's recantations and retraction, presenting a picture of Cranmer which surprised traditionalists of both the `pro-Cranmer' and `anti-Cranmer' schools.