Although the event takes place at short notice, it is poised to be a key moment in Wolf Hall’s exploration of Cromwell’s inevitable downfall as it is one of several missteps to drive a wedge between the advisor and his unpredictable boss.

If this sequence has left you wondering what is fact and what is fiction in The Mirror and The Light episode 4, read on for everything you need to know about martyr John Lambert – and his fate at the hands of King Henry VIII.

Who is John Lambert in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light?

John Lambert was a Protestant man, who King Henry VIII had executed for his religious beliefs.

The most provocative of Lambert’s statements was his denial of the doctrine of transubstantiation, which is the Catholic belief that bread and wine shared during Holy Communion becomes the body and blood of Christ after the Eucharistic prayer.

For many years, Lambert had outlined and clarified his views against transubstantiation, with criminal charges first being brought to him in 1531, but investigator Archbishop William Warham passed away before he could be tried.

This allowed Lambert to continue his religious study until 1538, when he attempted to make his argument to the king himself, somewhat naively hoping that the monarch would open-mindedly hear his case.

This was never really on the cards, with Henry keen to show the world that he was no friend to “heretics”, as had been claimed following his break away from Rome in search of a divorce from his first wife.

As depicted in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light, Henry assembled a group of 10 bishops to argue in favour of transubstantiation, with the showtrial reported to have descended into heckles and jeers as it proceeded (via Baptists.net).

Following the trial, Lambert was burned at the stake for his views, deemed heretical for the time, and thus became a martyr to followers of the Protestant faith.

During his execution, which the king ordered to be especially gruesome as a warning to others who might follow, Lambert is famous for having repeated the words: “None but Christ!”

The extent of Cromwell’s sympathy towards Lambert, as depicted in Wolf Hall, could be debated, but the two were known to have become friends while studying at Cambridge University in their younger years.

It is alleged by one source that Cromwell attended Lambert’s execution and wept during it, but this is not widely accepted as historical fact due to a lack of evidence.

Nevertheless, it may have inspired author Hilary Mantel during the writing of her Wolf Hall trilogy of novels.

Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light airs Sundays on BBC One and iPlayer.

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