The King’s Gatekeeper: Thomas Cromwell, Epistolary Networks, and Power Structures at the Tudor Court, January–July 1540

Focusing on an epistolary network at the Tudor court from January to July 1540, this essay uses theories of brokerage transactions and triadic management to explore Thomas Cromwell’s role as Henry VIII’s “gatekeeper” and his use of correspondence to manage access to and the information flow surrounding the king. By focusing on key social network theories by Mark Granovetter, Ronald Burt, and Roberto M. Fernandez and Roger Gould, this essay outlines the importance of an individual’s structural position in a network, and the power it commands, identifying triadic relationships involving Henry and Cromwell, and evaluating the different structures of these interactions.