Editing Thomas Cranmer (section)

==Early years (1489–1527)==
Historians know nothing definite about Cranmer's early schooling. He probably attended a grammar school in his village. At 14, two years after his father's death, he was sent to the newly created [[Jesus College, Cambridge]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Ridley|1962|pp=13–15}}; {{Harvnb|MacCulloch|1996|pp=7–15}}</ref> It took him eight years to attain his Bachelor of Arts degree, following a curriculum of logic, classical literature, and philosophy. During this time, he began to collect medieval [[Scholasticism|scholastic]] books, which he preserved faithfully throughout his life.<ref>{{Harvnb|Selwyn|1993|pp=63–65}}</ref> For his master's degree he studied the [[Renaissance humanism|humanists]] [[Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples]] and [[Erasmus]]. He finished the course in three years.<ref>{{acad|id=CRNR503T|name=Cranmer, Thomas}}</ref> Shortly after receiving his [[Master of Arts (Oxbridge and Dublin)|Master of Arts]] degree in 1515, he was elected to a [[fellow]]ship of Jesus College.<ref>{{Harvnb|Ridley|1962|p=16}}; {{Harvnb|MacCulloch|1996|pp=19–21}}</ref>

Sometime after Cranmer took his MA, he married a woman named Joan. Although he was not yet a priest, he was obliged to give up his fellowship, resulting in losing his residence at Jesus College. To support himself and his wife, he took a job as a [[Reader (academic rank)|reader]] at [[Buckingham College, Cambridge|Buckingham Hall]] (later reformed as [[Magdalene College, Cambridge|Magdalene College]]).<ref>{{Harvnb|MacCulloch|1996|p=21}}</ref>  When Joan died during her first childbirth, Jesus College showed its regard for Cranmer by reinstating his fellowship. He began studying [[theology]], and by 1520, he had been [[holy orders|ordained]], the university already having named him as one of its preachers. He received his [[Doctor of Divinity]] degree in 1526.<ref>{{Harvnb|Ridley|1962|pp=16–20}}; {{Harvnb|MacCulloch|1996|pp=21–23}}</ref>

Not much is known about Cranmer's thoughts and experiences during his three decades at Cambridge. Traditionally, he has been portrayed as a humanist whose enthusiasm for biblical scholarship prepared him to adopt [[Lutheran]] ideas, which were spreading during the 1520s. A study of his [[marginalia]] reveals an early antipathy to [[Martin Luther]] and an admiration for [[Erasmus]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Bernard|2005|p=506}}; {{Harvnb|MacCulloch|1996|pp=23–33}}</ref> When [[Cardinal Wolsey]], the King's [[Lord Chancellor]], selected several Cambridge scholars, including [[Edward Lee, Archbishop of York|Edward Lee]], [[Stephen Gardiner]] and [[Richard Sampson]], to be diplomats throughout Europe, Cranmer was chosen for an embassy to [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor]]. His supposed participation in an earlier embassy to Spain mentioned in the older literature, has proved to be spurious.<ref>{{Harvnb|MacCulloch|2016|pp=xi}}</ref>