How did Thomas Cranmer’s theological views change during his mission to Germany?

During his 1532 diplomatic mission to Germany, Thomas Cranmer’s theological views underwent a significant shift toward Reformed opinion.1

While in Nürnberg, Cranmer encountered the theologian Andreas Osiander. Osiander’s theological position—which occupied a middle ground between Martin Luther and traditional orthodoxy—appealed to Cranmer’s cautious nature. During this same period, Cranmer married Osiander’s niece, Margaret, despite his existing priest’s orders, marking a personal and theological departure from his previous life of celibacy.1

This mission served as a turning point in his intellectual development, accelerating his steady transition toward Protestantism, a path he had been inclined toward since his earlier involvement with a group of scholars known as "Little Germany" at Cambridge.23