What did Thomas Cranmer believe about transubstantiation?

Thomas Cranmer, the first Protestant archbishop of Canterbury, ultimately rejected the doctrine of transubstantiation, which holds that the bread and wine in the Eucharist are transformed into the actual body and blood of Christ.12

While Cranmer’s theological views evolved over time—moving away from a vague Lutheranism held around 1547—his definitive stance was made clear at the end of his life. Under pressure from the government of Queen Mary I, Cranmer had signed several recantations of his religious beliefs. However, moments before his execution in 1556, he publicly disavowed those forced statements and emphatically reasserted that transubstantiation was untrue. This final act of defiance restored his dignity and served as a significant moment for the Reformation in England.32