What role did Thomas Cranmer play in the debates at Oxford and Cambridge about Henry VIII’s marriage?

Thomas Cranmer’s role regarding the debates at Oxford and Cambridge concerning Henry VIII’s marriage was primarily that of an author and intellectual architect rather than a direct participant in the debates themselves.

After being commissioned by the king to study the "divorce" controversy, Cranmer wrote a propaganda treatise that defended Henry VIII’s desire to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. He supported this position using arguments derived from Scripture, the Church Fathers, and the decrees of general councils.1

While Cranmer was tasked with defending the arguments of this treatise before the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, the debates ultimately took place in his absence. By the time these proceedings occurred, Cranmer had been sent abroad as a member of an embassy to Rome to plead the king's cause before a higher tribunal.1