Complex sentence: That role traditionally fell to the Archbishop of Canterbury, however the incumbent Reginald Pole had died of influenza on 17 November, only 12 hours after the death of Queen Mary, and in the uncertainty of the new regime, a successor had yet to be appointed.
Split into simpler sentences: That role traditionally fell to the Archbishop of Canterbury; however the incumbent Reginald Pole had died on 17 November, only 12 hours after the death of Queen Mary. In the uncertainty of the new regime, a successor had yet to be appointed.