Thomas Cromwell

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A SUNDAY TIMES, THE TIMES, DAILY TELEGRAPH, SPECTATOR, FINANCIAL TIMES, GUARDIAN, BBC HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR. 'This is the biography we have been awaiting for 400 years' - Hilary Mantel. 'A masterpiece' - Dan Jones, Sunday Times. Thomas Cromwell, born in obscurity in Putney, emerged as a pivotal figure in English history. Initially a fixer for Cardinal Wolsey in the 1520s, he rose to prominence after Wolsey's fall, eventually running the country for Henry VIII by the late 1530s. This decade marked a significant turning point, characterized by a break with the Pope, unprecedented parliamentary actions, and the dissolution of monasteries, with Cromwell at the center of these changes. Diarmaid MacCulloch's biography offers the most comprehensive and convincing account of this complex figure, showcasing exceptional historical detective work that uncovers connections previously overlooked. It challenges established views, such as the notion that Cromwell was merely a secular politician lacking religious conviction, or that he and Anne Boleyn shared common sympathies—he ultimately played a role in her downfall. MacCulloch vividly portrays the personalities of this tumultuous period, all navigating the unpredictable nature of Henry VIII. He reveals Cromwell as a self-made 'ruffian'—ruthless yet determined in his religious reforms—who significantly influenced the course of modern England and Ireland, for better or worse.