Thomas Cromwell is the leading character in Hilary Mantel's bestselling Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. But who was the real Thomas Cromwell? Henry VIII's right hand man, he presided over some of the most famous events in our history. From Henry's controversial divorce from Catherine of Aragon and marriage to Anne Boleyn, and Anne's subsequent execution, to England's split with the Roman Catholic Church, the dissolution of the monasteries and the English Reformation, Cromwell's influence was far reaching. Although for years he has been reviled as a Machiavellian schemer who stopped at nothing in his quest for power, he was also a loving husband, father and guardian, and a loyal and devoted servant to both Cardinal Wolsey and Henry VIII. In this definitive biography, Joint Chief Curator of Royal Palaces Tracy Borman sheds new light on the period, and examines the life, loves and legacy of the man who changed the shape of England forever.
