Thomas Cromwell was a self-made lawyer who served first Cardinal Wolsey and then Henry VIII. His time with Wolsey served him well in his work for the king after the cardinal’s fall from power in 1529. Cromwell’s time in office from 1530 until his execution in 1540 was one of the most crucial periods in English history.

This biography explores Cromwell’s relationship with Henry VIII and why it failed. It also shows how he manipulated the politics of the court that eventually destroyed him. The rise and fall of the Boleyns, the dominance of the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk, and the executions of Thomas More and John Fisher are all here. Eventually he overreached himself in his patronage of evangelical preachers and in arranging Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne of Cleves, which played a crucial part in his fall and death in July 1540.

• HILARY

  MANTEL endorsement 'Fresh, fair, lucid and a pleasure to read’ will appear on

  front cover.

• Thomas

  Cromwell is the central character in Hilary Mantel's bestselling WOLF HALL

  trilogy which has generated huge interest in the real Cromwell.

• Author

  is a renowned expert on the Tudors: HILARY MANTEL, no less, acknowledges her

  debt to the work of Professor Loades in her bestselling books; ALISON WEIR is

  also a big fan, describing him as 'One of the best Tudor historians writing

  today'.

• 6-hour

  BBC costume drama of WOLF HALL & BRING UP THE BODIES is currently being

  filmed to air in 2015 and the Royal Shakespeare Company’s adaptation for stage

  opened to rave reviews and has just moved to the West End, further fuelling

  interest in the subject.

• Reviews

  in history magazines, & paperback review sections of the national weeklies,

  national daily and Sunday newspapers, to include: The Daily Mail and The Sunday

  Times, THES, and BBC History Magazine.