In the Lion's Court: Power, Ambition, and Sudden Death in the Reign of Henry VIII

A compelling book which combines strong academic insights with the best elements of popular historical writing. Rather than using the familiar approach of the six wives, Wilson takes six famous Thomases of the era—Wolsey, the accused traitor; More and Cromwell, at opposite ends of the politico-religious spectrum and both beheaded; Howard, reprieved from execution by the death of Henry VIII; Wriothesley, who perished in the aftermath of a failed coup; Cranmer, burnt at the stake as a heretic—to tease out the power structures which lay tangled at the heart of the Tudor court. He's good at recreating the atmosphere of the period, though I disagree with both his assessment of More and his characterisation of Catholicism in show more pre-Reformation England, which surely can't hold up to criticism now that we have works such as Eamonn Duffy's Stripping the Altars. Interesting introduction to the period, but one which must be read critically. show less