Thomas Cromwell by Tracy Borman

Thomas Cromwell by Tracy Borman

Thomas Cromwell has long been reviled as a Machiavellian schemer who stopped at nothing in his quest for power. As King Henry VI's right-hand man, Cromwell was the architect of the English Reformation; secured Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon and plotted the downfall of his second wife, Anne Boleyn; and was fatally accused of trying to usurp the king himself. But in this engrossing new biography, acclaimed British historian Tracy Borman reveals a different side to one of history's most notorious characters: that of a caring husband and father, a fiercely loyal servant and friend, and a revolutionary who was key in transforming medieval England into a modern state.

Born in the mid-1480s to a lowly blacksmith, Cromwell left home at eighteen to make his fortune abroad. He served as a mercenary in the French army, worked for a powerful merchant banker in Florence at the height of the Italian Renaissance, and became a promising young cloth merchant in the Netherlands, then the mercantile capital of the world. But Cromwell decided to return to England and there built a flourishing legal practice. It wasn't long before Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who was the Archbishop of York and the King's closest confidant, took note of Cromwell's immense intelligence, resourcefulness, and wit, turning him into his protege. When Wolsey was put under arrest for overstepping his bounds, Cromwell both protected his mentor and supplanted him. And he accomplished what Wolsey never could: Henry's divorce from his first wife Catherine of Aragon and a revolution in Britain's religious life.

As Henry's top aide, Cromwell was at the heart of the most momentous event of his time--from funding the translation and dissemination of the first vernacular Bible to legitimizing Anne Boleyn as queen--and wielded immense power over both church and state. The impact of his seismic political, religious, and social reforms can still be felt today. Grounded in excellent primary source research, Thomas Cromwell gives an inside look at a monarchy that has captured the Western imagination for centuries and tells the story of a controversial and enigmatic man who forever changed the shape of his country.

Tracy Borman is England's joint Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces and Chief Executive of the Heritage Education Trust. She studied and taught history at the University of Hull and was awarded a PhD in 1997. She is the author of a number of highly acclaimed books including The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britain's Greatest Dynasty, Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, Matilda: Wife of the Conqueror, First Queen of England, Elizabeth's Women: The Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen and Witches: A Tale of Sorcery, Scandal and Seduction. Borman is also a regular broadcaster and public speaker, giving talks on her books across the UK and abroad.

SKU	Nicht verfügbar
ISBN 13	9780802123176
ISBN 10	0802123171
Titel	Thomas Cromwell
Autor	Tracy Borman
Buchzustand	Nicht verfügbar
Bindungsart	Hardback
Verlag	Black Cat
Erscheinungsjahr	2014-12-02
Seitenanzahl	464
Hinweis auf dem Einband	Die Abbildung des Buches dient nur Illustrationszwecken, die tatsächliche Bindung, das Cover und die Auflage können sich davon unterscheiden.
Hinweis	Nicht verfügbar