Books
The Cardinal: The Secret Life of Thomas Wolsey (2025)
Cardinal Thomas Wolsey enjoyed one of the most meteoric careers in history. From humble beginnings in an Ipswich inn, he rose to become Henry VIII's Lord Chancellor and cherished friend. The King relied heavily on his political acumen and remarkable ability, ignoring the jealous criticisms of the nobles, who resented Wolsey for usurping what they saw as their role as the monarch's natural advisers.
Wolsey operated on an international stage and worked hard to broker universal peace. All was going dazzlingly until Henry fell in love with Anne Boleyn - the woman whom Wolsey would one day call 'the night crow' - and sought to end his marriage to his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. Swept up in the maelstrom of 'the Divorce', Wolsey - who had successfully striven to give his master everything he wanted - found himself in an impossible situation, with his world crumbling around him.
Alison Weir's new novel tells the story of Wolsey the man, his incredible rise to power and his tragic fall. She delves beyond the splendour and political machinations of the Tudor court to reveal the secrets of Wolsey's private life and the mistress he loved devotedly, and the tragedy that overtook them. It is a tale of two women, one who loved him and one who hated him - and also a tale of two men, king and commoner, the special, deep-rooted bonds that brought them together, and the forces that drove them apart.
Step into the thrill and intrigue of Tudor England in the rich, compelling new novel from Sunday Times bestseller Alison Weir – and witness the rise and fall of Cardinal Wolsey.
It begins with Thomas, the son of a Suffolk tradesman. A brilliant boy sent to study at Oxford at the tender age of eleven.
It ends with a disgraced Cardinal, cast from the King’s side and estranged from those he loves.
In her groundbreaking new novel, Alison Weir draws out the inner man for the first time and tells his story. It is one of a scholar, a lover and a father, a rival, a politician and a priest. A man who built an empire in England while leading a secret second life, who paid the highest price for his success.
These many faces of Thomas Wolsey chart his incredible rise and tragic fall, and reveal a tale of power, passion and ambition. By turns riveting and surprising, this is Wolsey as you’ve never seen him before.
REVIEWS
"Alison’s extraordinary new novel didn’t disappoint! A compelling tale of one of Tudor England’s most powerful and fascinating men. Henry VIII’s beloved cardinal leaps from the page in all his brilliance, complexity and humanity; a man who served his king as passionately as he loved his mistress. Nobody brings historical characters to life like Alison Weir, with her instinct for illuminating period detail and dramatic storytelling. Fans of Wolf Hall have a treat in store." (DR Tracy Borman, author of Cromwell and (forthcoming) The Stolen Crown)
"Weir delivers an insightful tale of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey’s rise to power, his friendship with Henry VIII, and the ways in which both men’s lives are complicated by their love affairs... Weir capably dramatizes the cleric’s desperate quest to remain in the King’s favour. It’s an immersive tale of Tudor intrigue." (Publishers' Weekly)
"Cardinal Wolsey bursts forth in all his vivid colour and ingenuity in Alison Weir’s gripping new book; she takes us deep into the heart of Tudor England and the world of Henry VIII’s divorce. Illuminating, emotional, fascinating you right there with Wolsey until the end." (Kate Williams, author of Rival Queens and The Royal Palaces)
"I devoured it in three days on holiday - I say it every time you write a novel, but I really think this is your best yet! I felt as though Wolsey was leaping off of the page, you made him so human." (Nicola Tallis)
"Providing readers with a gloriously human account of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Alison Weir's The Cardinal is a triumph. We follow Wolsey from his humble origins in Ipswich, through his rise from Oxford scholar to become a prince of the church and Henry VIII's chief minister. Through Weir's evocative prose we are taken into Wolsey's world, with his inevitable fall as heartbreaking as his rise was exhilarating." (Elizabeth Norton)
