Wolsey: The Life of King Henry VIII's Cardinal

By John Matusiak

Cardinal Wolsey is a controversial figure: a butcher’s son, a man of letters and the Church, a divisive political expert, a man of principle – yet, to some, an arrogant upstart. As Lord Chancellor to the incorrigible Henry VIII he achieved much both at home and abroad, but his failure to achieve the mighty monarch’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon saw him brought to his knees. John Matusiak explores the pragmatic cardinal’s life and career to uncover a man of contradictions and extremes whose meteoric rise was marked by an equally inexorable descent into desperation, as he attempted in vain to satisfy the tempestuous master whose ambition ultimately broke him. Far from being another familiar portrait of an overweight and overweening spider or cautionary tale of pride preceding a fall, this is the gripping story of how consummate talent, noble intentions and an eagle eye for the main chance can contrive with the vagaries of power politics to raise an individual to unheard of heights before finally consuming him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The History Press
• Release date: Sep 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9780750957762

Reviews for Wolsey

[djjazzyd-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a good easy to read summary of a self made man who is perhaps remembered for the wrong reasons. The story of Thomas Wolsey has an air or inevitability about it in terms of his fall given the king that he served, but it is amazing what an Ipswich lad was able to achieve through wits and sheer hard work. Cardinal, archbishop, bishop and abbott all at the same time. You are left feeling a little sorry for a man who allowed himself to get a little too big for his boots only to fall like several other great statesmen of the time. No Government Minister served Henry VIII more faithfully and above all other things than Cardinal Wolsey. The biblical exhortation "Put not your trust in men and prince's" could have been written just for this Ipswich working class man who rose so high above all but the King who then betrayed him. This is an impartial account that sees both the greatness and the folly of this pivotal figure. Written in a very engaging style, making it as much of a page-turner as any good novel. I really got a sense of the man, his personality and the times that he lived in.