When his wife and daughters died, you might have thought his loss would kill him. When Wolsey fell, you might have thought that as Wolsey’s servant he was ruined. Henry has taken a fancy to Jane Seymour and Cromwell can see the advantage of Henry taking Jane as a mistress as Edward Seymour would make a useful ally. One of those is an alliance with the Seymour family who reside at Wolf Hall. Much has worked out well for Cromwell Thomas More has been eliminated, the King is married to Anne Boleyn, the process of dissolving monasteries is underway and new opportunities are always arriving. It is 1535 and Henry VIII’s Master Secretary, Thomas Cromwell, now past middle-age, is growing rich and fat. In this second part of her Cromwell Trilogy, Hilary Mantel’s telling of Cromwell’s story is evolving too. Though, in such a fluid and dynamic environment, in England and abroad, Cromwell must balance taking his opportunities to further himself and his agenda with watching his back. Having survived the downfall of his master, Cardinal Wolsey, and effected Henry VIII’s separation from Rome, marriage to Anne Boleyn and trial of Thomas More Thomas Cromwell has risen far.
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