Alison Weir: The Cardinal: The Secret Life of Thomas Wolsey

Tuesday 27 May, 2:00pm, Museum of Making DE1 3AF

AN EXTRAORDINARY RISE TO POWER. A TRAGIC FALL FROM GRACE.

Many of us will have been fascinated by the haunting figure of Cardinal Wolsey in the latest TV adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s final book in her Wolf Hall trilogy. 

Alison's latest historical novel, The Cardinal: The Secret Life of Thomas Wolsey, begins with young Tom Wolsey, the bright and brilliant son of a Suffolk tradesman, sent to study at Oxford at just eleven years old.

It ends with a disgraced cardinal, cast from the King's side and estranged from the woman he loves.

The years in between tell the story of a scholar and a lover, a father and a priest. From the court of Henry VIII, Tom builds a powerful empire of church and state. At home in London, away from prying eyes, he finds joy in a secret second life.

But when King Henry, his cherished friend, demands the ultimate sacrifice, what will Wolsey choose?

Alison Weir's riveting new Tudor novel reveals the two lives of Cardinal Wolsey, a tale of power, passion and ambition.