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Cardinal Wolsey: For King and Country
The Wolseys of Suffolk date to Anglo-Saxon times. The earliest notice of a Wolsey as inhabitant of Ipswich is Thomas Wolsey’s father, Robert. He was a successful small businessman and married a Joan Daundy. Thomas was probably born in 1471 in an Inn and was almost certainly baptized in St Mary at the Elms church, Ipswich.
Wolsey graduated from university and then his climb to power was extremely fast. He entered the Royal Household as the chaplain to King Henry VII. When King Henry VIII ascended to the throne Wolsey became his Almoner, which gave him access to the King’s Council. Henry was very impressed with Wolsey’s work. Thomas gained many important clerical positions. In 1515 Wolsey became Lord Chancellor of England. Thomas Wolsey’s most famous peace treaty was signed between Henry VIII and Francis I of France at the glorious Field of Cloth of Gold in 1520.
Henry had not produced a male heir. A woman called Anne Boleyn came on the scene. Henry began to think that she could mother him a son. The king asked Wolsey to seek a divorce from his first wife. He tried his utmost, as always, but the Pope kept delaying the matter. Wolsey failed and fell out of favor with Henry. He was charged with treason and escorted to the Tower of London. On his way, Thomas became very frail and sadly, on 29th November 1530 he died at Leicester Abbey.
Wolsey graduated from university and then his climb to power was extremely fast. He entered the Royal Household as the chaplain to King Henry VII. When King Henry VIII ascended to the throne Wolsey became his Almoner, which gave him access to the King’s Council. Henry was very impressed with Wolsey’s work. Thomas gained many important clerical positions. In 1515 Wolsey became Lord Chancellor of England. Thomas Wolsey’s most famous peace treaty was signed between Henry VIII and Francis I of France at the glorious Field of Cloth of Gold in 1520.
Henry had not produced a male heir. A woman called Anne Boleyn came on the scene. Henry began to think that she could mother him a son. The king asked Wolsey to seek a divorce from his first wife. He tried his utmost, as always, but the Pope kept delaying the matter. Wolsey failed and fell out of favor with Henry. He was charged with treason and escorted to the Tower of London. On his way, Thomas became very frail and sadly, on 29th November 1530 he died at Leicester Abbey.
166 pages, Hardcover
First published September 16, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 20, 2022
When we think about those who rose through the ranks to achieve significant titles in the Tudor Court, we instantly think about Thomas Cromwell. However, we should also consider his mentor as one of these great men, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. The son of Robert Wolsey, an Ispwich businessman, and his wife, Joan Daundy, who worked hard and ended up being the right-hand man of the young King Henry VIII. The man behind Hampton Court helped start the Great Matter and The Field of Cloth of Gold, Wolsey had numerous achievements. Who was the man behind these significant Tudor moments? This is the question Phil Roberts tries to address in his book, “Cardinal Wolsey: For King and Country.”
Thank you, Pen and Sword Books and Netgalley, for sending me a copy of this book. When I heard about this title, it was intriguing to me. I had not read many biographies about Thomas Wolsey, so I was excited to read this book.
Roberts begins by showing how Wolsey has been portrayed in other books and media such as films and TV dramas. He then dives into the complex task of tracking the Wolsey family from the Norman Conquest to the Wars of the Roses, which did feel a tad rushed. I wish he had included some family trees so that his readers could follow along with the different branches of the family.
Wosley had a personal life outside of his public persona with his illegitimate children, his loyal friends, and the enemies he made along the way, including Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Roberts spends a lot of time looking at the different aspects of Wolsey’s life, like his policies, the schools he built in Ispwich, and his own homes. Finally, Roberts explores how Wolsey fell from the good graces of King Henry VIII and the last days filled with anguish as he slowly died from an illness.
Although Roberts presented interesting facts about Thomas Wolsey, I think the structure of his book was a bit all over the place. In the beginning, he spent a lot of time looking into the history of Ispwich and its schools and church, including a lengthy segment about a missing statue, before getting into Wolsey’s life story. I found this information fascinating, but I don’t know if it was important enough to spend that much time on it. These facts would have been more appropriate in a book about Ispwich. Another thing that threw me off was that Roberts did not write this biography in chronological order of the events until the end of this book.
Overall, I thought this book had enlightening factoids about Thomas Wolsey, but it needed some tweaking to make it a brilliant biography. This is a book for someone who knows the general facts about the Cardinal but wants to learn more about this man. If this sounds like you, I recommend you read “Cardinal Wolsey: For King and Country” by Phil Roberts.
Thank you, Pen and Sword Books and Netgalley, for sending me a copy of this book. When I heard about this title, it was intriguing to me. I had not read many biographies about Thomas Wolsey, so I was excited to read this book.
Roberts begins by showing how Wolsey has been portrayed in other books and media such as films and TV dramas. He then dives into the complex task of tracking the Wolsey family from the Norman Conquest to the Wars of the Roses, which did feel a tad rushed. I wish he had included some family trees so that his readers could follow along with the different branches of the family.
Wosley had a personal life outside of his public persona with his illegitimate children, his loyal friends, and the enemies he made along the way, including Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Roberts spends a lot of time looking at the different aspects of Wolsey’s life, like his policies, the schools he built in Ispwich, and his own homes. Finally, Roberts explores how Wolsey fell from the good graces of King Henry VIII and the last days filled with anguish as he slowly died from an illness.
Although Roberts presented interesting facts about Thomas Wolsey, I think the structure of his book was a bit all over the place. In the beginning, he spent a lot of time looking into the history of Ispwich and its schools and church, including a lengthy segment about a missing statue, before getting into Wolsey’s life story. I found this information fascinating, but I don’t know if it was important enough to spend that much time on it. These facts would have been more appropriate in a book about Ispwich. Another thing that threw me off was that Roberts did not write this biography in chronological order of the events until the end of this book.
Overall, I thought this book had enlightening factoids about Thomas Wolsey, but it needed some tweaking to make it a brilliant biography. This is a book for someone who knows the general facts about the Cardinal but wants to learn more about this man. If this sounds like you, I recommend you read “Cardinal Wolsey: For King and Country” by Phil Roberts.
October 9, 2023
Before Thomas Cromwell, there was his mentor, Thomas Wolsey. From humble beginnings in Ipswich, Wolsey served King Henry VII before transferring his loyalty and devoted friendship to his son, King Henry VIII. It didn't take long for Wolsey to earn the trust and respect of the young king as he leapt to a meteoric rise in favour, eventually becoming Lord Chancellor of England.
Wolsey masterminded the treaty between Henry VIII and Francis I hosted at the magnificent Field of Cloth of Gold in 1520 before becoming embroiled in the king's "Great Matter". His downfall was to underestimate the strong-willed personalities of the leading female figures around him. Catherine of Aragon refused to the annulment Henry VIII so desperately desired, while Anne Boleyn rejected anything less than marriage to the king. In the end, as the king's man Wolsey lived and as the king's man he died when he was turned upon tragically following his many years of service.
Phil Roberts is extremely sympathetic to the plight of Cardinal Wolsey, which provides for a balanced reflection of the Lord Chancellor's life.
The location of Ipswich is of clear importance to the author and they are greatly enthusiastic in sharing a concentrated history of the birthplace of Wolsey. Details such as the Cardinal's many acts of patronage certainly helped in placing the man within the historical context of his world, but I did find that certain passages were overdrawn and perhaps diverted needlessly to the topic at hand.
Despite this being a short book, it takes Roberts a considerable amount of time to focus on Wolsey. The strongest areas, in my opinion, were the discussion on Wolsey and Henry VIII's relationship. The complex balance between trust, loyalty and friendship that these two men had was riveting to read about and I could have studied it for hours!
As it is, I feel that perhaps it would have been excellent as two short books - one on the history of Ipswich, and the other on Thomas Wolsey himself. Roberts is an excellent writer and researcher.
Thank you to @penswordbooks for the copy!
Wolsey masterminded the treaty between Henry VIII and Francis I hosted at the magnificent Field of Cloth of Gold in 1520 before becoming embroiled in the king's "Great Matter". His downfall was to underestimate the strong-willed personalities of the leading female figures around him. Catherine of Aragon refused to the annulment Henry VIII so desperately desired, while Anne Boleyn rejected anything less than marriage to the king. In the end, as the king's man Wolsey lived and as the king's man he died when he was turned upon tragically following his many years of service.
Phil Roberts is extremely sympathetic to the plight of Cardinal Wolsey, which provides for a balanced reflection of the Lord Chancellor's life.
The location of Ipswich is of clear importance to the author and they are greatly enthusiastic in sharing a concentrated history of the birthplace of Wolsey. Details such as the Cardinal's many acts of patronage certainly helped in placing the man within the historical context of his world, but I did find that certain passages were overdrawn and perhaps diverted needlessly to the topic at hand.
Despite this being a short book, it takes Roberts a considerable amount of time to focus on Wolsey. The strongest areas, in my opinion, were the discussion on Wolsey and Henry VIII's relationship. The complex balance between trust, loyalty and friendship that these two men had was riveting to read about and I could have studied it for hours!
As it is, I feel that perhaps it would have been excellent as two short books - one on the history of Ipswich, and the other on Thomas Wolsey himself. Roberts is an excellent writer and researcher.
Thank you to @penswordbooks for the copy!
August 15, 2022
272 pages
3 stars
I agree with another reviewer who stated that Mr. Roberts spent far too much time actually getting to speaking about Thomas Cardinal Wolsey. We were enlightened on the development of Ipswich and the history of the Wulcy (Wolsey) family. (Yawn) And the development of colleges.
When Cardinal Wolsey enters the picture he is attending King Henry VII. I was somewhat disappointed that the author didn’t spend more time discussing Wolsey’s relationship with Henry VII. Jumping along to Henry VIII, we get a much more colorful and detailed history of what Wolsey did for Henry.
Henry was at first more interested in sport and music, so didn’t bother much with politics and governance of the realm. Wolsey grew to become hated by the nobility for the power he held as Lord Chancellor and his closeness to Henry VIII. Wolsey worked very hard for the king.
But Henry had no son to succeed him. He became obsessed with this “Great Matter.” His wife. Katherine of Aragon was now too old to bear more children. Henry wanted a younger, newer model. He set his sights on Anne Boleyn.
Henry told Wolsey to procure an annulment or divorce from Katherine. Try as he might (for some seven years!) Wolsey simply couldn’t succeed. I believe this might have been the first time Wolsey failed the king. Henry turned against him and he was charged with treason. Sadly, or fortunately, he died on his way to the Tower of London.
I want to thank NetGalley and Pen & Sword/Pen & Sword History for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.
3 stars
I agree with another reviewer who stated that Mr. Roberts spent far too much time actually getting to speaking about Thomas Cardinal Wolsey. We were enlightened on the development of Ipswich and the history of the Wulcy (Wolsey) family. (Yawn) And the development of colleges.
When Cardinal Wolsey enters the picture he is attending King Henry VII. I was somewhat disappointed that the author didn’t spend more time discussing Wolsey’s relationship with Henry VII. Jumping along to Henry VIII, we get a much more colorful and detailed history of what Wolsey did for Henry.
Henry was at first more interested in sport and music, so didn’t bother much with politics and governance of the realm. Wolsey grew to become hated by the nobility for the power he held as Lord Chancellor and his closeness to Henry VIII. Wolsey worked very hard for the king.
But Henry had no son to succeed him. He became obsessed with this “Great Matter.” His wife. Katherine of Aragon was now too old to bear more children. Henry wanted a younger, newer model. He set his sights on Anne Boleyn.
Henry told Wolsey to procure an annulment or divorce from Katherine. Try as he might (for some seven years!) Wolsey simply couldn’t succeed. I believe this might have been the first time Wolsey failed the king. Henry turned against him and he was charged with treason. Sadly, or fortunately, he died on his way to the Tower of London.
I want to thank NetGalley and Pen & Sword/Pen & Sword History for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.
August 26, 2022
Cardinal Wolsey is supposed to have remarked that if he had served God as diligently as he had done the king, he would not have given him over in his grey hairs. Indeed, he did serve King Henry VIII diligently, rising to the top as Lord Chancellor, and undertaking an enormous amount of work for him. Henry and the Cardinal were a good match in personalities, and they arguably understood each other. Wolsey tried to do what Henry wanted, and mostly did, even in the case of The Great Matter, but eventually he fell from grace for failing to achieve Henry's aim of marrying Anne Boleyn legally. He organised the Cloth of Gold, intending to make peace in Europe, and he advised Henry on politics, and was a prime mover in making treaties.
But Cardinal Wolsey shouldn't just be remembered for this, although he was England's 'greatest church statesman', according to the author. His greatest legacy is Christ Church college at Oxford, and he arguably founded the Ipswich Grammar School. He was also a great patron of the arts and architecture, leaving us the magnificent Hampton Court.
Phil Roberts certainly gets rid of many myths about the Cardinal (although unfortunately I can't help seeing Sam Neil's fantastic portrayal of the Cardinal in my mind) and restores his reputation.Some of my ancestors also came from Suffolk, so I like the fact that the great man came from that county.
It was an interesting and enjoyable book, although extremely detailed in parts.
I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
EDITION Hardcover
ISBN 9781399089029
PRICE £25.00 (GBP)
But Cardinal Wolsey shouldn't just be remembered for this, although he was England's 'greatest church statesman', according to the author. His greatest legacy is Christ Church college at Oxford, and he arguably founded the Ipswich Grammar School. He was also a great patron of the arts and architecture, leaving us the magnificent Hampton Court.
Phil Roberts certainly gets rid of many myths about the Cardinal (although unfortunately I can't help seeing Sam Neil's fantastic portrayal of the Cardinal in my mind) and restores his reputation.Some of my ancestors also came from Suffolk, so I like the fact that the great man came from that county.
It was an interesting and enjoyable book, although extremely detailed in parts.
I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
EDITION Hardcover
ISBN 9781399089029
PRICE £25.00 (GBP)
September 21, 2022
The Tudor era in English history is one that has spawned thousands of books over the years. A large majority focus on Henry VIII and his six wives, as well as on his second daughter Elizabeth I. But there are others that focus on Thomas Cromwell, and in the case of Phil Roberts, on Cardinal Thomas Wolsey.
Wolsey is often remembered as the man who failed to get a divorce for Henry VIII. But this book makes it clear that he cannot be defined by that one issue. Roberts presents a man who used his intellect to propel himself forward, catching the eye of the right people to aid his ascent. As Lord Chancellor ( what we would now call the prime minister), Wolsey more than adequately served Henry VIII. He handled foreign policy, domestic policy, and always knew how best to display the majesty of king and country. This is evidenced by the high point of his career: the Field of the Cloth of Gold. (A whole chapter is devoted to this event.) Roberts' goal was to present a more balanced view of Wolsey, and in this, I believe he was successful. I came away from this with a better understanding of Wolsey the man. The only drawback to this book is the chapter spent on a shrine in Wolsey's hometown of Ipswich. I don't think it warranted an entire chapter, but maybe for someone living there, it would be interesting. Regardless, this book is a worthy addition to the vast ouvre of Tudor era books.
Thanks to NetGalley, Phil Roberts, and Pen & Sword for this advanced copy, which I voluntarily read and reviewed.
Wolsey is often remembered as the man who failed to get a divorce for Henry VIII. But this book makes it clear that he cannot be defined by that one issue. Roberts presents a man who used his intellect to propel himself forward, catching the eye of the right people to aid his ascent. As Lord Chancellor ( what we would now call the prime minister), Wolsey more than adequately served Henry VIII. He handled foreign policy, domestic policy, and always knew how best to display the majesty of king and country. This is evidenced by the high point of his career: the Field of the Cloth of Gold. (A whole chapter is devoted to this event.) Roberts' goal was to present a more balanced view of Wolsey, and in this, I believe he was successful. I came away from this with a better understanding of Wolsey the man. The only drawback to this book is the chapter spent on a shrine in Wolsey's hometown of Ipswich. I don't think it warranted an entire chapter, but maybe for someone living there, it would be interesting. Regardless, this book is a worthy addition to the vast ouvre of Tudor era books.
Thanks to NetGalley, Phil Roberts, and Pen & Sword for this advanced copy, which I voluntarily read and reviewed.
August 12, 2022
Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy.
Roberts takes a long time to actually get to the life of Thomas Wolsey - first talking about how far back in the record all the other Wolseys can be traced, and then a deep dive into the architectural history of the religious and educational buildings of Ipswich. Its not the most engrossing reading.
Finally, we get to Wolsey, but the author interrupts himself too often with comments of "as I talked about in the previous chapter" or "as i will talk about more in a later chapter", which was jarring.
Overall, it was just OK, but doesn't really convey the larger-than-life-ness of Wolsey.
September 18, 2022
Everything about this book is sub par. The blurb alone should never have gotten past an editor (No really, read the blurb: "A woman called Anne Boleyn came on the scene" has to be the silliest line I've ever read)
But the lofty claim that this is going to be the first positive interpretation is just outlandish.
Peter Gwyn's biography for example is balanced and positive and a darn sight better than this. While the author clearly has passion for Wolsey (and Ipswich) this whole book was off the mark, disorganised, surface level and and disappointing. Plenty of far superior books on Wolsey.
But the lofty claim that this is going to be the first positive interpretation is just outlandish.
Peter Gwyn's biography for example is balanced and positive and a darn sight better than this. While the author clearly has passion for Wolsey (and Ipswich) this whole book was off the mark, disorganised, surface level and and disappointing. Plenty of far superior books on Wolsey.
April 27, 2023
BOOK REVIEW ⭐️
When this book arrived I was surprised at how slim it was (my fault I didn’t look at the specs when I bought it). There is no way to thoroughly cover a character and life as large and prominent as Wolsey’s in a book of this size. And this book does not. I appreciate the bits that were shared herein, and the author’s enthusiasm, but I am now in search of a more comprehensive study.
#bibliophile #book #bookish #booklover #books #books2023 #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #booktok #bookworm #homelibrary #instabook #instabooks #reader #readers #reading #readingroom #readersofinstagram #bookreview
2023 Reviewed 📚 21
When this book arrived I was surprised at how slim it was (my fault I didn’t look at the specs when I bought it). There is no way to thoroughly cover a character and life as large and prominent as Wolsey’s in a book of this size. And this book does not. I appreciate the bits that were shared herein, and the author’s enthusiasm, but I am now in search of a more comprehensive study.
#bibliophile #book #bookish #booklover #books #books2023 #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #booktok #bookworm #homelibrary #instabook #instabooks #reader #readers #reading #readingroom #readersofinstagram #bookreview
2023 Reviewed 📚 21
August 28, 2022
Very interesting! Not only does it provide the history of the man, but also the history of the surrounding times and people. It gave a much needed new perspective of the "why things happened" and "why they didn't".
I received a downloaded copy of the book in return for my honest opinion. I was not required to give positive feedback. This opinion is my own. Thanks to the Netgalley.com website, I quite enjoyed this new information.
I received a downloaded copy of the book in return for my honest opinion. I was not required to give positive feedback. This opinion is my own. Thanks to the Netgalley.com website, I quite enjoyed this new information.
August 27, 2022
I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. Very interesting read! I absolutely love the Tudor period and I found this book fascinating. Highly recommend for all Tudor fans out there!
September 4, 2024
It was nice to see more positive side to the Cardinal and I learned some new interesting information from this book but felt that some paragraphs were repeats of each other.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews