I have read a lot of books about the Tudor era, but it is great to find a biography about one of the most central figures in the Tudor story everyone over looks.

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!

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)

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.

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.

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.

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. All thoughts and opinions are my own.