Statesman And Saint: Cardinal Wolsey, Sir Thomas More, And The Politics Of Henry Viii
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Very good
Pages: Good
Markings: No markings
A richly detailed work of historical biography and Tudor political history, Statesman and Saint: Cardinal Wolsey, Sir Thomas More, and the Politics of Henry VIII presents a dual portrait of two of the most towering figures of the English Renaissance, examining how power, faith, and royal ambition collided in one of history's most turbulent courts. Jasper Ridley chronicles the parallel rises and dramatic falls of Cardinal Wolsey, the butcher's son who became the most powerful man in England, and Sir Thomas More, the humanist scholar who chose martyrdom over compromise, illuminating the impossible choices faced by men of conscience under an absolute monarch. Written with scholarly rigor yet accessible prose, the narrative uncovers the brutal realities beneath the pageantry of Henry VIII's reign, arguing that both men were ultimately destroyed by the same insatiable royal will they had each served so faithfully. Ridley draws on a wealth of primary sources to illustrate how the politics of the Henrician court were defined not by ideology but by survival, flattery, and the ever-shifting favor of a king who tolerated no rivals to his authority. The result is a compelling and authoritative account that reframes two iconic historical figures not as opposites, but as tragic mirrors of the same impossible age.
Author: Jasper Ridley
Format: Hardback
Published: 1983, The Viking Press
Genre: British & Irish history
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Very good
Pages: Good
Markings: No markings
A richly detailed work of historical biography and Tudor political history, Statesman and Saint: Cardinal Wolsey, Sir Thomas More, and the Politics of Henry VIII presents a dual portrait of two of the most towering figures of the English Renaissance, examining how power, faith, and royal ambition collided in one of history's most turbulent courts. Jasper Ridley chronicles the parallel rises and dramatic falls of Cardinal Wolsey, the butcher's son who became the most powerful man in England, and Sir Thomas More, the humanist scholar who chose martyrdom over compromise, illuminating the impossible choices faced by men of conscience under an absolute monarch. Written with scholarly rigor yet accessible prose, the narrative uncovers the brutal realities beneath the pageantry of Henry VIII's reign, arguing that both men were ultimately destroyed by the same insatiable royal will they had each served so faithfully. Ridley draws on a wealth of primary sources to illustrate how the politics of the Henrician court were defined not by ideology but by survival, flattery, and the ever-shifting favor of a king who tolerated no rivals to his authority. The result is a compelling and authoritative account that reframes two iconic historical figures not as opposites, but as tragic mirrors of the same impossible age.