In the Lion's Court: Power, Ambition, and Sudden Death in the Reign of Henry VIII

by Derek Wilson

The story of Henry VIII and his six wives is a well-known example of the caprice and violence that dominated that King’s reign. Now renowned historian Derek Wilson examines a set of relationships that more vividly illustrate just how dangerous life was in the court of the Tudor lion. He tells the interlocking stories of six men—all curiously enough named Thomas—whose ambitions and principles brought them face to face with violent death, as recorded in a simple ‘Died, beheaded, beheaded, Self-slaughtered, burned, survived.’

In the Lion’s Court is an illuminating examination of the careers of the six Thomases---
Thomas Wolsey, Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury and Thomas Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton---whose lives are described in parallel. Wilson traces their family and social origins, their pathways to the royal Council chamber, their occupancy of the Siege Perilous, and the tragedies that, one by one, overwhelmed them. By showing how events shaped and were shaped by relationships and personal destinies, Derek Wilson offers a fresh approach to the political narrative of a tumultuous reign.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Tudor Period, Biography, British Literature, Historical

608 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Derek Wilson has been a writer of historical fiction and non-fiction for 50 years. His much acclaimed prize-winning works have largely centred on 16th and 17th century Europe. He has used various pen names for his fiction, his current Thomas Treviot Tudor crime series being written under the name D.K. Wilson. The first 2 books in this series - The First Horseman and The Traitor's Mark are based on real unsolved Tudor mysteries and have received enthusiastic plaudits. Readers have favourably compared this innovative series with the books of C.J. Sansom and S.J. Parris.
Recent non-fiction triumphs include The Plantagenets, Holbein: Portrait of an Unknown Man, and Charlemagne: a Biography.
Derek Wilson graduated from Cambridge and spent several years travelling and teaching in Africa before becoming a full-time writer and broadcaster in 1971. He has frequently written and appeared on radio and television and is popular as a public speaker having appeared at several literary festivals,British Museum, Hampton Court Palace, The British Library and other prestigious venues.

Reviews

[Juliew. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pretty surprised by this book as I had previously read one other by this author and while I thought that one was okay I wasn't prepared for the amount of detail this one had.It was very easy to read and I loved the organization and flow of the book.I also thought it was a fascinating approach to Henry VIII's court.Instead of a study on the six wives this was a study on the six Thomas's most closely associated with Henry VIII.More,Cromwell,Howard,Wolsey,Cranmer and Wriothesley.This tells each man's rise and sometimes fall while following the time line of Henry's life and reign.It seemed mostly well researched but I very much disliked how some of the wives were portrayed as occasionally there was quite few inaccuracies.As for the Thomas's they seemed more fairly researched and dealt with.At five hundred twenty one pages perhaps a little more info than I would I have liked.

[Roman Clodia · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Read in 2010, cross-posting from Amazon)

This isn't really a book for the Tudor novice as it does assume at least some background knowledge of the period, but if you're searching for a view of Henry VIII's reign from a slightly different angle then this might suit very well. Wilson organises the book around six Thomases in a nice revision of the more usual six wives (Wolsey, More, Cromwell, Cranmer, Howard and Wriothesley) and divides the story into ten year intervals from 1499 (when Henry was eight) to 1549 (two years after Henry's death).

The allocation of space to the six Thomases is uneven: Wriothesley, for example, is given far less time than Wolsey or More, and I did wonder why Wilson bothered including him as one of the main characters. I also found Wilson's depiction of Thomas Howard as unintelligent and inefficient slightly strange.

The slightly irritating thing for me is Wilson's style: he's uncomfortably jaunty and uses a lot of modern concepts and language to interpret sixteenth century events - so things are described as a 'PR disaster', for example, at one point in the narrative.

Despite some niggles this is a dense and well-researched book, though not a scholarly one, good for anyone interested in popular history that is weightier than Weir or Fraser.

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very, very boring book. That's not to say it isn't good, because it is very good, it's just also boring, so if you don't like boring books, you probably won't like it. I don't always like boring books, but Henry VIII is pretty interesting, so I still enjoyed the book.

It's well know how Henry VIII went through and disposed of six* wives, many of whom were named Catherine, but it's less well known how he went through and disposed of advisers, many of whom were named Thomas. First, there's Thomas Wolsey, Henry's Lord Chancellor, who probably would have been executed had he not died of natural causes first (and they say it doesn't pay to be fat!) Then there's Thomas More, Lord Chancellor after Wolsey, who was executed because he didn't approve of the royal divorce. Then came Thomas Cromwell, who helped Henry get out of two marriages but them hooked him up with an ugly woman, so he had to die. And Thomas Wriothesley, who outlived Henry but them killed himself because his career was finished. And Thomas Cranmer, who outlived Henry and Edward only to be tortured and killed by Mary. And finally, my favorite, Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, who outlived everyone (including the two nieces who became Henry's two executed wives), despite apparently being kind of a loser, who constantly tried and failed to win wars and Henry's affections.

* Ok, so one died of natural causes, and he didn't get rid of the last one, but I bet he would have if he hadn't gone and died.

[Gail Jo Jansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging, wide-sweeping, and beautifully written

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 4 out of 5]

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+++++++++++++++++

As my daughter would say, "Oh my gracious sakes!"

This one took me For.Ev.Er. Probably because of my preference to place periods in the middle of words, but I digress.

I admit that I have a very love/hate relationship with Wilson when he is being misogynistic but there is no denying that he is a very serious researcher when it comes to texts. I wonder where some of these sources come from though, when the facts are blatantly wrong, but that is another issue I will address later on.

Instead of going the typical route of focusing on the six wives of Henry VIII, Wilson explores the lives, and deaths, of six of the most important men in Henry's Court - all named Thomas. Thomas More, Thomas Wolsey, Thomas Cromwell, Thomas Cranmer, Thomas Howard, and Thomas Wriothesley. Not going to lie, that last Thomas I was the least familiar with and even had to double check the spelling of his last name. Despite the many flaws of these men, it is hard not to feel sorry for them when they meet their ends - though Howard, proving his family always survives, managed to become the only of the six to die at home in his bed of natural causes. Not too shabby for a man who very nearly met his end in the Tower and was saved only by the death of Henry himself.

So, the positives first. As I already stated, it is clear that a lot of research went into the book. That is further evident by the vast numbers of direct quotes drawn from several historical documents. It got to the point where nearly a whole page might be a letter or document having to do with one of the Thomases, and that did get to be a bit much. I skimmed some of them for a while when explanation was discussed in the preceding and following paragraphs. There's only so much old English spelling I can take. I expected the text to be much more disjointed than it actually was, because weaving together not two, but six lives and careers, could not have been easy. The disjointedness came more from the tangents (such as detail on Mary and Suffolk's marriage); even those they were not the worst things that bothered me about this book.

I would have liked to have seen equal attention given to each man in their own introductions before jumping into the chaos that was the later reign of Henry VIII. More, Howard and Wolsey got pages and pages devoted to them, yet Cromwell and Cranmer got a few paragraphs each at what can only be described as the end of Wolsey's chapter - and though it has been a while since I began this book, I do not actually recall how Wriothesley figured into that section at all. But, again, this might be due simply to me forgetting, as it has been three months since I began this journey.

Despite the obvious issue of Wolsey's desire to shine so brightly and outdo everyone, perhaps even Henry, in show, I certainly do not think he was incompetent, as Wilson states. Wolsey played a dangerous game in trying to "work on" the annulment/divorce for Henry and it cost him his life because of his master's impatience, and all of Wolsey's enemies at Court. But his failing in getting the what Henry wanted had nothing to do with incompetence. It has been shown time and again prior to Henry's involvement with Anne that he was a skilled adviser and highly intelligent. For all these flaws of Wolsey's, it is a shame his end came as it did - though dying on his own accord of illness as opposed to the execution awaiting him was surely a better way to go out.

A lot of the issues I have with the book are, incidentally, things that have little to do with any of the Thomases at all. I consider myself to be somewhat knowledgeable about this time period and so when I see facts that are disputed by other historians, it gives me pause. This book was published in 2002, so there are possibly new documents and such that have come to light in the last thirteen years that could have contributed to shifts in opinion. However, that is not true in all cases and when I read things I know to not be accurate about events and people I am familiar with, it makes me wonder what inaccuracies might exist elsewhere in the text when the information is new to me - such as in the case of Wriothesley. First, there is Anne's birth date drama, which will likely never go away because we will never know for sure. Here Wilson seems to accept as fact that Anne was born in 1507, as he states that Henry had fallen in love with Anne when she was still a teenager (page 383). I think at this point we can agree that the date does not entirely make sense and there is a much stronger case for 1501 (and let's not even get started on who was born first, Anne or Mary!) The earlier birth date makes much more sense considering what we (relatively) know of her travels in Europe before coming home to England.

My next gripe comes about in regards to Jane Seymour, the 'lucky' one, you could say. Without any room for the possibility that it is not true, Wilson states (one page 404) that Jane died after having given birth to Edward via C-Section. WAIT A MINUTE. You're really trying to tell me that in the mid 1500s, this was a thing? I can safely tell you it in fact, was not. Certainly not while the mother still lived, anyway. While Church law (both Catholic and Anglican) did not allow C-Sections, they were performed when the mother had already passed away during the birth. However, seeing as how all records indicate that Jane lived nearly two weeks after Edward's birth, it is nearly impossible that she had a C-Section. She even began her recovery from birth, before weakening and dying - most likely from puerperal (childbed) fever. Then on the same page recounting Jane's death, Wilson states that, "Henry was so distressed at Jane's passing that he was already looking for another bride." That is completely contradictory of itself. Henry would not go on to marry Anne of Cleves for another three years. Whether he started looking for a wife immediately or not, Henry considered Jane to be his true love. I personally believe this is only because she gave him what no other wife did - a son. And I also believe that had she lived, Henry would likely have found some reason to grow tired of her as well. He may have believed she was his true love, but I don't think anyone else does.

This is a very detailed, very heavily researched book. It is also dry and at times incredibly boring. That does not mean it is not good, but it is certainly not for the faint of heart. If you have no knowledge of the Tudors, this is the absolute last book on earth you should pick up to start you education. However, for anyone who has knowledge of the life and times of one of the most turbulent periods in England's history, then by all means have at it.

"The drama of the six Thomases is a tragedy of men who were destroyed not simply by a king who was a capricious monster. They were tossed to and fro by the violent gusts of social, political and religious change" (page 521).

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book that examines the reign of Henry VIII from the perspective of "six Thomases" (Wolsey, More, Cromwell, Cranmer, Wriothesley, and Howard), rather than the more standard "six wives" approach. I was fairly familiar with 5 of the 6 (Wriothesley was the exception) but primarily checked this out of the library for a biography of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, who apparently is not awesome enough to merit a standalone bio that I was able to find. Wilson even comes up with a cutesy couplet (to mirror the famous one about Henry's wives) to describe them:

Died, beheaded, beheaded,
Self-slaughtered , burned, survived.

It has a tendency to gloss important things (like the fall of Anne Boleyn, and also that of Cromwell) on the assumption that most people are familiar with those events already, and I can give it a pass on that subject because it's an accurate assumption with regard to me...but I suspect that Cromwell's fall particularly is not as well-known as the author seems to think. The book really hit its stride once it hit into the 1530s discussing the english reformation and the varied reactions of the Thomases to it, which were intriguing in where they had contradictions and similarities.

The character analyses of both Cranmer and Cromwell were first-rate; those for More, and to a lesser extent that of Wolsey, less so. I was impressed with what he managed to do with the other two, particularly Wriothesley, given the paucity of historical information about them.

The major drag down on this was from the extensive quotation of primary source material. While I agree that a certain amount is necessary to understand the personalities, the author had trouble pruning in some cases, giving us many-paragraphs-long quotations in 16th-century english...which while the same language, is in such a different (and highly ornate) style that it's difficult to follow at times.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Henry VIII's reign is most often told through his wives and that most famous of rhymes - 'Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived' - but Derek Wilson takes a different approach in this scholarly and enlightening book. He hangs his tale on a different sextet - his Six Thomases: Thomas Wolsey, Thomas Cranmer, Thomas More, Thomas Howard, Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Wriothesley. All of them attained the very heights of power and ambition under Henry VIII; all ran afoul of him in some way; and some, like his wives, ended up on the block.

Looking at Henry VIII through his Thomases rather than his wives gives a far different aspect to his reign - the traditional personality-driven history gives way to a truly fascinating look at the tangle of politics, religious reform, ambition, intrigue, faction and betrayal that so characterised the Tudor period. One could argue after reading this book that many of the Thomases were undone not so much by Henry VIII but by those jostling for the position as his right-hand man and second power in the realm. Whether Henry would have despatched them anyway, without others succinctly reading his mood and manufacturing or uncovering proof of treachery and incompetence, is a question history will never be able to answer.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - Derek Wilson has a real knack for narrative that manages to clarify and simplify a truly complicated era in English history. He is a little overly fond of colourful metaphors - "as soon as the downpour of cold realism began the colours soon streamed from the sagging bunting of Christian fraternity" was a particular favourite! But that's a small quibble that only occasionally dislodged me from an otherwise firm enjoyment of this book.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not an introductory-level book to the Tudor court. Derek Wilson assumes the reader already knows most of the characters and events as he takes a deep dive into motivations and the actions that took place behind the scenes which then lead to the major events of the day, and how people such as Cromwell, Wolsey and Norfolk were on a knife’s edge the entire time, with varying degrees of successes and failures.

[Brandi Moore-Declue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This history book engaged me to the very end and read like a novel. Loved it!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Tudors" on Shotime (I think) introduced me to the family, but it was this book, bought on sale at the British Museum, that gave me my obsession with the Tudors and Henry VIII in particular.

[Mystic Miraflores · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a history major in college, the Tudor period has always been one of my favorite subjects. However, I was disappointed in this book because it was overly long with minutiae, padding and meandering passages. It could have been shortened and tightened quite a bit. I was determined to finish this book however, so to entertain myself, I tried to find comparisons to the court of Henry VIII and the current West Wing of the White House. I tried comparing Henry VIII to the current President of the US. Then I thought, why not take it further and try to find similar characters from the two time periods too?

Wives: 1) First wife: Ivana was loyal and faithful like Catherine of Aragon. However, when she got old and her husband began an affair with a younger woman, she was thrown over.
2) Second wife: Marla Maples like Anne Boleyn also produced a daughter, but had a longer marriage (6 years) than Anne Boleyn (3 years). However, Anne was involved with Henry VIII for many years before their actual marriage, so maybe it amounts to roughly about the same length of time.
3) Third wife: Melania also produced a son as Jane Seymour did, but thanks to advances in medicine, she didn't die in childbirth as poor Jane did.

Descriptions of Henry VIII which sound similar to those of the current US President:
1) Henry had "insecure, suspicious moods." (Location 10165 Kindle Version)
2) Henry "became the most capricious tyrant ever to occupy the English throne." (Location 356 Kindle version)
3) "Henry's reputation at home and abroad already combined elements of the vicious and the absurd." (Location 8652 Kindle Version)

Description's of Henry VIII's court which sound similar to the West Wing:
"The royal entourage was a vicious, squirming world of competing ambitions and petty feuds, guilty secrets and salacious scandal-mongering, illicit relationships and hypocritical prudery". (Location 8028 Kindle version)

Henry VIII's officials vs today's officials:
1) Thomas Wolsey - Reince Preibus
2) Thomas More - James Comey
3) Charles Brandon - Jason Kushner
4) Thomas Cromwell - Steve Bannon
5) Elizabeth Barton - Sally Yates
6) Various executed officials from Howard, Boleyn, Seymour and other noble families: Anthony Scaramucci, Sean Spicer, Michael Flynn, Walter Shaub, Mike Dubke, Angella Reid, Katie Walsh, etc.

As George Santayana said: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." A man born to wealth and privilege will not empathize with the plight of the common man. He will only think of himself and his own needs. Unfortunately voters forgot or were not even aware of the example of Henry VIII and Americans are now living in a time of turmoil, as the English did under the capricious Tudor king.

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not for the faint of heart! An exhaustive exploration of the politics of Henry VIII and how they shaped and were shaped by his ministers and servants, I would only recommend attempting this book if you're already fairly well versed in Tudor history. There's so much going on that sometimes it's hard to keep track, which is both a bug and a feature. There is a fair amount of jumping back and forth in time that makes it easy to lose the actual sequence of events, but the feel of each Thomas truly comes across. For the first time, I feel like I might actually be able to tell them all apart in the next Tudor book I read!

[Stephen Allanson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to enjoy this book.

Unfortunately it was tedious and unmemorable.

An exciting time in history rendered boring by a seeming desire to get the whole of the authors knowledge of the time into the book, regardless of direct relevance.

One second you're reading about the marriage of Henry's sister in France - then you've leaped forward 8 years, back 5 years, gone off into a detailed aside about someone else and never actually got back to the task in hand.

In my opinion the book would have been better if it had been half the size and stuck to the tale of the Thomas's- preferably with some sort of chronological order.

[Carl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this - the depth is astonishing. A genuine intellectual challenge.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. The story of Henry VIII but seen from the perspective of his 6 ministers.

[Karen Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many of you are reading or watching "Wolf Hall." I can't prove that Hilary Mantel read this one, but this is the essential history book to understand the characters in Mantel's work. The book is about the six most important courtiers in Henry VIII's court, all of whom were named Thomas. Thomas Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell were commoners who rose far about their origins; Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk was uncle to both of Henry's executed wives, Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard. (He comes off the worst of the six). Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury after the break with Rome and later burned at the stake by Bloody Mary, is portrayed as a gentle and serious churchman. Wilson shows Thomas More as a harsh religious nut, frustrated because his father made him marry and become a lawyer instead of the monk he wanted to be. Cranmer appears much more appealing. The final Thomas, and the one Wilson likes the least, is also the least well-known, Thomas Wrioseley, nicknamed by Mantel as "Call Me Risley." Wilson posits that Wrioseley killed himself over being disgraced at court during Edward VI's reign, which, since suicide was a crime and could have resulted in the impoverishment and disgrace of his family is interesting.

Henry is not the focus of this book and doesn't appear all that often. That Wilson can write a book about Henry's court without spending too much time on the monarch himself is actually quite impressive. It's an excellent and easy read, but also informative and scholarly. I highly recommend.

[Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

Should have been written in bullet points. It was so dry I couldn't finish it. I, who can plod through the ploddiest of all histories, couldn't plod through this. Made it about 1/3rd of the way through and gave up as a birthday present to myself. Probably the 3rd book I've ever left unfinished in my adult life.

Sorry, Mr. Wilson. I'm sure it was well researched, but it was not presented well at all.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now, I don't know if Wilson pushed a bit to get his six Thomases (to match Henry's six wives that have been the focus of so much attention), or how central a couple of them were to the story. But he does show well that what happened during the reign encompasses a lot more than six marriages. The six Thomases were: Thomas Howard, Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Thomas Cranmer, Thomas Wyatt and Thomas Wriothesley. He also demonstrates how dangerous it could be to be in the lion's court.

[Geo Forman · Rating 1 out of 5]

very tedious and filled with detail. it did provide information and insight into court of Henry VIII, which is what I was after so not a total waste. I'm sure it be more enjoyed by someone already familiar with Henry

[Mark Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling reading

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very ambitious undertaking. Included many of the figures of Henry's Court. Thorough coverage and exacting.

[Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brings a depth to the historical account. Excellent.

[Julia Hendon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dense but well researched study of the dangers of political success in Henry VIII's service.