The Cardinal
On sale
22nd May 2025
Price: £25
Step into the thrill and intrigue of Tudor England in the rich, compelling new novel from Sunday Times bestseller Alison Weir.
‘Alison Weir makes history come alive as no one else’ BARBARA ERSKINE
AN EXTRAORDINARY RISE TO POWER. A TRAGIC FALL FROM GRACE.
It 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.
PRAISE FOR ALISON WEIR’S TUDOR FICTION
‘Alison Weir gives us her most compelling heroine yet… This is where the story of the Tudors begins’ TRACY BORMAN
‘History has the best stories and they should all be told like this’ CONN IGGULDEN
‘As always, Alison Weir is ahead of the curve – and at the top of her game’ SARAH GRISTWOOD
‘Weir is excellent on the little details that bring a world to life’ GUARDIAN
‘Profoundly moving… lingers long after the last page’ ELIZABETH FREMANTLE
‘Alison Weir makes history come alive as no one else’ BARBARA ERSKINE
AN EXTRAORDINARY RISE TO POWER. A TRAGIC FALL FROM GRACE.
It 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.
PRAISE FOR ALISON WEIR’S TUDOR FICTION
‘Alison Weir gives us her most compelling heroine yet… This is where the story of the Tudors begins’ TRACY BORMAN
‘History has the best stories and they should all be told like this’ CONN IGGULDEN
‘As always, Alison Weir is ahead of the curve – and at the top of her game’ SARAH GRISTWOOD
‘Weir is excellent on the little details that bring a world to life’ GUARDIAN
‘Profoundly moving… lingers long after the last page’ ELIZABETH FREMANTLE
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Reviews
Wolsey leaps from the page in all his brilliance, complexity and humanity . . . Nobody brings historical characters to life like Alison Weir
Illuminating, emotional, fascinating you right there with Wolsey until the end
Through Weir's evocative prose we are taken into Wolsey's world, with his inevitable fall as heartbreaking as his rise was exhilarating
In this pacy narrative, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey becomes more than just a historical figure - his personality and the twists and turns of his rise and fall leap from every page
Vibrant and informative . . . The Cardinal at last turns the spotlight on the great figure lurking behind the Cromwell of Wolf Hall