'In this excellent study, Thomas More is reborn as a complex, absorbing man' DAILY TELEGRAPH

'[A] immersive, richly told account of life, death, faith and politics at the early Tudor court' SPECTATOR

'THE definitive biography of one of history's most complex and often inscrutable characters' NATHEN AMIN

'Significant. Terrific. Meticulously researched. Beautifully written' LITERARY REVIEW

Born into the English Wars of the Roses, educated in the European Renaissance, enthralled by the Age of Exploration and ultimately destroyed by Henry VIII, Thomas More is one of the most famous – or notorious – figures in English history.

Is he a saintly scholar, the visionary author of Utopia and an inspiration for statesmen, socialists and intellectuals even today?

Or is he the stubborn zealot famously portrayed in Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall?

Thomas More: A Life and Death in Tudor England is the definitive biography of this hypnotic, flawed figure. Overturning many received interpretations of the sixteenth century, Joanne Paul shows Thomas More to have been an intellectual and political giant of his age, central to the making of modern Europe.

Based on new archival discoveries and drawing on more than a decade's research into More's life and work, this is a richly-told story of family, faith and politics, and a compelling portrait of a man who, more than four hundred years after his death, remains the most brilliant mind of the Renaissance.
__

MORE PRAISE FOR THOMAS MORE

'Paul has created a portrait of Thomas More that is epic, intimate and profoundly relatable to the modern reader' LEAH REDMOND CHANG, Women's Prize longlisted historian of Young Queens

'Very impressive' ALISON WEIR

'Wonderful, riveting, subtle. Captures beautifully the life of More and the fading world he died to preserve' WALL STREET JOURNAL

'A proper scholarly history as well as a wonderful narrative read' SUSANNAH LIPSCOMB

'Paul gives us a movingly human picture of a family man, scholar, politician and, ultimately, political martyr' ELIZABETH NORTON

Born into the English Wars of the Roses, educated in the European Renaissance, enthralled by the Age of Exploration and ultimately destroyed by Henry VIII, Thomas More is one of the most famous – or notorious – figures in English history.

Is he a saintly scholar, the visionary author of Utopia and an inspiration for statesmen, socialists and intellectuals even today?

Or is he the stubborn zealot famously portrayed in Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall?

Thomas More: A Life and Death in Tudor England is the definitive biography of this hypnotic, flawed figure. Overturning many received interpretations of the sixteenth century, Joanne Paul shows Thomas More to have been an intellectual and political giant of his age, central to the making of modern Europe.

Based on new archival discoveries and drawing on more than a decade’s research into More’s life and work, this is a richly-told story of family, faith and politics, and a compelling portrait of a man who, more than four hundred years after his death, remains the most brilliant mind of the Renaissance.
__

‘A tour-de-force of Tudor history. Remarkable’ DAN JONES
‘Exciting and immersive. An immensely entertaining history’ SUNDAY TIMES
‘This is riveting stuff: death, desire, power and scandal’ SPECTATOR
‘A twist on the Tudors . . . Enormously entertaining – a sheer joy to read’ THE TIMES
________

Was the House of Dudley out to steal the throne?

This was the question on the mind of Elizabeth I’s courtiers when a forbidden book accused generations of the Dudley family of poisonings, plottings, murders, treason, incitement and other ‘evil stratagems.’

For decades, the Dudleys had been close to the throne, rising from nobodies to the land’s highest offices.

Under Henrys VII and VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and, finally, Elizabeth, they risked execution and imprisonment as they audaciously stole, murdered and swindled in the name of the monarch.

But were they loyally protecting the crown, or did they secretly covet it for themselves?
________

A BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022 ACCORDING TO THE TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES, DAILY TELEGRAPH AND HISTORY TODAY

‘A pacy narrative, vividly written, makes you want to read on and on. Joanne Paul is a major new talent in the field’ ALISON WEIR

‘Breathes new life into an old and familiar Tudor story . . . It’s delightful, a joy to read’ THE TIMES, ‘BOOK OF THE WEEK’

‘A thrilling and deeply researched study of power and conspiracy: the rise and fall of the other Tudor dynasty. The House of Dudley illuminates the fascinating men and women who almost became kings and queens in their own right’ SIMON SEBAG-MONTEFIORE

‘Rich and compelling. Conjures up the look and feel of Tudor life . . . You will find yourself drawn in, fascinated, and richly informed’ TELEGRAPH

‘Vivid, innovative and authoritative. I could not recommend The House of Dudley more highly. It’s a real lesson in how to revitalise the writing of Tudor history’ SARAH GRISTWOOD

‘A full-blooded affair, as good on the horrors of war as it is on the soft power of the Dudley women, and written in a lively, episodic style that presents each Dudley as a foil to the monarch they served’ JESSIE CHILDS

‘An enthralling read told by Paul with great verve and an eye for the telling detail’ LITERARY REVIEW

‘The crowning jewel in its genre . . . I can’t recommend this book enough. Unputdownable’ LINDSEY FITZHARRIS

‘When reading Joanne Paul’s lively history of the house of Dudley, it is impossible not to be reminded of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy’ MAIL ON SUNDAY

‘Exciting and immersive. An immensely entertaining history, capturing in full Tudor brilliance the cut-throat glamour of the English throne and the most audacious family to play its game’ SUNDAY TIMES

‘Breathes new life into an old and familiar Tudor story . . . It’s delightful, a joy to read’ THE TIMES, ‘BOOK OF THE WEEK’

‘This is riveting stuff: death, desire, power and scandal. Game of Thrones looks tame compared with the real-life machinations of the Dudleys’ SPECTATOR

A TIMES ‘BOOK OF 2022’ AND BOOK OF THE WEEK
________

Each Tudor monarch made their name with a Dudley by their side – or by crushing one beneath their feet . . .

The Dudleys thrived at the court of Henry VII, but were sacrificed to the popularity of Henry VIII. Rising to prominence in the reign of Edward VI, the Dudleys lost it all by advancing Jane Grey to the throne over Mary I.

That was until the reign of Elizabeth I, when the family were once again at the centre of power, and would do anything to remain there . . .

With three generations of felled favourites, what was it that caused this family to keep rising so high and falling so low?

Here, for the first time, is the story of England’s Borgias, a noble house competing in the murderous game of musical chairs around the English throne. Witness cunning, adultery and sheer audacity from history’s most brilliant, bold and skulduggerous family.

Welcome to the House of Dudley.
________

FEATURED IN HISTORY TODAY

‘Rich and compelling. Conjures up the look and feel of Tudor life . . . You will find yourself drawn in, fascinated, and richly informed’ TELEGRAPH

‘A full-blooded affair, as good on the horrors of war as it is on the soft power of the Dudley women, and written in a lively, episodic style that presents each Dudley as a foil to the monarch they served’ JESSIE CHILDS

‘An enthralling read told by Paul with great verve and an eye for the telling detail’ LITERARY REVIEW

‘The crowning jewel in its genre . . . I can’t recommend this book enough. Unputdownable’ LINDSEY FITZHARRIS

‘When reading Joanne Paul’s lively history of the house of Dudley, it is impossible not to be reminded of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy’ MAIL ON SUNDAY