In The Lion's Court

Derek Wilson examines a set of relationships which illustrate just how dangerous life was in the court of the Tudor lion. He tells the interlocking stories of six men - all, curiously, called Thomas - whose ambitions and principles brought them face to face with violent death. Thomas Wolsey was an accused traitor on his way to the block when a kinder death intervened. Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell, whose convictions and policies could scarcely have been more different, both perished beneath the headman's axe. Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, would have met the same end had the king's own death not brought him an eleventh-hour reprieve. Thomas Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton, and Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, though outliving the monarch, perished as a result of that war of ambitions and ideologies which rumbled on after 1547. Wriothesley succumbed to poison of either body or mind in the aftermath of a failed coup. Cranmer went to the stake as a heretic at the insistence of Mary Tudor, who was very much the daughter of the father she hated. In the Lion's Court is an illuminating examination of the careers of the six Thomases, whose lives are described in parallel - their family and social origins, their pathways to the royal Council chamber, their occupancy of the siege perilous, and the tragedies which, 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.

Vorwort
A gripping narrative of daily intrigue and power politics at the court of Henry VIII.

Autorentext

Derek Wilson

Zusammenfassung
Features 120 bite-size ideas for things to do and places to visit in London in under an hour. Organised around the range of activities London has to offer, with chapters to help you find original and diverting suggestions for things to do, as well as a few places to eat and drink. Including how to squeeze in some culture or some exercise; find the best places to buy a birthday present or go for a quick pampering; discover outdoor spaces or quiet hideaways to escape the chaos; avoid the typical al desco lunch; make the most of your mornings; and turn a spare hour in-between a meeting or at a train station into an hour well spent. Will also include top ten lists for those really pushed for time and comprehensive indices by location and activity type to help you find what you need, quickly. Whether you re a visitor, on a family day out or a busy working Londoner, London in an Hour will transform your experience of the city.