Thomas More

A Life

Joanne Paul

The definitive biography of the man who dominated political and intellectual circles in England during the sixteenth century: Thomas More.

Born into the era of the Wars of the Roses, educated during the European Renaissance, rising to become Chancellor of England, and ultimately destroyed by Henry VIII, Thomas More was one of the most famous—and notorious—figures in English history.

Was he a saintly scholar, the visionary author of Utopia, and an inspiration for statesmen and intellectuals even today? Or was he the cruel zealot famously portrayed in Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall? Thomas More: A Life is a monumental biography of this hypnotic, flawed figure. Overturning prior interpretations of this titan of the sixteenth century, Joanne Paul shows Thomas More to have been intellectually and politically central to the making of modern Europe.

Based on new archival discoveries and drawing on more than a decade of research into More’s life and work, this is a richly told story of faith and politics that illuminates a man who, more than four hundred years after his execution, remains one of the most brilliant minds of the Renaissance.

Joanne Paul is Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Sussex. A BBC/AHRC New Generation Thinker, her research focuses on the intellectual and cultural history of the Renaissance and Early Modern periods. She has written for the Cambridge University Press 'Ideas in Context' series and has been widely praised for her work on Thomas More, William Shakespeare, Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes. The House of Dudley is her first book. She lives in Sussex.

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Endorsements & Reviews

“To show us More as other than saint or villain, her new, hugely readable biography immerses us in More’s busy, messy, and changing world. Paul is brilliant at bringing the swirl of Catholic England to life. Paul’s engrossing biography more than shows More and his world are compelling, strange, and dark.” The Times (London)

“Joanne Paul has created a portrait of Thomas More that is epic, intimate and profoundly relatable to the modern reader. In Paul’s hands he is neither overly good nor bad; he just is. We are in a new age of tyrants—Thomas More shows the necessity of speaking truth to power at all costs.” Leah Redmond Chang, Women’s Prize longlisted historian of Young Queens

"THE definitive biography of one of history’s most complex and often inscrutable characters.” Nathen Amin, author of Son of Prophesy: The Rise of Henry Tudor

"A work of proper scholarly history as well as a wonderful narrative read. More is so often seen as either a saint, i.e. ‘The Man For All Seasons’ or the misogynistic bigot we see in Wolf Hall. In this superb biography, Joanne Paul goes back to the words More wrote himself, to try and get at More before fame and the accusations against him took hold. I so enjoyed the result.” Susannah Lipscomb, author of A Journey Through Tudor England

"Very impressive.” Alison Weir, New York Times bestselling author

“An exceptionally well-researched biography, situating its subject in his rightful place at the heart of the turmoil of the early sixteenth century. Rather than simply a statesman-turned-victim of Henry VIII, Paul gives us a movingly human picture of a family man, scholar, politician and, ultimately, political martyr. As compelling as a novel, the story of More's rise and fall is vividly told.” Elizabeth Norton, author of The Hidden Lives of Tudor Woman

Praise for The House of Dudley:

“Visceral and illuminating. Paul has produced a painstakingly detailed first book with spirit and verve. Her style is cinematic.” The Wall Street Journal

“An enthralling read told with great verve and an eye for the telling detail.” The Literary Review

“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.” The Sunday Times (London)

“Breathes new life into an old and familiar Tudor story. It's delightful, a joy to read.” The Times (London)