Joanne Paul

Thomas More: Humanism and Heresy offers a clear and engaging introduction to one of the most influential and contested figures of the English Renaissance. Situating More’s major works within the humanist movement and the debates surrounding the Lutheran ‘heresy’ and the Tudor court, Andrew Hadfield and Joanne Paul reveal how his ideas grew from – yet often strained against – the intellectual currents of his time. Through vivid contemporary illustrations and quotations, they bring fresh clarity to More's texts, from Utopia to his late polemics, while offering original insights into the character and convictions behind them. By tracing both the brilliance and tensions of More’s legacy, this book invites readers to reconsider the man who helped shape modern debates about faith, reason and political conscience.

Discover a story 400 years in the making - the definitive biography of the man who dominated England in the first half of the sixteenth century 'Engrossing' THE TIMES '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

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.

Discover a story 400 years in the making - the definitive biography of the man who dominated England in the first half of the sixteenth century'Engrossing' THE TIMES'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__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'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

The shocking and extraordinary story of the most conniving, manipulative Tudor family you've never heard of--the dashing and daring House of Dudley. 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 was once again at the center of power, and would do anything to remain there. . . . With three generations of felled favorites, 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 a murderous game for the English throne. Witness cunning, adultery, and sheer audacity from history's most brilliant, bold, and deceitful family. Welcome to the House of Dudley.

While it has often been recognised that counsel formed an essential part of the political discourse in early modern England, the precise role that it occupied in the development of political thinking has remained obscure. This comprehensive and rigorous study of early modern English political counsel establishes the importance of the relationship between political counsel and the discourse of sovereignty. Tracing the changes and evolution of writings on political counsel during the 'monarchy of counsel', from the end of the Wars of the Roses to the end of the English Civil War, Joanne Paul examines English thought in its domestic and transnational context, providing an original account of the relationship between counsel and emerging conceptions of sovereignty. Formed at the conjunction of the history of political thought and English political history, this book grounds textual analysis within the context of court politics, intellectual and patronage networks, and diplomacy.

While it has often been recognised that counsel formed an essential part of the political discourse in early modern England, the precise role that it occupied in the development of political thinking has remained obscure. This comprehensive and rigorous study of early modern English political counsel establishes the importance of the relationship between political counsel and the discourse of sovereignty. Tracing the changes and evolution of writings on political counsel during the 'monarchy of counsel', from the end of the Wars of the Roses to the end of the English Civil War, Joanne Paul examines English thought in its domestic and transnational context, providing an original account of the relationship between counsel and emerging conceptions of sovereignty. Formed at the conjunction of the history of political thought and English political history, this book grounds textual analysis within the context of court politics, intellectual and patronage networks, and diplomacy.

Thomas More remains one of the most enigmatic thinkers in history, due in large part to the enduring mysteries surrounding his best-known work, Utopia. He has been variously thought of as a reformer and a conservative, a civic humanist and a devout Christian, a proto-communist and a monarchical absolutist. His work spans contemporary disciplines from history to politics to literature, and his ideas have variously been taken up by seventeenth-century reformers and nineteenth-century communists. Through a comprehensive treatment of More's writing, from his earliest poetry to his reflections on suffering in the Tower of London, Joanne Paul engages with both the rich variety and some of the fundamental consistencies that run throughout More's works. In particular, Paul highlights More's concern with the destruction of what is held 'in common', whether it be in the commonwealth or in the body of the church. In so doing, she re-establishes More's place in the history of political thought, tracing the reception of his ideas to the present day. Paul's book serves as an essential foundation for any student encountering More's writing for the first time, as well as providing an innovative reconsideration of the place of his works in the history of ideas.

Thomas More remains one of the most enigmatic thinkers in history, due in large part to the enduring mysteries surrounding his best-known work, Utopia. He has been variously thought of as a reformer and a conservative, a civic humanist and a devout Christian, a proto-communist and a monarchical absolutist. His work spans contemporary disciplines from history to politics to literature, and his ideas have variously been taken up by seventeenth-century reformers and nineteenth-century communists. Through a comprehensive treatment of More's writing, from his earliest poetry to his reflections on suffering in the Tower of London, Joanne Paul engages with both the rich variety and some of the fundamental consistencies that run throughout More's works. In particular, Paul highlights More's concern with the destruction of what is held 'in common', whether it be in the commonwealth or in the body of the church. In so doing, she re-establishes More's place in the history of political thought, tracing the reception of his ideas to the present day. Paul's book serves as an essential foundation for any student encountering More's writing for the first time, as well as providing an innovative reconsideration of the place of his works in the history of ideas.