Listen free for 30 days

  • Thomas Cromwell

  • A Revolutionary Life
  • Written by: Diarmaid MacCulloch
  • Narrated by: David Rintoul
  • Length: 26 hrs and 38 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (10 ratings)

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Thomas Cromwell cover art

Thomas Cromwell

Written by: Diarmaid MacCulloch
Narrated by: David Rintoul
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $56.33

Buy Now for $56.33

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

The long-awaited biography of the genius who masterminded Henry VIII's bloody revolution in the English government, which reveals at last Cromwell's role in the downfall of Anne Boleyn.

"This a book that - and it's not often you can say this - we have been awaiting for 400 years." (Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall

Since the 16th century we have been fascinated by Henry VIII and the man who stood beside him, guiding him, enriching him, and enduring the king's insatiable appetites and violent outbursts until Henry ordered his beheading in July 1540. After a decade of sleuthing in the royal archives, Diarmaid MacCulloch has emerged with a tantalizing new understanding of Henry's mercurial chief minister, the inscrutable and utterly compelling Thomas Cromwell.

History has not been kind to the son of a Putney brewer who became the architect of England's split with Rome. Where past biographies portrayed him as a scheming operator with blood on his hands, Hilary Mantel reimagined him as a far more sympathetic figure buffered by the whims of his master. So which was he - the villain of history or the victim of her creation? MacCulloch sifted through letters and court records for answers and found Cromwell's fingerprints on some of the most transformative decisions of Henry's turbulent reign. But he also found Cromwell the man, an administrative genius, rescuing him from myth and slander. 

The real Cromwell was a deeply loving father who took his biggest risks to secure the future of his son, Gregory. He was also a man of faith and a quiet revolutionary. In the end, he could not appease or control the man whose humors were so violent and unpredictable. But he made his mark on England, setting her on the path to religious awakening and indelibly transforming the system of government of the English-speaking world.

©2018 Diarmaid MacCulloch (P)2018 Penguin Audio

What the critics say

"This a book that - and it's not often you can say this - we have been awaiting for four hundred years." (Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall)

What listeners say about Thomas Cromwell

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Overwhelming Info

Well researched, but I feel like I was drowning in information. That made the book hard to follow at times.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

In-depth and informative

Finally, an in-depth non-bias look at both the person and career of Thomas Cromwell as well as the many characters that make up his story. You cannot talk Henry VIII without understanding the work of this wonderful enigma of a man who made him the richest and most remembered king to ever rule England. Well researched, well written, and great performance by David Rintoul. Thank you for this most important of work.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not for the faint of heart

huge amount of minutiae that doesn't really add to Cromwell"s life. also glosses over a lot of massive events when you'd think they would get way more attention (Anne Boleyn's fall and Cromwell's fall both seem rushed).

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book

I really enjoyed this book, it made the man that I thought was a monster into a real person and the great number of facts and dates were amazing. I would recommend this book to any history buff.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!