In 1500, the teenage Thomas Cromwell runs away from home to flee his abusive father, and seeks his fortune in France as a soldier.
By 1527 the well-travelled Cromwell … See more

Born to a working-class family of no position or name, Cromwell rose to become the right-hand man of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, adviser to the King. He survived Wolsey's fall from grace to … See more

Mantel said she spent five years researching and writing the book, trying to match her fiction to the historical record. To avoid … See more

Wolf Hall includes a large cast of fictionalised historical persons. In addition to those already mentioned, prominent characters include:
• Stephen Gardiner, Master Secretary to King Henry
• Princess Mary, the daughter and … See more

The title comes from the name of the Seymour family seat at Wolfhall or Wulfhall in Wiltshire; the title's allusion to the old Latin saying Homo homini lupus ("Man is wolf to man") serves as a constant reminder of the dangerously opportunistic nature of the world … See more

Critical reception
The book received generally positive reviews from critics. According to Bookmarks, the book received, based on American and … See more

• Winner – 2009 Booker Prize. James Naughtie, the chairman of the Booker Prize judges, said the decision to give Wolf Hall the award was "based on the sheer bigness of the … See more