"Wolf Hall" by Hilary Mantel

Wolf Hall is the first part of Hilary Mantel’s remarkable trilogy of historical novels exploring the turbulent life and times of Thomas Cromwell, chief minister to King Henry VIII. Mantel spent five years researching the Tudor period to produce this emotive, wise and mesmerising tale that won the Booker Prize in 2009.

A FIGHT HE CAN WIN

The book opens in the year 1500 with young Thomas Cromwell being beaten by his drunken father. It then jumps forward twenty-seven years to find Cromwell working as a lawyer for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. The cardinal is under pressure to arrange a divorce for Henry VIII from his Spanish queen, Catherine of Aragon. Cromwell, a skilled negotiator, is expected to assist. 

“What is good for Thomas Cromwell is good for Thomas Wolsey — and vice versa. His legal practice is thriving, and he is able to lend money at interest, and arrange bigger loans, on the international market. […] He has a sideline in arbitration, commercial disputes mostly, as his ability to assess the facts of a case and give a swift impartial decision is trusted in Calais and in Antwerp. […] These are good days for him: every day a fight he can win.”

“Lo que es bueno para Thomas Cromwell es bueno para Thomas Wolsey, y viceversa. Su actividad como abogado es próspera, y puede prestar dinero a interés, y negociar préstamos mayores en el mercado internacional. […] Tiene también una actividad secundaria de arbitraje, principalmente en pleitos comerciales, pues su habilidad para valorar los hechos del caso y emitir una resolución rápida e imparcial se estima aquí, en Calais y en Amberes. […] Estos son días buenos para él: cada uno, una lucha que puede ganar”.

ENTICED 

Unfortunately, Wolsey cannot win. The Pope, head of the Catholic Church, refuses to allow Henry VIII his divorce. Wolsey loses the trust of the King, and with it, his position and property. Cromwell uses the law to find a solution for the King, but causes conflict with the Church. When he visits the Queen, she accuses Cromwell of influencing the King.

“‘Until now Master Cromwell’s talent was for moneylending, but now he finds he has a talent for legislation too – if you want a new law, just ask him […] And when the morning comes you induce the King to describe himself as head of the Church in England’ […]

‘You say ‘induce’, he tells Catherine. ‘But Your Highness, above anyone, knows that the King cannot be led.’

‘But he may be enticed.’”

“—Para lo que hasta ahora tenía talento el señor Cromwell era para prestar dinero, pero ha descubierto que también lo tiene para hacer leyes: si necesitas una ley nueva, no hay más que pedírsela” […] —Y cuando llega la mañana, inducís al rey a considerarse cabeza de la Iglesia de Inglaterra […]

—Decís «inducir» —responde a Catalina—. Pero Su Alteza sabe mejor que nadie que al rey no se le puede dirigir.

—Pero se le puede seducir”.

VALUED

The Boleyn family was influential during Tudor times. Henry VIII had an affair with Mary Boleyn before turning his attention to her sister, Anne. Desperate for a male heir, the King plans to divorce Catherine and marry Anne. Cromwell meets with Anne, who is already pregnant with the King’s child.

“’Are you happy?’ he asks her.

‘Yes.’ She drops her eyes, and her small hands rest on her ribcage. ‘Yes, because of this. You see,’ she says slowly, ‘I was always desired. But now I am valued. And that is a different thing, I find.’”

“—¿Sois feliz? —le pregunta él.

  —Sí. —Ella baja la vista, se lleva las manos diminutas a la caja torácica y añade lentamente—. Sí, por esto, ya sabéis. Siempre he sido deseada. Pero ahora soy apreciada. Y es distinto, me parece.”

NOT A BOY

Cromwell proves his value to Henry VIII, and his strength as a strategist during the break with the Pope and the Catholic Church, known as the English Reformation. Cromwell needs all of his skills when he and Archbishop Cranmer attend the King as he learns that Anne has given birth — but not to a boy.

“The king drops into a chair. The urge arises to put a hand on his shoulder, as one does for any inconsolable being. He resists it; simply folds his fingers, protectively, into the fist which holds the King’s heart. ‘One day we will make a great marriage for her.’

‘Poor scrap. Her own mother will wish her away.’

‘Your Majesty is young enough,’ Cranmer says. ‘The Queen is strong and her family are fertile. You can get another child soon. And perhaps God intends some peculiar blessing by this princess.’”

“El rey se deja caer en una silla. Él siente el impulso de ponerle la mano en el hombro, como se haría con alguien desconsolado. Lo reprime, se limita a apretar el puño que sostiene el corazón del rey.

  —Algún día le prepararemos un gran matrimonio.

  —Pobrecilla. Hasta su madre querrá deshacerse de ella.

  —Su Majestad es bastante joven —dice Cranmer—. La reina es fuerte y su familia es fértil. Podéis tener otro hijo pronto. Y tal vez Dios se proponga una bendición especial con esta princesa.”

MINDSET

Wolf Hall is a work of fiction but Hilary Mantel refused to sacrifice historical accuracy in her search for a story. Instead, she focuses on the political and religious turmoil of the Tudor period as experienced by those who lived it — complete with their beliefs, mindset and morality. Wolf Hall and Mantel’s following book Bring Up the Bodies were adapted into a six-part series in 2015, with a miniseries based on the third book The Mirror and the Light, set for imminent release.