The Thomas Cromwell of Wolf Hall: Fiction vs. Reality
Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy transformed Thomas Cromwell into a literary sensation, offering a complex, humanized portrayal of a man often vilified by history. In Mantel’s hands, Cromwell emerges as a pragmatic survivor, a loving family man, and a brilliant political operator. But how does this fictionalized version compare to the historical Cromwell? Let’s delve into the contrasts and overlaps between the Cromwell of Wolf Hall and the man who served Henry VIII.