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Thomas More

A Life and Death in Tudor England

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Thomas More

By: Joanne Paul
Narrated by: Ben Miles
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

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

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 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.

© Joanne Paul 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

 Christianity Europe Great Britain Historical Philosophers Professionals & Academics England Middle Ages Royalty Renaissance

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Critic reviews

To show us More as other than saint or villain, [Paul's] readable biography immerses us in More's busy, messy and changing world ... engrossing
Fans of The House of Dudley – and , indeed , of Wolf Hall and A Man for All Seasons - will find much to enjoy in this immersive , richly told account of life , death , faith and politics at the early Tudor court

Wonderful, riveting, subtle. Captures beautifully the life of More and the fading world he died to preserve.
Paul skilfully conveys the stakes, achieving balance between expertise and style
Paul is brilliant at bringing the swirl of Catholic England to life: its candlelit rituals, Latin prayers and saints’ days, punctuated by tinkling royal processions (Alice Hunt)
Significant. Goes further than most in seeking the essentials of the 'historical' More. Paul is terrific at evoking the sights and spaces of early 16th-century London, along with the forms and feel of clothing and objects. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, much to admire and enjoy
THE definitive biography of one of history’s most complex and often inscrutable characters (NATHEN AMIN, author of Son of Prophesy: The Rise of Henry Tudor)
Joanne Paul has created a portrait of Thomas More that is epic, intimate and profoundly relatable to the modern reader. In Paul’s hands he is neither overly good nor bad; he just is. We are in a new age of tyrants – Thomas More shows the necessity of speaking truth to power at all costs (LEAH REDMOND CHANG, Women’s Prize longlisted historian of Young Queens)
Forget […] Hilary Mantel’s caricatures. In this excellent study, Thomas More is reborn as a complex, absorbing man
Very impressive (ALISON WEIR)
A work of proper scholarly history as well as a wonderful narrative read...Joanne Paul goes back to the words More wrote himself, to try and get at More before fame and the accusations against him took hold. I so enjoyed the result (SUSANNAH LIPSCOMB)
All stars
Most relevant
Before I listened to this book, the Thomas More I thought I knew about was based on understanding him through the lens of Henry VIII and TV dramatisation. This book gives both a fascinating and detailed factual account of his life, from birth to death (and before and afterwards for context). However, it also provides incredible insight into his personal faith and feelings which, as his life’s journey unfolds, explains the person that Sir Thomas More really was. To say he was a man of his time doesn’t belittle or limit him. The book explains his faith and limitations, seen through a modern lens. He had a brilliant mind and an approach to public duty and authority that most modern leaders and politicians could learn from. The book explains his rise and fall. Importantly, despite his dogmatic personality and utter adherence to the Catholic faith, the author illuminates the complexity of the reign of Henry VIII and how Sir Thomas More, one-time Lord Chancellor and confidant of the king, deserves a better place in popular history. That period is overshadowed by Henry VIII’s marriages whereas the book explains the start of the reformation. Sir Thomas More belonged to a time of Catholicism that was rocked by the revolution in Christian faith that Protestantism brought about. Listening to this book therefore not only provides an absorbing account of someone who sought to defend the old order, ultimately at the cost of his life, but also an explanation of the geopolitics that enabled Henry’s marriages by his manipulation of English law which witnessed the birth of the English church. The book is so much more - forgive the pun - than a biography. It’s an education.

Detailed, fascinating and well-read biography of a historically important figure.

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This is a stunning read on the life and death of Sir Thomas More. The intricate spyglass into his early life, his family especially his relationship with Margaret and William Roper. It was fascinating to hear about his friendship with both Erasmus and John Fisher. The ups and downs that they all went through. To find out that he lost his beloved wife Jane after 24 years of marriage and then within a month he had remarried!!!
It is like one of those programmes on television looking through the keyhole into his life during early Tudor times. Seeing how people dressed, the smells, the buildings, the chains, the furs, the food, the plague,the disease. & the fear of living through such a Dynasty. The insight into his thinking after he was reduced in his state, reflecting about his household budget and how they had to cut corners and pull in their belts and whether they would have to be thinking about eating with a Lincolns Inn budget, a New Hall budget or an Oxford budget for the following year. Following his whole life through, battling with his conscience and his loyalty to the crown and to God. I think for me, the realisation that he was an amazing man of his time and yet he changed very little. I find it ironic comparing the Tudor tyrant and politicians to the tyrants and world politics that we have today. This never seems to change.
I found myself being really saddened by the last couple of chapters knowing that the end was near and I felt so frustrated, angry that he had to die. Ben Miles is the perfect narrator. His voice is commanding, regal and dignified. His tone is velvety with total gravitas. He just portrays More as the man he was. A really excellent match for Dr. Paul. Thank you. Looking forward to the next book!!!

Thomas More .. the man.

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Bought this after seeing it recommended in The Times. A very interesting listen, the writer brought the world of Thomas More to life very well. The parallels between their world and our own, in terms of the men in charge, are stark. Worth a read.

Interesting and timely biography of More

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Unlike many who write about More, this book genuinely gives an insight to More the person. It doesn’t dwell on Henry VIII and the execution, but gives a sense of this complex, human, intellectual, at times insufferable and by turns incredible man

Brilliant and accessible

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I didn’t know much about Thomas More and found this an interesting book to listen to. Well read and easy to follow,

Easy to follow

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