In this thrilling novel of friendship and betrayal at the royal court, the New York Times bestselling author of the Six Tudor Queens series explores the rise of Thomas Wolsey, who was Henry VIII's chief advisor—until the king accused him of treason.Cardinal Thomas Wolsey’s rise from humble beginnings coincided with King Henry VIII's ascension to the throne in 1509, when the king appointed him to his Privy Council and soon began to rely on his intelligence, industriousness, and political acumen. Although as a priest he was expected to remain celibate, Wolsey fathered two children with a woman he loved. But appearances mattered to this ambitious man, and so he left her. Their son and daughter had to be adopted into other families. By 1515 Wolsey, now a cardinal, had become the controlling figure in all matters of church and state, in spite of the jealous criticisms of the nobles, who resented him for usurping what they saw as their role as the king’s natural advisors. These were dangerous enemies to have.Then Henry fell in love with Anne Boleyn—the woman whom Wolsey dubbed “the night crow.” As the king sought to end his marriage with his first wife, Katherine of Aragon, Henry lost faith in Wolsey when he failed to convince the Pope to annul the union. Having become in effect the most powerful man in England, Wolsey was suddenly out of favor, his world crumbling around him. He was accused of treason, arrested, and stripped of his position and properties. Told from Wolsey’s point of view, The Cardinal is the story of his incredible rise to power and rapid fall. A tragic figure, Wolsey paid a high price for his success, and his power proved to be a castle built on sand. He sacrificed his love, his family, and his very life to a king who abandoned him.