Was Thomas Cromwell more saint or sinner? In some ways that simple question is the one that’s driven our cover feature this issue. Cromwell has become a little more prominent in public discourse thanks to the work of Hilary Mantel and her excellent novel series Wolf Hall. She has painted a more sympathetic portrait of Cromwell than history has tended to offer, so we wanted to pick through the facts. Was he a crook or perhaps a patsy, taking the blame for the shifting whims of his petulant king? We hope to offer you some insight.
© Thomas Cromwell presenting Henry VIII with the first English translation of the Bible
You can also look forward to digging deeper into some important World War stories this issue. First, we go beyond the trenches of the Western Front of WWI to look at the important forgotten fronts of the conflict with help from the National Army Museum in London. Then we delve into the shadow games of the Soviet Union and its team of spy hunters sent to weed out foreign agents in WWII. It’s a fascinating tale and one that inspired Ian Fleming’s James Bond stories, as you’ll find out.