The first ever complete chronicle of the Cromwells, the family that changed England forever.Cromwell, one of the most infamous family names in British history, is a name neither forgotten nor forgiven. The Cromwells came from nothing and fell back to nothing, but not before they had walked with the most powerful people in England, changing everything as architects of the early modern world, with two of their number standing out on the branches of the family tree: Thomas and Oliver.Thomas Cromwell, chief minister to King Henry VIII, has enjoyed a recent reputational renaissance thanks to the bestselling novels of Hilary Mantel. Oliver Cromwell, executioner of Charles I, has slipped further into monstrous caricature with little factual knowledge of his life to support the claims. Thomas overstretched himself to the point that his dynastic ambitions contributed to his downfall. Oliver inherited the family and took it with him on his extraordinary journey from fenland farmhouse to royal palace, dying a king in all but name, his eldest son groomed to succeed but doomed to fail in another dynastic overreach. With the spotlight on these two, almost nothing has been written about the other members, origins, outlook, or legacy of the wider Cromwell family.

For the first time, Miranda Malins explores the astonishing fact that all of these individuals and many more came from the same family. However final the fall of their house may appear, readers will discover that the House of Cromwell story is not a simple one but a much more complex and interesting tale of astonishing success and lasting impact encompassing changes brought by the Reformation, the Tudor revolution in government', the creation of modern England, and the transformation of the country into a global Britain. Miranda Malins takes readers on a thrilling journey through two centuries of history, from the Wars of the Roses to the ascension of the Hanoverians, letting light into the enduring mystery of royalty and one family who rose from obscurity to change England forever.