Henry's Shadow

John Morton, Cardinal, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Chancellor bestrode the Wars of the Roses. A significant supporter of Henry IV, then a diplomat and senior judge for Edward IV, he was a fierce opponent of and spymaster against Richard III, and promoter of Henry VII and the Tudor dynasty. Yet he is little known and his life and achievements rarely celebrated. This new biography of his life, and the times he endured and helped shape, covers the political and military themes of the fifteenth century. It also looks at Mortons family life and upbringing, his university days, prominence as a practicing lawyer, and his innovations in engineering, building, finance and administration. Resolute and respected, in his later years he became probably the most hated man in England.