The author presents ten compact studies of principal Tudor-era statesmen, examining careers, political ideas, administrative measures, and public actions rather than offering a comprehensive political history. Each chapter seeks to reconstruct its subject’s point of view to illuminate character, using episodes of finance, diplomacy, legal reform, religious policy, and court intrigue as evidence. The portraits trace rises from modest origins, the formulation and execution of policy, conflicts with sovereign authority, and the causes of fall or survival. Recurring themes include shifts in the centre of political power, the interaction of church and state, and the perilous nature of high office in an age of executions and exile.