In this biography of Sir Thomas Gresham, Dr John Guy draws on hitherto overlooked primary sources to give a fuller picture of one of the men who made London the financial centre of the planet. He reveals a flawed, ambitious man who was constantly obsessed with his status, a canny operator, who overcharged his clients and succeeded as much through luck and blackmail as any real insight into the market, and a philanderer who left his widow saddled with his debts.
This fascinating biography takes a second look at the founder of the Royal Exchange. A man who thought he had the respect of his foremost client, Queen Elizabeth I when, in reality, she viewed him as a necessary evil.