Wolsey’s humble origins as a butcher’s son in Ipswich ensured that he owed everything to royal advancement. Wolsey grew powerful despite his humble background But who was Henry VIII? Man or monster, statesman or tyrant? Watch Now 4. He would go on to transform his realm over almost four decades on the throne. On Midsummer's Day in 1509 a 17 year old was crowned king of England. This, some historians have speculated, may have incited Anne’s hatred of the cardinal and her desire to eventually see him destroyed. Wolsey, realising that his master King Henry had taken a liking to Anne (possibly using her as a mistress in the same way he had seduced her sister Mary) put a stop to the romance, dispatching Percy away from court to separate the couple. Their affair took place against the background of Queen Catherine’s household where Percy, who was a page to Cardinal Wolsey at court, would make visits to the Queen’s chamber in order to see Anne. Anne Boleyn allegedly hated Wolsey for separating her from her first loveĪs a young girl, Anne Boleyn had become involved in a romantic relationship with a young man, Henry Lord Percy, Earl of Northumberland and heir to great estates. He also prosecuted Henry’s close friend William Compton as well as the king’s ex-mistress, Anne Stafford.Ĭonversely, Wolsey’s shrewd nature saw him influencing King Henry not to execute Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, after he secretly married Henry’s sister Mary Tudor, as Wolsey feared repercussions to his own life and status. Not only would he go to great lengths to neutralise other courtiers’ influence, but he masterminded the fall of prominent people such as Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham. Wolsey possessed a Machiavellian streak motivated by self-preservation. Wolsey responded to threats to his power by vanquishing his enemies Image Credit: George Cavendish via Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain 2. But he was also an outstanding administrator, and such talent, combined with his all-consuming ambition, had helped him to run England successfully for almost twenty years until his downfall in 1529.Ī depiction of Wolsey from a 1905 book entitled, The Life and Death of Cardinal Wolsey. Physically he was a short, corpulent man of earthy humour, known for his arrogance, vanity and his greed. But his highest position was as Lord Chancellor and the king’s chief advisor which enriched his status and wealth. Wolsey, who first became King Henry VIII’s chaplain, quickly rose up the ranks to become a cardinal in 1515 by appointment of Pope Leo X. Cardinal Wolsey was an ambitious and trusted advisor to King Henry VIII Here are 10 facts about Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. But in 1529, Henry VIII turned on Wolsey, ordering his arrest and causing Wolsey’s downfall. The intelligent and diligent cardinal had an uncanny ability to give the king what he wanted, making him the most trusted ally of the notoriously temperamental monarch. By the late 1520s, Wolsey had also become one of the wealthiest men in the country. Cardinal Thomas Wolsey (1473-1530) was the son of a butcher and cattle dealer in Ipswich, but he grew to become the second most powerful man in England during the reign of his master, King Henry VIII.
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