CARDINAL WOLSEY AND KING HENRY VIII.   Term Paper ID:30090 Click to get this paper Essay Subject: Argues that Wolsey, as Lord Chancellor and an intimate advisor to Henry VIII, was not a pawn of the King.... More... 13 Pages / 2925 Words 10 sources, 22 Citations, MLA Format $52.00 Return to List of Papers Paper Abstract: Argues that Wolsey, as Lord Chancellor and an intimate advisor to Henry VIII, was not a pawn of the King. Wolsey's consolidation of his personal power and wealth. His being subject to the King's pleasure and will. His diplomatic talents and achievements. His role in Church reform & disastrous administration of the Church. His excellent changes in the law courts. Outline. Paper Introduction: I Thomas Cardinal Wolsey was not a pawn of Henry VIII even though all his actions were subject to the King's approval. A. Wolsey's talents and ambition made him an accomplished diplomat and administrator, and allowed him to amass great wealth from his ecclesiastical positions. Wolsey's status as his own man, rather than a pawn of the King, must be judged in terms of what he wished to accomplish rather than by current standards. II Wolsey had great diplomatic talents. His Treaty of London secured a vital alliance with France and made England a major power in European politics. B. Wolsey grasped the importance of clear, comprehensive treaties along modern lines and securing English safety Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. an accomplished diplomat and administrator and allowed him to in terms of what he wished to accomplish rather politics B Wolsey grasped the importance secured his power over it and used it to make administration also featured self-interest but had law courts were his finest legacy V that Cardinal Wolsey was the pawn of Henry deliberately sacrificed whennecessary to serve the proposeddivorce from Catherine of King's will but oftendid so beginning ofhis fall in the Cardinal was unquestionably subject to no matter who was in his own man as anyone could be in actions in terms of his aims and the limitations that case Wolsey's own aims arewhat must be considered His entire King's confidence and domination of the he desired greatwealth and extracted it by any means to eminence by serving various In he was appointed archbishop of York and other archbishopric in England York took the cardinal became as supreme over the English of what drove Wolsey washis personal insatiability for power wealth resentment against him amongthe people and at a timewhen his various bishoprics and the the legatine jurisdiction and the endless customary bribes toproduce soughtincreased glory through securing England's King's favor by acting as an efficient look unfavorably on the idea of extending his domainfarther avoid such ideas taking hold sincethe result would pope But Wolsey persisted formany years in hoping for notes no matter what Charles promised and however explain why he might have suspected in regard to their desire tocontrol more of with the French but when shortlyafter his Henry's ill-conceived martial desires with atreaty that would guarantee England own doorstep Because ofthe resultant Treaty of London Wolsey has the two greatest powers are incapable of definitivelydefeating each other interested in being on the each time the problemarose and was certainly a the crown in Spain but had barely secretly with France and produced atreaty of peace that also however to be the source of a president which committed the membersto maintaining peace in ofdisputes and stiff guarantees against pretext for general peace But later scholars notes however the view of his contemporaries war began only thirty months laterwhen the Italian The episode was also a success in Leo X's eagerness to end the wars legate to enter England until Wolsey's had beenexcommunicated the right to demand tribute eventhough he himself was the worst ofcelibacy by having numerous mistresses and fathering two children as papal legate He announced his intention to in order to secure their wealth forhis own theearly years of Henry's reign the clergy saw little VII Elton Reform Talk of reform was a that it was already subject to in its laws its courts church One of Wolsey's great achievements however is that Wolsey not only of Henry's desire to withdraw inherent in the two provinces of York other clergymen out of the counsels of Wolsey's vigorous selfish and quitedisastrous rule that the church were pursued quiteas vigorously as his despoiling of the hands the king's council for example was reduced to case of the star chamber court was able tojudge criminal matters The council had originally had been regulated by the church As Chancellor he was already where the Lord Chancellor was theonly judge toimpress observers Helm As Helm allows however Wolsey in othermatters Thornton for instance cites under greater control Simply by undermine their sense of independence Thornton Yet how his proceeding inlegal matters could differ from his he took Although he thought himself success up to the time of his of in our modern focus onthe notions of Muslims and beunderstood to speak of view ofjustice might be based on his love of himself he steadily accumulated was not dependenton his truly overwhelming wealth his overpoweringambition Whether what he did of course he always had to be seen andthe great extent of his powers are proof in themselves action of one who was his own man in T Tudor England Baltimore Penguin Elton Henry VIII Cambridge Cambridge UP Reform Mattingly Garrett Renaissance Diplomacy New the Abbot of Chester History actions were subject to the own man rather than a pawn of secured a vital alliance with France and made by taking a global view of power III church was disastrous and angered clergy and to all power being in own interests or those of the King until fatally he A pawnis a chess piece meritthe term pawn But the King's a trustedand capable if ambitious sanctioned by the King From the time ofWolsey's policies had to have theimplicit or explicit approval and foreignaffairs Cardinal Wolsey was to say that he wasalways successful or of justice and he may be judged lacking in need thatapparently could not be satisfied simply by forfairness in the law court a place at Magdalene College Oxford He Henry VIII From that point on Wolsey's riseproceeded at ofarchbishop of Canterbury who was usually the but it was not until in Wolsey achieved the unusual however Wolsey's position indeed his life itself was always the halls of power into ahothouse not have been controlled Bindoff puts Wolsey's in England headded to this his Wolsey'sability to reform the church But matters Wolsey's reach tended to conquer more of the realm He and Cardinal had treated the idea as a joke The idea of Henry as Holy Roman Emperor began in Italy again because Charles had promised to of becoming Pope than Henry had of becoming Emperor and question of achieving some balance between Francis Iof France as well since it might only whet his appetite forgreater King's progress with ill-concealedjealousy of a personal as well as Pope Leo Xwho was eager to see power in Europe AsMattingly points had more in mind than maintaining abalance of power Mattingly This was much broader than any heldby other diplomats and the problem was tobreak this alliance and to draw one compensation to Wolseyfor the loss of ofthe whole continent Pollard The treaty called for a league peace the treaty was amodel flawedprevious treaties Mattingly The idea of another mask for the highlybeneficial French alliance or as sincere in wishing to establish a permanent peace Itspermanence terms as an exercise ofdiplomatic skill and in practical terms treaty and his conviction of Rome He persuaded Henry as papal legate which included many powers ordinarilyreserved solely powerto order the reformation of monasteries Harvey Wolsey did have benefices that he could notmanage simony the selling of church Wolsey planned for instance to reform the monasteries in contented himself in practice with the dissolution of more the church oftenignores the fact that he was hardly alone to Rome and use ofclerical councillors in places English church had the highest opinionof The churchwas a franchise a reason Henry andWolsey always held that it was necessary could hardly begrudge him the exploitation it hadhad of attaining independence of mostvestiges of its power He used of his greatness Elton Reformation which his legate status had so identified is that the churchcould have resisted at all ofadministration in the immediate vicinity of the King Wolsey advice vital matters asforeign policy the armed defence finance or council The star chamber court Wolsey addedgreatly to its scope including such matters people could turnfor settlement of their affairs and of Chancery which was not bound for occupying the centre of the received the greatest amount of praise Wolsey countypalatine of Chester one of the strong independent if any of them had against them and adhered to courts was however every bit ascarefully calculated to extend it is difficult from avantage point of nearly four centuries continuingconversation constructing their public personae without consideration Hemight identify the Treaty of London he was the worstoffender yet feel King but it could also serve the church orsimply to amass almost a matter ofindifference since what counted was having Wolsey's longevity as the most ambitions of a sharp-witted capable King Regardlessof and to provide the king with so muchammunition Cambridge UP The Tudor Revolution J England under the Yorkists J On Henrician Politics Games I Thomas Cardinal Wolsey was not a amass great wealth from his than by current standards II Wolsey had great diplomatic of clear comprehensive treaties along modern himself incredibly wealthy A He had however excellent ideas better effects A His limiting Wolsey's projects often conflicted with the interests of the VIIIimplies a number of things about the Lord Chancellor's a larger strategy Wolsey's disgrace and fall andHenry's willingness Aragon was a distinct departure from theirprevious relationship in ways that he devised the King'spleasure There was little of substance therefore that Wolsey place But in all the such a position andmore so than most To say wereinherent in serving at the King's pleasure career was perhaps because of hishumble origins based on ambition church in England At timesthis compelled actions that in his power Wolsey was the son of a prosperous influential menuntil in he became chaplain to Henry in he was elevated tocardinal and in onlythe impoverished northern reaches Gaining Churchas Henry's favor made him over the English state Bindoff glory and things and hisaccumulations the clergy Harvey Even had he wished to do soWolsey's abbacy of St Albans would at a valueof by the mid s an annual income of nearly power and safety and thisenabled him to become superiorquartermaster in Henry's war in France and Wolsey was into Europe Maximilian of Austria had be to make the stronger just such an outcome and even he never followed through Wolsey should have Henry of the same Thus Italy Wolsey was mindful of accession to the crown Francis launched his war a secure position as arbiter betweenFrancis and Charles sometimes been creditedwith being the originator and a third power holds the balance winner's side so as tosecure a share major part of his mission in arranging the Treatyof London been able to takepossession had allowed Francis to buy back Tournai at a veryexcessive cost general peacefor Europe and Wolsey now order to aid in the defense of Europe against aggression as well as language thatdeliberately often regarded all ofWolsey's efforts was more generousand men from wars broke out again with renewed power But terms of Wolsey's personalinterests Mattingly describes the papal inItaly to secure the last honor short of power equaled that of thepapal from archbishops bishops andarchdeacons in example of many of the worst Mosthistorians such as Helm regard the possibility transform thirteenmonasteries into bishoprics but never purposes Helm But the question in his attitudes thatwas different constant subject amongthe clergy themselves but it had no more Henry's will even before Wolseyconsolidated his domination and the influence it exerted if it chose over in Henry'seyes was wringing an additional huge failed to reform thechurch but by means of his from communion with Rome By and Canterbury and byconcentrating all real power under his control power andhis own great unpopularity tended to collapsed under Henry's pressure for theseparation from Rome church But at least in the caseof the law little more than a nominal of which he canbe said to be the founder Wolsey jurisdiction oversuch matters as rioting and the courts He transformed thestar chamber the head of the entire justice systemand There Wolsey not much versed succeeded inthis for the most his use of Chancery and the starchamber court ensuring that many of the county's chief gentlemen as Thornton notes Wolsey resisted the approach to troublesome individuals inother successful however whether the observeragrees with fall But it is important as Slavinnotes to sincerity and authenticity In Wolsey's own termseven something less disinterested Or he might happilyplan in the position of thegreatest arbiter in the nor on his love of display But forWolsey the was good or bad served Henry or to serve Henry's interests andhis that he succeeded inone of the most difficult a positionwhere most men would have been wary of G R The Reformation in England The and Reformation England Cambridge Harvard UP Harvey Nancy Lenz Thomas York Dover Pollard A F Henry Today King's approval A Wolsey's talents and ambition made him the King must be judged England a major power in European Wolsey did not reform the church but laity alike IV Wolsey's civil his own hands B His changes in the was unable to arrange the desired divorce To say of limited function that is use of Wolsey in the matter of man who carried out the consolidation of his personal power in to the of the King This would have been the case however by virtue of his intelligence industry andambition as much his ever particularly admirable It is important alwaysto judge his hisfailure to reform the church But in either attaining the highest positionin the and so earned it or despicable was ordained in and beganhis relatively slow climb great speed in both the ecclesiastical and secular realms effective head of the Englishchurch since the only status of papal legate legatus a latere orpapal viceroy that dependent onHenry's continued extraordinary favor Yet much of nurtured discontent and developed vast wealth in perspective by noting that chancery fees other ecclesiastic incomes especiallyfrom in foreign relations he primarily exceed his grasp Hehad first earned the may also have suspectedthat Henry would not But as Harvey notes Wolsey wanted to mayseem as farfetched as that of Wolsey as supporthis election to the papacy As Helm theCardinal ought to have recognized the fact His ambitions and Charles V of Spain especially conquests Wolsey favored a good relationship political nature Pollard Wolseywas concerned with balancing the French withdraw from his out however the modern balance-of-power refers to asituation in which he told his master Henry was primarily precisely what Wolsey promised Henry rulers of the era Francis and Charles who hadrecently inherited or all of the continental powers toEngland Harvey Wolsey negotiated the bishopric of Tournai The treaty was ofChristian nations with the Pope as for its time It was equipped with provisions for arbitration crusade against the Ottomans was well understoodas a a means of increasing his own power AsMattingly was doomed of course and in securing a more powerful rolefor England in European politics Wolsey's sincerity ButHarvey notes that Wolsey cleverly used he had done in the past to forbid thepapal to the popes such as absolving people who great plans for the reformation of the church offices and violating the oath accordance with the power granted by hisstatus than a score ofsmall religious houses principally in his abuses and during of importance that had been the custom ofHenry its independence was incapable of reforming itself and failed tounderstand liberty in the medieval sense independent to maintain as much control aspossible over the of his ownoffices The fact the King when it was faced with theproblem his legatine power to dissolve much of thepower Wolsey had also driven all him It was notsurprising therefore that after Reformation Various aspects of Wolsey's civil administration had a negativeeffect Since all power was concentrated in his any domestic affairs Elton Tudor In the was the forum in which Wolsey as forgery perjury and libelwhich had formerly it became a regular part of the justicesystem by exactrules but was a court for the king's will stage anddistributing praise and blame with an even-handed impartiality intended was also capable of finding ways to use the courts jurisdictions thatresisted the centralizing impulse of Henry's reign ever experiencedbefore Wolsey was able to his habit of impartialityand fairness certainly an outstanding example of his power as any other action that after the fact to say that Wolseywas a the indeliblemark of character at least as it is conceived as a league against the no compunction about doing as he wished His produce genuine justice andreform Maintaining the power that a fortune for himself were all based on the power to do such things Inthis trusted and intimate of Henry's advisors his motives this was the when he decided to turn against them Works CitedBindoff S in Government Administrative Changes in the Reign of and Tudors New York Humanities Press and Dramas Huntington Library Quarterly Thornton Tim Cardinal Wolsey and pawn of Henry VIII even though all his ecclesiastical positions B Wolsey's status as his talents A His Treaty of London lines and securing English safety on reform B But his administration of the of the power of the King's Council was due aristocracy the church and the people but never with his abilities accomplishments and relationship with the King that are incorrect to treat him as a scapegoat do indeed seem to Prior to that time Wolsey was treated as himself and not infrequently developedstrategies of his own that were didentirely on his own initiative as all significant principal areaswith which he was concerned in domestic ecclesiastical that Wolsey was not a pawn however is not He may have been admirable inimproving the administration for ever greater status a were admirable he desired a reputation grazier and his brilliance securedhim VII and in was appointedalmoner and counselor to to Lord Chancellor Wolsey always coveted the position the cardinal's hat helped himachieve greater prominence in the church No matter how much secular and ecclesiastic power he accumulated based on Henry's favor turned mania for accumulation probably could per year have made him by far the richest man Inecclesiastic matters this overwhelming desire was to inhibit an innovative and able diplomat In diplomatic fully aware of hismaster's desire to repeatedly offered Henrythe imperial crown and King kingdom become the wastedappendage of the weaker supported Charles Vwhen the wars known that he had notmore chance even when hewas dealing with the Henry's desire to take more ofFrance but wary of it to capture Milanand Tuscany Henry regarded the French thereby earning as well the gratitude of of the idea of a balance of between them But though Wolsey nay have in the spoils rather than worrying about But Wolsey's conception was also reached an accord As Wolsey saw it paid to Henry and with a substantial saw himself as the arbitrator of the security thethreat of Islamic Turkey In order to maintain the avoided the reservations and ambiguities which had in this matter as nothing but a peace-loving humanists to seasoned diplomats believed thatWolsey was Wolsey'saccomplishment was genuine in intellectual legate Lorenzo Campeggio'senthusiasm for the the papacy itself that he desiredfrom emissary Harvey The Pope accordingly granted Wolsey theextraordinary title of order to exercise their usual jurisdictions and the sins of theclergy such as pluralism the holding of that Wolsey was sincereabout church reform with great skepticism even began this undertaking and of Wolsey's failure to reform from the formalized piety devotion meaning than Helm ascribes toWolsey's promises In general the of the church Elton Reform the spirituallives of the people Elton Reformation For this amount of tribute money out of theclergy and the King own ambition destroyed whatever chance thattime Wolsey's ambition had unintentionally deprived the church of he had turn ed thebishops into mere agents increase the people's mistrust of thepapacy with as Elton notes what is surprising courts his legacy was far more beneficial In terms occasional meetingof individuals rather than a body responsible for did however continue the legacy of theking's excessive use of force but from a state tribunal into a court in which sat regularly in the court in the technicalities of law could enjoy his penchant part and it was the aspect of his administration thatconsistently as a means of forwarding his project of bringing the weredragged through courts which few opportunity to act in anyoutrageous fashion spheres The Cardinal's impartiality in the the ethics of his policies or not consider Tudor political actors as engaged in a the pretense of disinterested rule was seldom a to reform the church in the very areas where land with some degree of jurisdiction over nearlyeveryone but the power to do good to serve the King to himself forwarded England's interests or those of the church was continued power was utterly dependent on the King's good will of balancing acts serving his personal ambitionwhile satisfying the allowing their nakedly personalconcerns to appear so plainly New Cambridge Modern History Vol The Reformation Cambridge Cardinal Wolsey New York Macmillan Helm P VIII New York Harper and Row-Torchbooks Slavin A an accomplished diplomat and administrator and allowed him to in terms of what he wished to accomplish rather politics B Wolsey grasped the importance secured his power over it and used it to make administration also featured self-interest but had law courts were his finest legacy V that Cardinal Wolsey was the pawn of Henry deliberately sacrificed whennecessary to serve the proposeddivorce from Catherine of King's will but oftendid so beginning ofhis fall in the Cardinal was unquestionably subject to no matter who was in his own man as anyone could be in actions in terms of his aims and the limitations that case Wolsey's own aims arewhat must be considered His entire King's confidence and domination of the he desired greatwealth and extracted it by any means to eminence by serving various In he was appointed archbishop of York and other archbishopric in England York took the cardinal became as supreme over the English of what drove Wolsey washis personal insatiability for power wealth resentment against him amongthe people and at a timewhen his various bishoprics and the the legatine jurisdiction and the endless customary bribes toproduce soughtincreased glory through securing England's King's favor by acting as an efficient look unfavorably on the idea of extending his domainfarther avoid such ideas taking hold sincethe result would pope But Wolsey persisted formany years in hoping for notes no matter what Charles promised and however explain why he might have suspected in regard to their desire tocontrol more of with the French but when shortlyafter his Henry's ill-conceived martial desires with atreaty that would guarantee England own doorstep Because ofthe resultant Treaty of London Wolsey has the two greatest powers are incapable of definitivelydefeating each other interested in being on the each time the problemarose and was certainly a the crown in Spain but had barely secretly with France and produced atreaty of peace that also however to be the source of a president which committed the membersto maintaining peace in ofdisputes and stiff guarantees against pretext for general peace But later scholars notes however the view of his contemporaries war began only thirty months laterwhen the Italian The episode was also a success in Leo X's eagerness to end the wars legate to enter England until Wolsey's had beenexcommunicated the right to demand tribute eventhough he himself was the worst ofcelibacy by having numerous mistresses and fathering two children as papal legate He announced his intention to in order to secure their wealth forhis own theearly years of Henry's reign the clergy saw little VII Elton Reform Talk of reform was a that it was already subject to in its laws its courts church One of Wolsey's great achievements however is that Wolsey not only of Henry's desire to withdraw inherent in the two provinces of York other clergymen out of the counsels of Wolsey's vigorous selfish and quitedisastrous rule that the church were pursued quiteas vigorously as his despoiling of the hands the king's council for example was reduced to case of the star chamber court was able tojudge criminal matters The council had originally had been regulated by the church As Chancellor he was already where the Lord Chancellor was theonly judge toimpress observers Helm As Helm allows however Wolsey in othermatters Thornton for instance cites under greater control Simply by undermine their sense of independence Thornton Yet how his proceeding inlegal matters could differ from his he took Although he thought himself success up to the time of his of in our modern focus onthe notions of Muslims and beunderstood to speak of view ofjustice might be based on his love of himself he steadily accumulated was not dependenton his truly overwhelming wealth his overpoweringambition Whether what he did of course he always had to be seen andthe great extent of his powers are proof in themselves action of one who was his own man in T Tudor England Baltimore Penguin Elton Henry VIII Cambridge Cambridge UP Reform Mattingly Garrett Renaissance Diplomacy New the Abbot of Chester History actions were subject to the own man rather than a pawn of secured a vital alliance with France and made by taking a global view of power III church was disastrous and angered clergy and to all power being in own interests or those of the King until fatally he A pawnis a chess piece meritthe term pawn But the King's a trustedand capable if ambitious sanctioned by the King From the time ofWolsey's policies had to have theimplicit or explicit approval and foreignaffairs Cardinal Wolsey was to say that he wasalways successful or of justice and he may be judged lacking in need thatapparently could not be satisfied simply by forfairness in the law court a place at Magdalene College Oxford He Henry VIII From that point on Wolsey's riseproceeded at ofarchbishop of Canterbury who was usually the but it was not until in Wolsey achieved the unusual however Wolsey's position indeed his life itself was always the halls of power into ahothouse not have been controlled Bindoff puts Wolsey's in England headded to this his Wolsey'sability to reform the church But matters Wolsey's reach tended to conquer more of the realm He and Cardinal had treated the idea as a joke The idea of Henry as Holy Roman Emperor began in Italy again because Charles had promised to of becoming Pope than Henry had of becoming Emperor and question of achieving some balance between Francis Iof France as well since it might only whet his appetite forgreater King's progress with ill-concealedjealousy of a personal as well as Pope Leo Xwho was eager to see power in Europe AsMattingly points had more in mind than maintaining abalance of power Mattingly This was much broader than any heldby other diplomats and the problem was tobreak this alliance and to draw one compensation to Wolseyfor the loss of ofthe whole continent Pollard The treaty called for a league peace the treaty was amodel flawedprevious treaties Mattingly The idea of another mask for the highlybeneficial French alliance or as sincere in wishing to establish a permanent peace Itspermanence terms as an exercise ofdiplomatic skill and in practical terms treaty and his conviction of Rome He persuaded Henry as papal legate which included many powers ordinarilyreserved solely powerto order the reformation of monasteries Harvey Wolsey did have benefices that he could notmanage simony the selling of church Wolsey planned for instance to reform the monasteries in contented himself in practice with the dissolution of more the church oftenignores the fact that he was hardly alone to Rome and use ofclerical councillors in places English church had the highest opinionof The churchwas a franchise a reason Henry andWolsey always held that it was necessary could hardly begrudge him the exploitation it hadhad of attaining independence of mostvestiges of its power He used of his greatness Elton Reformation which his legate status had so identified is that the churchcould have resisted at all ofadministration in the immediate vicinity of the King Wolsey advice vital matters asforeign policy the armed defence finance or council The star chamber court Wolsey addedgreatly to its scope including such matters people could turnfor settlement of their affairs and of Chancery which was not bound for occupying the centre of the received the greatest amount of praise Wolsey countypalatine of Chester one of the strong independent if any of them had against them and adhered to courts was however every bit ascarefully calculated to extend it is difficult from avantage point of nearly four centuries continuingconversation constructing their public personae without consideration Hemight identify the Treaty of London he was the worstoffender yet feel King but it could also serve the church orsimply to amass almost a matter ofindifference since what counted was having Wolsey's longevity as the most ambitions of a sharp-witted capable King Regardlessof and to provide the king with so muchammunition Cambridge UP The Tudor Revolution J England under the Yorkists J On Henrician Politics Games If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.