When was wolsey made papal legate

He was, though he probably did not know it, fitted to serve England, but not fitted to serve the English king. He had the aims of a national statesman, not of a royal servant.

For good or evil England was identified with her king, In Henry VIII there was a vivid and dominant character who could be petulant and cruel; an absolute monarch whose will would be done, or he would want to know why There was no option, what Henry desired was to be obtained regardless of cost — whether in money or people.

Henry was to him a symbol of all that was best and most intelligent in England. In his general conduct of politics Wolsey was true to his principles, and though occasionally thwarted, he still pursued the same ends.

Wolsey found himself powerless to resist. His fall was rapid, from being a great personage with a princely entourage he was humbled, persecuted and harried. His enemies wasted no time and presented a writ of praemunire on the grounds that his acts while legate were contrary to statute.

He did good work among the parishioners there, spending time with them and holding many confirmation sessions for the children. Ere long he lost his college at Ipswich, and that at Oxford was reduced in size and renamed Christ Church. He was obliged coerced into handing over the Great Seal. Eventually the writ of praemunire against him was dropped. By so doing, he cemented his place as the pre-eminent royal advisor, in effect becoming the chief executive of the Tudor state for the next two decades.

Wolsey had a brilliant mastery of foreign policy, as well as the legal and ecclesiastical administration of England under King Henry VIII. Wolsey oversaw Parliament and the Court of Chancery, introduced legal changes and exercised crown authority over nobles and commoners alike.

He also oversaw the running of the church in England, countered Lutheran heresy and introduced monastic and educational reforms. Responsibilities: He was made the royal almoner responsible for charitable giving and royal counsellor in He became quarter-master general of war against France in —3.

The same year, Henry made him lord chancellor of England. In he became a papal legate high representative , confirmed for life in He was also abbot of St Albans and successively bishop of Bath and Wells —23 ; Durham —9 , and Winchester — Enter your email address now to receive the latest HistoryExtra articles and more.

Thanks for signing up to receive our Tudor newsletter. Wolsey's finest hour was arranging the Field of the Cloth of Gold, the Tudor equivalent of a summit meeting, which he devised for Henry to meet the Francis I, King of France. Wolsey used his great wealth to indulge his passion for building - at his London home, York Place in Whitehall, and at Hampton Court, 20 miles south west of London.

He also founded Cardinal College at Oxford later King's College, and now Christ Church , but his haughtiness and grand style of living made him increasingly unpopular. Henry desperately wanted a son and argued that his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, with whom he had a daughter, was not lawful.

He asked Wolsey to use his influence in Rome to get a papal annulment of Henry's marriage so that he could remarry. Wolsey was unable to accomplish this, partly because Catherine's nephew, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, dominated the pope at the time.

Wolsey's failure to arrange an annulment for Henry was quickly followed by his downfall. On September 22nd , Wolsey was dismissed as Chancellor. The influential Boleyn family — Henry wanted to marry Anne — persuaded Henry that Wolsey should be removed from London.

He had been appointed Archbishop of York in Sixteen years later he visited the city for the first time! Wolsey was meant to be locked up in the Tower of London. Home » Tudor England » Cardinal Wolsey.

Cardinal Wolsey - the man. Clearly Henry was the master while Wolsey was his….