Wolsey, Thomas, Cardinal

Wolsey, Thomas, Cardinal
born с 1475, Ipswich, Suffolk, Eng.
died Nov. 29, 1530, Leicester, Leicestershire

English prelate and statesman.

He served as chaplain to Henry VII and later Henry VIII, for whom he organized the successful campaign against the French (1513). On Henry's recommendation, the pope made Wolsey successively bishop of Lincoln (1514), archbishop of York (1514), cardinal (1515), and papal legate (1518). In 1515 Henry appointed him lord chancellor of England, which added to his power and wealth. Wolsey sought to bring peace to Europe, but in 1521 he allied with Emperor Charles V against France. Although he introduced judicial and monastic reforms, he became unpopular for raising taxes. In 1529 he failed to persuade the pope to grant Henry an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, for which he soon lost favour and was stripped of his offices except the archbishopric of York. In 1530 he was arrested for treason for corresponding with the French court, and he died on his way to face the king.

* * *

▪ English cardinal and statesman
born c. 1475, , Ipswich, Suffolk, Eng.
died Nov. 29, 1530, Leicester, Leicestershire
 cardinal and statesman who dominated the government of England's King Henry VIII from 1515 to 1529. His unpopularity contributed, upon his downfall, to the anticlerical reaction that was a factor in the English Reformation.

      The son of a butcher of Ipswich, Wolsey was educated at the University of Oxford. In 1498 he was ordained a priest, and five years later he became chaplain to Sir Richard Nanfan, deputy lieutenant of Calais, who recommended him to King Henry VII (reigned 1485–1509). When Nanfan died in 1507, Wolsey became Henry VII's chaplain and, shortly before the king's death in April 1509 he was appointed dean of Lincoln. His energy and self-confidence soon won him the favour of Henry VII's son and successor, Henry VIII (reigned 1509–47).

      Appointed royal almoner in November 1509, Wolsey easily persuaded the pleasure-loving young monarch to surrender more and more of the unwelcome cares of state. The ties between the two men became particularly close after Wolsey organized Henry's successful expedition against the French in 1513. On Henry's recommendation Pope Leo X made him bishop of Lincoln (February 1514), archbishop of York (September 1514), and cardinal (1515). In December 1515 Wolsey became lord chancellor of England. Three years later the pope appointed him a special papal representative with the title legate a latere. Wolsey used his vast secular and ecclesiastical power to amass wealth second only to that of the king.

      The first priority for both Wolsey and Henry was to make England the arbiter of power in Europe. At that time western Europe was split into two rival camps, with France, England's traditional enemy, on the one side and the Holy Roman Empire of the Habsburgs on the other. Wolsey attempted to make peace with France by promoting a European-wide peace treaty in 1518 and by arranging meetings between Henry and the French king Francis I and between Henry and the emperor Charles V in 1520. Nevertheless, war broke out between France and the Empire in 1521, and two years later Wolsey committed English troops against France. In order to finance this campaign Wolsey raised taxes, thereby arousing widespread resentment. In 1528 he sided with the French against Charles, but by August 1529 France and the emperor had made peace, and England was diplomatically isolated.

      Although Wolsey had obtained his legatine commission with the intent of reforming the English church, his incessant diplomatic activities left him little time for ecclesiastical concerns. Besides, he was worldly, greedy for wealth, and unchaste—he had an illegitimate son and daughter. Nevertheless, he did at least propose some monastic reforms and even suppressed about 29 monasteries, mainly to obtain the revenues that he needed to found Cardinal's College (later Christ Church) at the University of Oxford.

      Wolsey's influence on England's judicial institutions was far more substantial. Possessed of a great legal mind, he extended the jurisdiction of the Star Chamber (Star Chamber, Court of)—the King's Council sitting as a court—and used it to impose Henry's justice on lawless nobles. The conciliar committee that he delegated to hear suits involving the poor soon evolved into the Court of Requests (Requests, Court of) (1529).

      The immediate cause of Wolsey's fall from power was his failure to persuade Pope Clement VII to grant Henry an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. There had long been a party of nobles who hated the lowborn, overbearing cardinal. When his final attempt to obtain the annulment collapsed in July 1529, these enemies easily turned the king against him. In October Wolsey was indicted on a praemunire charge of having overstepped his legatine authority. Stripped of all his offices and preferments except York, he left London for York in April 1530. Nevertheless, Henry was led to believe that he was conspiring to recover his position. Wolsey was arrested on November 4 on charges of treason (for corresponding with the French court), but he died at the end of the month while on his way south to face the king.

Additional Reading
A.F. Pollard, Wolsey (1929, reprinted 1978); C.W. Ferguson, Naked to Mine Enemies: The Life of Cardinal Wolsey (1958).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Wolsey, Thomas — • Cardinal Archbishop of York (1471 1530) Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Thomas Cardinal Wolsey —     Thomas Wolsey     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► Thomas Wolsey     Cardinal, Archbishop of York, b. at Ipswitch, the usually accepted date, 1471, being probably three or four years too early; d. at Leicester Abbey, 29 November, 1530. His father,… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • WOLSEY, THOMAS —    cardinal, born at Ipswich, son of a well to do grazier and wool merchant; educated at Magdalen College, Oxford; entered the Church early; gained the favour of Henry VII., and was promoted by him for his services to the deanery of Lincoln; this …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • Wolsey, Thomas — (c. 1474–1530)    Cardinal and Politician.    Wolsey was born in Ipswich and he was educated at the University of Oxford. He enjoyed a meteoric rise in both the Church and the State. He became chaplain to King Henry VII in 1507, a Privy… …   Who’s Who in Christianity

  • Wolsey, Thomas — (ca. 1472 1530)    English clergyman and states man. Born the son of an innkeeper and butcher at Ipswich, Wolsey was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he became master of the affiliated grammar school. In 1501, however, he left Oxford… …   Historical Dictionary of Renaissance

  • cardinal — cardinally, adv. cardinalship, n. /kahr dn l/, adj. 1. of prime importance; chief; principal: of cardinal significance. 2. of the color cardinal. n. 3. Rom. Cath. Ch. a high ecclesiastic appointed by the pope to the College of Cardinals and… …   Universalium

  • Thomas — /tom euhs/ for 1, 2, 4 14; /taw mah / for 3, n. 1. an apostle who demanded proof of Christ s Resurrection. John 20:24 29. 2. Augustus, 1857 1934, U.S. playwright, journalist, and actor. 3. (Charles Louis) Ambroise /shannrddl lwee ahonn brddwannz… …   Universalium

  • Cardinal Wolsey — Thomas Wolsey Pour les articles homonymes, voir Wolsey. Cardinal …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Thomas Wolsey — Cardenal presbítero de Sta. Cecilia Arzobispo de York retrato por Sampson Strong en la Christ Church (1526) Ordenación 10 de marzo de 1498 Consagración episc …   Wikipedia Español

  • Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Darcy — Thomas Darcy, first Lord Darcy de Darcy (c.1467 1537), was an English statesman and rebel leader, who was executed for his part in an English rebellion known as the Pilgrimage of Grace.OriginsDarcy was the son of Sir William and Euphemia Darcy.… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”