Cardinal Wolsey

Making History. The Home of 99p/99c History Books He was probably the greatest political genius whom England has ever produced. Furthermore he was a political artist. Wolsey graduated from Oxford University aged fifteen survived being sent to the stocks and became chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He moved on to serve Henry VII in a diplomatic capacity where he became accustomed to people breaking promises and changing their minds; on Henry VIIs death he became almoner to the new king charged with mediating the affairs of Europe which were in constant flux and representing the monarch on behalf of the people. At a time of great change in England at a time when Henry threatened to and then did break with Rome Wolsey was the one tasked to deliver what was necessary for the nation through his statesmanship and patriotism. He believed royal power not the church or Parliament would hold England together and worked to that end. Wolsey wanted to install peace in Europe under the guarantee of England. When that did not work he set about allying England with other nations including France Italy and the Netherlands. He had ambitions to become Pope and wished to make England govern over the papal church. Though he sometimes met objections he never wavered from his purpose. At home he built Cardinal College Oxford which was renamed Christchurch and supervised the dissolution of the monasteries. In the mid-1520s Henry had moved away from Wolseys confidence. He treated him as a servant rather than a friend. The king actively pursued divorce from his first wife and also war with France in spite of Wolseys belief in neutrality and peace; worse Wolsey bore the brunt of popular dissent and remained extremely devoted to the proud Henry even as his dream of a united Europe vanished through forces he was unable to control. He was hardly mourned at the end of his life and hated by everyone as a tyrant upstart or reformer. Yet five centuries removed from his negotiations and machinations Wolsey is still held as an example for diplomacy in foreign affairs. Cardinal Wolsey by Mandell Creighton is perfect for anyone who wishes to understand the political scene in the years preceding Hillary Mantels Wolf Hall. Mandell Creighton (1843-1901) was a scholar who gained degrees from Oxford Cambridge Durham Glasgow and Harvard universities. He held a chair in Ecclesiastical History at Cambridge University and edited the English Historical Review. He wrote a well-received History of Rome and a history of the Papacy during the Reformation.