Henry the VIII and Cardinal Wolsey.....?

Question

I'm absolutely crazy for anything regarding Tudor History and there's not a lot that I don't know about it, but one thing has been difficult for me to understand fully.

What was the situation with Cardinal Wolsey? Did he really commit treason against King Henry? Anything anyone would like to share with me about this situation would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Good question and you'll get a variety of answers.

From what I've read - for nearly 50 years - Henry was originally intended to be a priest, being the second son, but when his elder bro died he became heir apparent. Although he still listened a lot to priests as he'd become used to doing so. The cardinal, ambitious creature, saw the opportunity to be Henry's mentor and stayed that way for about 18 years, until he failed to provide Henry with a churchly solution to the lack of a male heir.

Whereupon Henry took the situation into his own hands and moved away from the pope and the RC church.

Wolsey being charged with treason was a put-up job, but he solved the problem by dying, probably of kidney disease, on his way south to be tried for the crime.

Henry afterwards charged a number of others with treason when he failed to get his own way, notably two of his wives.

After about 1528 he became increasingly violent and unhinged, and his health fell to bits following a massive leg infection. Not at all the sort of person you'd want to be within a million miles of.

Hope this makes it a bit more entertaining than Encyclopaedia britannica.

Answer 2

Cardinal Wolsey was Henry's best friend, they planed everything together!

But he did not help Henry with his divorce and he didn't say that Anne Boleyn was Henry's Queen and wife so he lost his head!

Answer 3

Wosley was the Kings Bestfriend, but he made a few common mistakes...

1. He had french interests. Everyone knew that Wosley prefered to be allies with the french rather than the spanish.

2. He had major goals to be pope. Towards the end of his run in office, Henry was starting to question the pope, and the right hand man had huge aspirations to be pope.

3. He built a better house than Henry had. Just a big nono back then!