Wolsey's Fall Flashcards
Why Henry wanted a divorce with CoA
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Hnery believed the marriage was against God’s will, and that the Pope did not have the power to issue the papal dispensation for him to marry his dead brothers wife
Henry wanted a legitimate heir. If his marriage to Catherine was illegitimate so would his child, Mary Tudor.
Henry was in love with Anne Boleyn, sending many letters to letter. Anne refused to be his mistress until she was Queen
Why did attempts to divorce fail?
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Wolsey told Henry obtaining the divorce would be easy. However, Charles (Catherine’s Nephew) held the Pope as a virtual prisoner.
Pope did not want to issue the dispensation invalid as it meant stating the previous Pope made an error
Hearing the case in England was the 3rd option. Cardinal Campeggio finally arrived in 1529, but had no intention of reaching a verdict
Wolsey’s fall from power
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Was mainly due to his failure to get the divorce. He had promised Henry it would be easy, and failure for Henry was not an option as he felt so strongly.
Boleyn faction also put pressure on Henry, arguing that Wolsey was deliberately slow. Wolsey ay have believed delay would ease Henry’s infatuation with Anne
By 1529 Henry was desperate as Anne refused to be his mistress and he needed a male heir.
Wolsey was indicted for Praemunire and stripped of all titles initially; however, he was caught sending letters to Rome with reproaching comments made about Henry. Wolsey died before he could be executed in 1530
Wolsey’s Fall from Power Evaluation
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Divorce - Main reason. Said it would be easy and Henry felt very strongly about it, so failure wasn’t an option.
Boleyn faction - Claimed Wolsey was deliberately slow as he knew he would lose power if the divorce happened as Anne was more politically involved than CoA.
Nobility - No loyalty to Wolsey due to their resentment of his background (butchers son) and his wealth (Hampton Court). His use of the Star Court to settle grudges on nobles and his attack on enclosure also aggravated them. Thus, they did nothing to stop Wolsey’s downfall, rather than cause it
Amicable Grant - Filed to give Henry the funds he needed to claim the French throne in 1525 and caused unrest. The fact that Henry didn’t fire him after this shows it was not most important
