Wolsey's fall from Grace Flashcards
Why did Wolsey have to call Parliament in 1523 ?
This is because there was no obvious way of raising the money needed for the King’s interventionist policy in Europe.
How much did the grant that Wolsey sought in 1523 from the calling of Parliament bring in ?
£800,000
Why did Wolsey dislike Parliament ?
He believed it seemed to stir up trouble rather than carrying out their prime function, to carry out the King’s wishes.
How many times did Wolsey call Parliament ?
2
Why did Wolsey’s mistreatment of Parliament make him unpopular ?
The introduction of the heavy tax without Parliament’s approval in 1525 (the Amicable grant) limited the power and influence that Parliament had the right to hold.
Give 2 ways in which the argument that Wolsey was a tyrant protected only by the trust of the King is true.
1) used his position as lord Chancellor (head of the judiciary) to limit opposition he faced
2) There is evidence to suggest that Wolsey attempted to interfere in the marriage arrangements of the nobility, which they bitterly resented.
Other than the earl of northumberland and the Duke of Buckingham, what other evidence is there to show that Wolsey used his position as Head of the judiciary to limit opposition.
When Thomas Lucas, formerly Henry VII’s solicitor general, slandered Wolsey, he was sent to the Tower without trial
Give an example of a member of the nobility who Wolsey was a good friend of suggesting that Wolsey was no more hostile to the nobility than the King.
The Earl of Worcester considered Wolsey a good friend
How can Wolsey’s policy towards the powerful be described as one of ‘offering carrots as well as sticks’ ?
He held out the prospect of desirable appointments as he hoped to encourage them to become his clients.
As long as Wolsey had the ________ backing, most nobles worked well enough with him, and some accepted his authority.
King’s
What is the King’s Great matter ?
Henry’s concerns over his desire to gain annulment to his marriage to Catherine of Aragon to leave him free to marry Anne Boleyn.
What was Wolsey’s greatest challenge as Henry’s Chief minister ?
The ‘King’s Great matter’
Why was Henry looking to gain an annulment to his marriage with Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn ?
As Catherine was unable to produce a male heir to Henry
By ______, it was firmly decided that Henry wanted a divorce from Catherine of Aragon
1527
Who was the Pope (head of the Catholic church) at the time of the King’s Great matter ?
Pope, Clement VII (1523-1534)
What problem did Henry encounter in trying to gain an annulment to his marriage with Catherine of Aragon using the Pope ?
Pope Clement VII was under the control of Emperor Charles V who was the nephew of Catherine of Aragon.
What kind/ type of Arguments does Wolsey proceed with in order to gain an annulment of Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon due to difficult route of using the Pope Clement VII ?
Biblical
What passage from the Bible did Wolsey rely on in order to try to claim that Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon was illegitimate in order to try to gain an annulment ?
Leviticus, Chapter 20, Verse 21 - suggests it an impurity to “take his brother’s wife”.
How did Wolsey use Leviticus, Chapter 20, Verse 21 to claim that Henry’s marriage to Catherine was illegitimate ?
He argued that the marriage was never illegitimate since he married his brother’s wife.
Why did Many people disagree with Wolsey’s interpretation using Leviticus, chapter 20, verse 21 to suggest that Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon was illegitimate due to him marrying his brother’s wife
They argued that the death of his brother, Prince Arthur, meant that the marriage was not illegitimate.
Other than using biblical arguments to deal with the ‘King’s Great matter’, Give two other ways in which Wolsey tried to solve it.
1) Foreign policy attempts
2) legal avenues
In what way did Wolsey try to use diplomacy/ foreign policy in order to secure the divorce ?
Wolsey tried to free the Pope from Charles V’s influence by utilising an alliance with France and renewed conflict with Italy.
How did Wolsey’s attempt to use diplomacy/ foreign policy to secure the divorce of henry to Catherine fail ?
Charles V did not leave Italy and thus the Pope continued to be heavily influenced by him.
What legal avenue did Wolsey go down in order to deal with the King’s Great matter ?
As Papal legate, he’d have the ability to make the judgement on the legitimacy of a divorce
How did Pope Clement VII respond to Wolsey in trying to use his powers as Papal legate to make the judgement on the legitimacy of Henry’s divorce ?
He decided to set up a commission to hear the case for divorce and sent cardinal Campeggio to ensure that a decision would be delayed as much as possible.
How did Pope Clement VII sending cardinal Campeggio to the commission to hear the case for divorce delay the process as much as possible ? (2)
1) Cardinal Campeggio took months to reach England
2) insisted the whole process to be done to the letter
When did the commission set up by Pope Clement VII to hear the case for divorce finally meet ?
June 1529
When the commission set up by Pope Clement VII to hear the case for divorce finally met in June 1529, What action did Catherine take to delay the process as much as possible ?
she refused to recognise its legitimacy and appealed directly to the Pope
After Catherine immediately refused to recognise the legitimacy of the commission set up by Pope Clement VII after it met in June 1529, where was the Pope asked to move proceedings to ?
Rome (The Pope agreed)
After the Pope agreed to move the proceedings of hearing the case for Henry’s divorce to Catherine to Rome, How did the English court respond ?
The English court was wound up and it had become clear to Henry that Wolsey no longer served a purpose.
What was the main reason as to why Wolsey ‘fell from Grace’ ?
His failure to deal with the King’s Great matter - failed in the negotiations with Rome
What did Henry accuse Wolsey of in Summer 1529 that finalised his fall from Power ?
He was accused of Praemunire
What did being accused of Praemunire mean for Wolsey ?
Effectively, Wolsey was accused of using his powers to implement the will of the Pope and not the will of the King.
After being accused of Praemunire by Henry, where was Wolsey exiled to ?
His dioceses of York
What part did Anne Boleyn have to play in the fall of Wolsey from Power ?
There is evidence to suggest that Wolsey’s fall is partly because of the growth of influence of Anne Boleyn in court.
How did Wolsey die ?
He was summoned back to London in 1530 to face more charges, however, he died on the way on the 29th November 1530.
when did Wolsey lose his office as Lord Chancellor ?
August 1529
Who replaced Wolsey as Lord Chancellor after he lost his office in August 1529 ?
Sir Thomas More
