Wolsey, Thomas ca. 1472–1530 English Churchman and Statesman

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Wolsey, Thomas
ca. 1472–1530
English churchman and
statesman

One of the most powerful figures in Renaissance England, Thomas Wolsey played important roles in both the church and the government. As a chief adviser to Henry VIII, he helped shape England's domestic and foreign policies. An active patron* of the arts, Wolsey supported many of the leading humanists* in England. He lived in splendid palaces filled with fine paintings and sculpture. However, he eventually fell out of favor with the king and died in disgrace.

The son of a butcher who also kept an inn, Wolsey was born in Ipswich, in eastern England. As a young man he studied arts and theology* at Magdalen College, Oxford. He served for a time as the financial officer of the college and as master of a school linked with it. In 1501 Wolsey left Oxford to serve as chaplain to a series of important individuals, including the king, Henry VII. When Henry VIII took the throne in 1509, he appointed Wolsey royal almoner, the official in charge of distributing charity to the poor. A skilled administrator, Wolsey won the king's confidence. He also rose rapidly within the church, becoming bishop of Lincoln in 1514, archbishop of York six months later, and cardinal in 1515.

Shortly after Wolsey became cardinal, the king named him as chancellor, the highest official in the government. Wolsey remained King Henry's leading adviser for the next 14 years. In 1518 Wolsey negotiated a general European peace treaty and a settlement with France over territory captured by England. In 1521 he held peace conferences in an attempt to prevent war between France and the Holy Roman Empire*. From 1527 to 1529, Wolsey again tried to forge an agreement between France and the empire and also to end hostilities between England and France.

Wolsey also played major roles in England's judicial, social, and financial affairs. He presided over the king's council and the court of chancery, a division of England's High Court. Wolsey encouraged strict enforcement of the law and supported those who sought equal justice for all. He also established councils to oversee local governments in Wales and northern England. In terms of social policy, Wolsey took steps to control the spread of plague* through quarantine (the isolation of infected regions) and to prevent the hoarding of grain during times of famine. He also established commissions to investigate the conversion of fields to pastureland, which reduced the amount of land being farmed. As a financial advisor, Wolsey worked hard to increase the king's income. He imposed forced loans and high taxes on the people. However, he had to abandon some of his tax proposals when they provoked widespread anger and opposition.

Many of Wolsey's actions as a religious leader were unpopular. He held several church offices at once and kept a mistress, by whom he had two children. He also interfered in the affairs of other bishops and heavily taxed church officials. However, he also made some positive changes. He encouraged religious reform, sought to reduce tensions between the church and secular* courts, and worked to improve religious education for the clergy.

In general, other government officials cooperated with Wolsey. However, tensions developed over some of his policies and his treatment of nobles in the king's council. When Wolsey began to lose favor with the king in the late 1520s, many took the opportunity to criticize him. Wolsey's undoing came with his failure to obtain an annulment* of Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Despite Wolsey's skills as a diplomat, he was unable to persuade the pope to approve this action. As a result, Henry VIII removed Wolsey as chancellor in 1529. Wolsey retired to York and died the following year while on his way south to stand trial for treason.

* patron: supporter or financial sponsor of an artist or writer
* humanist: Renaissance expert in the humanities (the languages, literature, history, and speech and writing techniques of ancient Greece and Rome)
* theology: study of the nature of God and of religion

* Holy Roman Empire: political body in central Europe composed of several states; existed until 1806

* plague: highly contagious and often fatal disease that wiped out much of Europe's population in the mid-1300s and reappeared periodically over the next three centuries; also know as the Black Death