Cardinal Wolsey and King Henry VIII

Paper Summary:

Argues that Wolsey, as Lord Chancellor and an intimate advisor to Henry VIII, was not a pawn of the King. Wolsey's consolidation of his personal power and wealth. His being subject to the King's pleasure and will. His diplomatic talents and achievements. His role in Church reform & disastrous administration of the Church. His excellent changes in the law courts. Outline.

From the Paper:

"I Thomas Cardinal Wolsey was not a pawn of Henry VIII even
though all his actions were subject to the King's approval.
A. Wolsey's talents and ambition made him an accomplished diplomat and administrator, and allowed him to amass great wealth from his ecclesiastical positions. Wolsey's status as his own man, rather than a pawn of the King, must be judged in terms of what he wished to accomplish rather than by current standards.


II Wolsey had great diplomatic talents.
His Treaty of London secured a vital alliance with France and made England a major power in European politics.


B. Wolsey grasped the importance of clear, comprehensive treaties along modern lines and securing English safety..."

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