Abstract
This paper examines the life of Thomas Cardinal Wolsey (1475-1530) who was the Lord Chancellor to King Henry VIII. It provides a brief outline of his life from his childhood, education, rise in the church and finally to his position under the King. It looks at how Wolsey was treated as a trusted and capable, if ambitious, man who carried out the King's will but often did so in ways that he devised himself and not infrequently, developed strategies of his own that were sanctioned by the King. It analyzes whether Wolsey's eventual disgrace and fall and Henry's willingness to treat him as a scapegoat merit the term pawn and how 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.

From the Paper
"Wolsey was the son of a prosperous grazier and his brilliance secured him a place at Magdalene College Oxford. He was ordained in 1498 and began his relatively slow climb to eminence by serving various influential men until, in 1507, he became chaplain to Henry VII and, in 1509, was appointed almoner and counselor to Henry VIII. From that point on Wolsey's rise proceeded at great speed--in both the ecclesiastical and secular realms. In 1514 he was appointed archbishop of York and in 1515 he was elevated to cardinal and to Lord Chancellor. Wolsey always coveted the position of archbishop of Canterbury, who was usually the effective head of the English church since the only other archbishopric in England, York, took in only the impoverished northern reaches. Gaining the cardinal's hat helped him achieve greater prominence in the church but it was not until, in 1518, Wolsey achieved the unusual status of papal legate (legatus a latere), or papal viceroy, that the cardinal became "as supreme over the English Church as Henry's favor made him over the English state" (Bindoff 83)."

Tags:church, divorce, catherine, of, aragon, lord, chancellor

Abstract
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..."

Abstract
This paper describes the House of Tudor, established when Henry Tudor wrested the crown away from Richard III, by featuring the reigns of Henry VII, Henry III, Edward, Mary Tudor and Elizabeth I. The paper reviews Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas Cromwell and Stephen Gardner, three main advisers to Henry VIII during his reign. The paper focuses on the Henrican Reformation and the conflict between the Catholics and the Protestant.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Those Who Shaped Henry VIII Court
The Henrican Reformation
Elizabeth I
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Cromwell had served as an aid to Wolsey, and had learned from Wolsey matters of state and church. Cromwell helped Henry VIII find a way to ignore the Collectanea. Cromwell proposed that the king seek a dissolution of marriage from an English court, through the Parliamentary authority. This was not the solution that Henry immediately accepted, because others among his inner circle, Norfolk and Suffolk among them, hoped to do it through the Church, and believed that they could exact pressure on the Church of England to make that happen."

Tags:authority, church, cromwell, elites, politician

Abstract
This paper examines Henry VIII's motivation to undertake a religious reformation in England, moving away from the Catholic church and instituting Protestantism in England. It further argues that the schism was not caused only by Henry's desire to marry Anne Boleyn. Rather, many factors influenced Henry's break from Rome. Particular attention is given to the influence and power held by Cardinal Wolsey, who is viewed as the true instigator behind Henry's desertion of the Church. Various historians and their theories about the Henrician Protestant Reformation are quoted throughout the paper. The paper concludes by citing the legacy of Henry's children and their religious views.

From the Paper
"To begin a coherent analysis of the division between Rome and England, it is first necessary to understand the environment in England as it pertained to the Tudor royal line. There is every indication that the Church in England was either misled, or ignored the urgency with which the Tudors viewed the continuation of the Tudor royal dynasty in England. In either case, whether the Church was misled, or whether the Church did not sense the urgency of the Tudor royal house in its continuation, it comes back to Cardinal Wolsey, who served as the link between the House of Tudor and the Church, and who, next to the king alone in England, and the Pope in Rome, was the most powerful man in the history of the schism. This is not to say that Henry's confessor, John Longland, Bishop of Lincoln, was not a powerful figure, nor that he was not complicit in the schism, which he was, because he conferred with Wolsey on a regular and consistent basis."

Tags:Reformation, Catholicism, Anne Boleyn, English Reformation, Tutors

Abstract
In this article, the writer first looks at the immediate circumstances in which Henry VIII first conceived the idea of divorce from Catherine. The paper then points out that there were also other surrounding factors that must be taken into consideration when considering whether Henry VIII's break with Rome really was driven by Henry's sole desire for divorce. The paper points out that some scholars say the role of Cardinal Wolsey, the king's advisor, was crucial in so far as he supposedly suggested the plan to the King himself; some point to the influence of Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon on his decisions; still others believe that the broader force of anti-clericalism ultimately played an important part since it helped transform a mere issue of divorce into one of a conflict between Church and State. The paper concludes that despite all these important factors, the chief factor for the break with Rome can be found with Henry himself and in his undoubted passion for Anne whose role in shoring up Henry's affection towards her and determination for the cause was far from unimportant in a desire that resulted in England rejecting the authority of the papacy.

Outline:
Introduction
The Strength of Henry's Desire
The Influence of Anne Boleyn
The Place of Anti-clericalism
Conclusions

From the Paper
"More fundamentally, it is questionable whether the Cardinal himself really did have intentions to become Pope. When Wolsey did obtain a position as a Cardinal in Rome, he frequently absented himself away from the place, even declining recommendations that he should go for his own benefit. Following accusations that his titular Church of St Cicilia was involved with embezzlement, he hardly exuded an air of concern about this as reflecting badly on his character and hence his potential candidacy. Nor did he make any serious attempt at cultivating a network of people on whom he could rely when it came to electing a Pope. Realistically, there was only one influential supporter, Campeggio, an acquaintance merely by virtue of him being a legate in England. Otherwise, Wolsey half-heartedly looked to minor figures that could not be expected to hold real clout. Even Silvestro Gigli, a diplomat, was treated rather indifferently in the role of go-between with Rome, so that Gigli was frequently moved to complain that Wolsey was not keeping him, and thus Rome, informed about developments in England."

Tags:Anne, Boleyn, Catherine, of, Aragon, marriage

From the Paper
"John Henry Newman was a major figure in the development of Roman Catholicism in England in the nineteenth century, and indeed he exercised a vital influence on the religious life of the nation. Newman left numerous writings about his life and his theology, and these have been influential ever since. His autobiography, Apologia pro Vita Sua, details his spiritual journey and the development of the theological thought that caused him to change his religious affiliation from the Anglican church to the Roman Catholic Church. In his autobiography, Cardinal Newman not only discusses the strength of his conversion and the nature of his spiritual shift, but also provides a strong defense of Catholicism against its critics and against those who would challenge his thought because of the conversion he underwent. Included in the work is an account of his role in the..."

Abstract
This paper discusses the steps leading up to Henry VIII's break from the Catholic Church and papal domination. The paper focuses on Henry's marriage to Catherine and his relationship with Ann Boleyn as motivating factors for his departure from the Roman Church.

From the Paper
"In the early sixteenth century, Europe was the stage for many grand social and political changes all of which altered the way in which man viewed himself and the world around him. No event, however, was more influential in the life of the individual than the ..."

Tags:Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon, Cardinal Wolsey, Pope, Protestant Reformation, Rome