Laura Southern

To what extent does Thomas Wolsey deserve his traditionally bad reputation?

In order to answer the question “To what extent does Thomas Wolsey deserve his traditionally bad reputation?” many different points will be considered. This essay will be looking at various aspects in his career that either contributed to or did not contribute to the negative way in which Wolsey is viewed in History.

        One of the first things that needs to be looked at is Justice. Wolsey was very interested in the Justice system which at the time in England’s was very expensive, slow, and complex and was generally not meeting people’s needs. Wolsey as Lord Chancellor had control over two courts and decided to expand them in order to make justice more accessible. These changes made it easier, cheaper, and faster to get a hearing in England. The improvements made by Wolsey were successful in enhancing England’s justice system and were meeting more people’s needs than before. However, at the same time as he was helping ordinary people access justice he was also making enemies as in order to do this he often made Lawyers work for no fee.

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        The next thing that needs to be taken into account is Wolsey’s influence on regional councils. At the time it was very hard to control the whole of England as it was so spread out and communication was limited. Like with England’s justice system, Wolsey decided to develop the council of the north and the prince’s council in Ludlow in order to make controlling the outer extremities of England. These councils could deal with serious cases as well as civil cases. Despite the efforts Wolsey put into this idea it was never very effective and was probably a contributing factor ...

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