'The King's Servant' - How satisfactory is this view of Wolsey's position as Henry VIII's Minister

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Sahil Suleman LVI 1W                Wolsey Practice Essay                        

‘The King’s Servant’ – How satisfactory is this view of Wolsey’s position as Henry VIII’s Minister

        Thomas Wolsey rose from being the lowly son of a butcher, through various posts in the royal service, to become Lord Chancellor in December 1515, and remained at the pinnacle of the King’s service until his fall in October 1529.  To stay in power for so long, it needs to be established whether he spent his time as a ‘servant’ to the King, or as a authority in his own right.  Historian G.R.Elton stated that, ‘He had lasted so long because … he knew how to promote himself, and for most of the time, he knew how to keep henry satisfied.’  Elton’s words indicate what I believe are the two main factors in studying Wolsey’s ministry – how he served the King, and how much he did for himself.  It is my opinion that Wolsey, despite his plentiful policy in areas of little interest to the King like social and governmental reform, remained so prominent in the King’s service due to his ability to serve the King, allowing Henry to live life as a young ‘Renaissance Prince.’  The King also felt relatively safe giving such power to Wolsey, as he didn’t pose a threat to his throne in the way that some nobles or those of royal blood may have posed. However nature of the relationship between Henry and Wolsey was unusual, as it was not like the archetypal master-servant relationship.  In some of his letters to Wolsey, Henry signed off as ‘your loving friend and master,’ or referred to hims as ‘father’ in the spiritual sense of the word. George Cavendish, a contemporary, and Wolsey’s butler said "The king displayed a most loving disposition towards him, especially as he was most earnest and readiest among all the council to advance the King's mere will and pleasure."  The friendship seemed to work both ways, and although it has been suggested that Henry took Hampton Court by force, I am in agreement with most historians that Wolsey gave it to Henry as a gift.  To judge the extent to which Wolsey did serve his ‘master,’ it is necessary to analyse Wolsey’s work, and discover the true aim behind each of his major areas of policy.

        In studying Wolsey’s domestic policy, one must establish Henry’s role in this area, and in particular, what he wanted done and how much of it he was willing to do himself. As Henry was not the first son of his father Henry VII, he had not received the same royal training that his older brother Arthur had done, thus he had never really developed an interest in royal domestic affairs.  While Henry VII chose to rule the country himself, Henry VIII saw ruling his country as delegating jobs to other people so he could live a youthful life, spending time hunting and enjoying himself with other men of his age.  His lack of interest in day-to-day administrative affairs left a void to be filled, so the arrival in the his service of someone who not only excelled in the field, but was willing to serve his every need seems to have been the main reason for the King to keep Wolsey.  As Lord Chancellor, Wolsey was effectively head of the legal system.  However, as I established previously, Henry’s interest in fields such as this was limited, so he gave Wolsey power to do what he pleased (but he did have to approve Wolsey’s reform before it was implemented).  Wolsey became a contriver of many policies of reform in the legal system, notably with his personal service in the Court of Chancery, increasing the administering of law of equity as opposed to common law, and with his revision of the role of Star Chamber in 1516, so that it would dispense justice and oversee fairness in the legal system.  The question we need to ask is how much of this was done for the King, and how much did Wolsey do of his own accord, as arguments can be established for either opinion.  By sitting in on the Court of Chancery, Wolsey was taking on a lot of unnecessary extra work, and his enforcement of equity (which was seen as dangerously close to Roman Law) is evidence to suggest that Wolsey allegiance may not have only lain with Henry, but with the Pope as well. However, Wolsey himself had little or no legal training, and the work he carried out was rather early in his ministry, which suggests that is ultimate aim was to please the King by offering him exciting new plans of reform to keep him happy.  Also, the work he carried out in Star Chamber was demanded of him by Henry.  It is my personal opinion that Wolsey’s needed to maintain the King’s interest and appear as though he was working directly to serve the King, and this seems to have been his main priority, as this was the key to remaining in the King’s favour.

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        Wolsey’s background lay in religion rather than in law, so it seemed that anything policy he would implement would be more likely to reflect his own personal desires, rather than as a service to the King.  In 1514, he was made Archbishop of York, and in 1518, he was promoted to Papal Legate (a position which was conferred on him for life in 1524), effectively making him the most powerful man in the church.  The important question is that when serving the Pope in England, would he be acting for himself (and the Pope) or his master, the King?  Wolsey’s ...

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