Do you agree with the view that in 1515-25 Henry VIII wholly surrendered power in government to Cardinal Wolsey?

From 1515 -1525 was the beginning of Wolsey’s power to the height of influence.

On one hand Henry did completely surrendered his power in government to Wolsey. For example when Wolsey was organising the expedition to France in 1513, although he had held none of the major offices of state he had been able to mobilise the whole machinery of government to carry out his commands. This had been possible not because Wolsey was some sort of power hungry nobody but because the king had given Wolsey the power in the organisation of the expedition to France. ‘It must have seemed that a self indulgent king had wholly surrendered the care of state into the Cardinal’s hands’. Wolsey constantly manipulated Henry so Wolsey could pass laws and policy for instance he attempted to bring greater justice to the English legal system. He controlled both of the country’s legal systems and thus could always act within the law as he interpreted it, transferring cases from one court system to another as best suited his purposes, in complete defiance of past practises and existing conventions. This shows that Henry had given power to Wolsey throughout the years, even when he was next to no importance.

A reason for Wolsey’s power was that although he was rarely in the same place as the king, who spent a significant part of most of the years ‘progressing’ around the southern part of kingdom, whereas much of Wolsey’s time was spent committed to building up and maintaining his power base, without which he would ‘have been nothing’. Although Henry’s like of Wolsey was seemed too much; Henry would bring financial ruin to any family when one of its members was reported to have said something unflattering about Wolsey in hearing of the King, the like from Henry gave ...

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However, on the other hand there is contradiction in the statement because the Wolsey couldn’t have had definitive power because Wolsey is not King. ‘Wolsey held a dominant position in the government and controlled the distribution of patronage. However, he lacked the daily contact that the king shared with the minions, his friends and associates among the nobility. And of course the ultimate source of power’ Henry couldn’t have wholly surrendered his power because he was the nobles patron where as Wolsey was merely a pawn in which Henry used for doing his bidding whilst he went ‘progressing’ around the southern part of kingdom. In the short term it seemed that Wolsey had really did get all the power but when it came to matters that involving the Pope and Henry, Wolsey had very real little power over what happened because either way Wolsey would have had displeased one party. Wolsey’s power was superficial; Wolsey dealt with the day-to- day basis and occasionally took major initiatives without the prior agreement, or even knowledge, of his master, it is equally certain that Henry intervened decisively at times to redirect events as he wished them to go. However, Wolsey he was still given the power even though he was at the King’s mercy.

In conclusion I don’t agree with the statement because Henry couldn’t of given exclusively power Wolsey but certainly gave as much as Wolsey would take to make him powerful and wealthier than the King. Even in 1520 Wolsey was doing the King’s bidding ‘writing is somewhat tedious to me… not to allow anyone else to bear this message. I desire you to keep a careful watch… any other others of whom you are suspicious’ when the King didn’t want to do himself. He was the end of something rather than the beginning; as someone who and little long term effect on anything, and therefore as being of little significance even if he did managed to have some sort of power in the short term.

Source 4 – (From J.J. Scarisbrick, Henry VIII, published 1968)

Source 5 – (From John Lotherington, The Tudor Years, published 1994)

Source 6 – (From a letter written by Henry VIII to Cardinal Wolsey in 1520)

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Kate Forbes

1st of Mar 2012

*** This is a very real example of what might be produced under pressure of timed conditions. Essays must be planned before starting to write. There needs to be an argument that is set out at the start of the essay and there must be accurate and relevant detail from the period to support the key points. This essay has some but not enough supporting detail and the argument is too black and white.

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