The King's servant vs his mistress: Cardinal Wolsey's relationship with Anne Boleyn
- Jade Lynch
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
Portrait at Trinity College, Cambridge, c. 1585–1596.
Thomas Wolsey, born around 1475, came from humble beginnings but rose in station to become one of Henry VIII’s most trusted advisors. From 1515 to 1529, Wolsey's rule was undisputed across England, and Henry trusted him with state business and foreign policy [1]. However, unfortunately for Wolsey, this was not to last. His downfall came with Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife, and life for him was never the same once she had caught the eye of the King.
. . .
Thomas Wolsey is thought to have been the son of a butcher who ran a tavern in a town in Ipswich. His family had money and property, but were not part of the traditional ruling classes of medieval England [2]. However, Wolsey was provided with a good education at Oxford University. After his graduation, he was ordained as a priest and constantly sought to move himself up the ranks, eventually becoming chaplain to King Henry VII.
Upon the death of Henry VII, Wolsey rapidly rose to power by making himself as indispensable as possible to Henry VIII. The new King was only eighteen in 1509, so Wolsey made sure to pay special attention to him, indulged his whims, and “earned a reputation for efficiency and managing the tedious workloads of everyday government” [2].
In 1514, Thomas Wolsey was created Archbishop of York, and a year later the Pope made him a Cardinal. Soon after this, Henry VIII appointed him Lord Chancellor.
A key moment in Wolsey’s political career was his arrangement of the Field of Cloth and Gold, the peaceful meeting between England, France, and the Holy Roman Empire. It is reported that he negotiated “a complex series of peace treaties, supported by the Pope, who wanted the whole of Europe to stand together against the threat of the expanding Islamic empire of the Ottomans” [2]. At this point, Wolsey was more popular than ever… Until the arrival of Anne Boleyn.
King Henry had not yet had a son and heir, and he grew increasingly frustrated at his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. As he had achieved everything before, Henry entrusted Wolsey with the task of finding a way to end his marriage to Catherine of Aragon so that he could marry again. Despite his attempts, Wolsey failed to persuade the Pope to provide Henry with an annulment.
Convinced that Wolsey had loyalty to the Pope instead of England, it is known that Anne Boleyn played a part in ensuring that he was dismissed from public office in 1529. At the time, Wolsey’s chamberlain records that servants who waited on Henry and Anne heard her say “that the dishonour Wolsey had brought upon the realm would have cost any other Englishman his head” [3].
Wolsey's favour with the King began to dwindle and he became widely disliked, particularly among those around Anne Boleyn. In November of 1530, Wolsey was arrested and accused of treason [1]. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on what Henry had planned…), on the way to his trial, Wolsey became very unwell and died in the early hours of 29th November [2].
Despite an incredible rise to power, Wolsey had a quick fall and was described by his successors and enemies as a villain who deserved his fate [2].
Henry and Anne were married in a secret ceremony on 14 November 1532.
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