Thomas Wolsey: A Man for His King - Essay Example

Thomas Wolsey: A Man for His King Your School Henry VIII, romantic and impractical, favored Thomas Wolsey for a number of reasons, among them because Wolsey usually agreed with him and was happy to wield the power that held less fascination for Henry than a good game of cards. While many modern historians castigate Wolsey as manipulative and power-hungry, Wolsey was a loyalist, although also a pragmatist. Although he loved power, he served his King to the best of his ability. His success was due to his intelligence and skill at government and diplomacy as well as the King's lack of interest in overseeing his own affairs. Some of the ill-will directed toward Wolsey results from his humbled origins as a butcher's son and his meteoric rise to become the second most powerful man in England. However, Wolsey was no false-faced upstart, but a highly intelligent fellow. It is reported that, "he took his degree as a Bachelor of the Arts at the very early age of fifteen, which so impressed the scholars at Oxford that he was called the 'boy-bachelor'" (Ridley, 1982, p. 18). Later he also took an M.A. and became a headmaster. True, Wolsey had ambition, and his education, entry into the priesthood, and transitional positions were stepping-stones to a power, but who can fault ambition in a man of humble origins His father sent him to Oxford because he wanted a better life for his son. The law at the time was still skewed against the lower classes. Only a complete fool would not desire to move up in the socio-economic hierarchy, and Wolsey was far from a fool. He never had difficultly impressing his social superiors, beginning with his first patron, the Marquess of Dorset. Even though Dorset died shortly after appointing Wolsey rector, Wolsey had made other powerful friends, and soon became chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury and then the Governor of Calais, giving "Wolsey a wide experience of many sides of government, especially of relations with foreign countries, and a foothold in the government service" (Ridley, 1982, p. 22). In this politically sensitive outpost of English rule, Wolsey had "the opportunity to learn about the problems of many aspects of government administration and to show his efficiency in dealing with them (Ridley, 1982, p. 23). He must maintain the lines of communication between the Crown and those owing allegiance to England in Calais; he must keep an eye on the French military and guard against French spies. These things he did without Henry VIII, who was not yet king. In fact, as a result of his skillful work in Calais, Wolsey became a chaplain in Henry VII's court and worked with those who made foreign policy. He succeeded, on his own, on sensitive diplomatic missions to Scotland, Austria, and the Netherlands, while receiving special dispensations from the Church. Prior to Henry VIII's ascension, Wolsey garnered remarkable power and prestige by navigating his responsibilities and balancing his social connections, for which reasons alone we must discard the idea that his later power and prestige sprung directly from manipulation and deceit toward the King. When Henry VIII came to power, "The accession of a handsome and dashing young king in place of his cautious and money-grasping father was welcomed by the people" (Ridley, 1982, p. 28), but it was the differences between the two kings that allowed Wolsey to rise through the ranks. The old King had been conservative and dedicated to his role as King. The young King was fiscally liberal and immediately began taping the coffers for clothes, jewels, and parties. He resented boring duties and disliked those who advised him to spend more time at them. Wolsey knew how to please the king. While others "urged Henry to preside at Council meetings, as his father had done, and to devote his time to affairs of the state, Wolsey offered to carry out all the work of government while Henry hunted and amused himself[Wolsey] found out what the king wanted, and did it" (Ridley, 1982, p. 39). He did not need to manipulate or deceive. Rather, he needed only to do what the King wanted and be rewarded accordingly. By 1515, Wolsey had cemented his political allegiance. Although he opposed war, he knew that Henry romanticized and favored war, and Wolsey, rather than making himself unpopular with either the Crown or the people, found ways to help the English save face and end wars. At this time, the Pope made Wolsey cardinal, honoring him above other cardinals. In 1515, Wolsey was "supreme in the Privy council, and personally directed all aspects of both home and foreign affairs" (Ridley, 1982, p. 50), with the approval of the King, the Pope, and his former superiors. He worked twelve hours a day and consulted the King on major decisions. He and the King were usually in agreement, and when they disagreed, the decision went sometimes to the King and sometimes to Wolsey. There is every indication that Wolsey's power was granted because he wielded it excellently, in a way that pleased the King. There is no indication that he lied to or manipulated his monarch. In those ten years of power, when "the King and the Cardinal" became an English expression indicating the power held by the two men in conjunction, Wolsey also continued to rise in the Church. Although his trajectory was greased with bribe money, this was common practice at the time, and only increased Henry's cachet as well as Wolsey's ability to do his job. By 1518, Henry's war had come to naught, "but thanks to the skill with which Wolsey handled the diplomatic negotiations, [England] had enhanced her prestige" (Ridley, 1982, p. 55). The entire country celebrated his skill as a diplomat; Wolsey "was universally considered to be the chief architect of the peace; and he played a leading part in the ceremonies with which the peace was proclaimed in London with unprecedented pomp and extravagance" (Ridley, 1982, p. 55). We can surmise that Wolsey probably enjoyed the honors heaped upon him; we cannot infer that he did not earn them. As the decade proceeded, Wolsey worked to maintain the uneasy peace between England and France, and favored the King over the Pope. It is true that he used the controversy surrounding Luther's heresy in the early 1520s for personal gain, but for Wolsey, accruing power for himself brought more glory to the king. When Henry helped the Pope by writing against Luther, "Wolsey wished to make the maximum propaganda out of it, and to ensure that Henry was rewarded for it by being granted an honorific title by the Pope" (Ridley, 1982, p. 94). Henry and Wolsey had a beneficial relationship, and Wolsey was the highest officer in the state, as well as the ruler of the English church. To foreigners, it appeared that he held the greater power, but to Henry, Wolsey was a loyal subject who did everything the King desired. He was, "learned, and eloquent as a speaker. He was very able, and worked very hard. He had the reputation of being very just as a judge. He was always favourable to the common people, especially to the poor" (Ridley, 1982, p. 99). In short he was wholly suited for his position. Any unscrupulous behavior in which he engaged was directed outward, toward those who opposed England. The bulk of his energy and deceit was directed to the cause of English supremacy over the French. Throughout his tenure as the King's right-hand man, Wolsey chose to work closely with Henry and to make choices that would please Henry. He did not need to deceive or manipulate the monarch because his actions were in line with Henry's desire; Wolsey knew better than anyone how to make Henry happy. Although he may not have been completely honest or scrupulous in his dealings with others, Henry's honor was always foremost in his mind, tied as it was with his own honor. Not until the difficulties with Henry's annulment did Wolsey ever displease his King. In this, Wolsey was only trying to be his normal, diplomatic self. He might have chosen to deceive or manipulate Henry to save his own fortune at this time, but he did not. Perhaps it was his reluctance to do so that ended his reign of power and prestige. Reference Ridley, J. (1982). Statesman and Saint: Cardinal Wolsey, Sir Thomas More and the Polics of Henry VIII. New York: Viking. Read More