Thomas Wosley

Thomas Wolsey was a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and a political figure in England during the late 1400's and early 1500's. Wolsey became Henry VII's almoner -- a church officer who was in charge of distributing alms to the poor. His power continued to grow, and by 1514 he was in charge of almost all the matters of the state. He was extremely powerful within the Church. His highest political position was as Lord Chancellor, the King's chief advisor. In the Church he became Archbishop of York and he was made a cardinal in 1515.
Wolsey was close with the King until he could not get the Vatican to allow Henry to divorce Katherine. In a letter from Anne Boleyn to Wolsey, Anne says, "I cannot comprehend, and the king still less, how your reverent lordship, after having allured us by so many fine promises about divorce, can have repented of your purpose, and how you could have done what you have, in order to hinder the consummation of it" (http://englishhistory.net/tudor/letter8.html). From that point on Wolsey was not on good terms with the King. In 1529, Wolsey's government position and property were taken from him. At Cawood, he was accused of treason and ordered to go to London. On the way there he fell ill and died on Novemeber 29, 1530.

Sources:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Wolsey
http://englishhistory.net/tudor/letter8.html


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