Wolsey: Year 12 Presentations

1
Wolsey Year 12 Presentations

• Great men who finally break down under
  misfortunes give proof that till then they have
  been supported by ambitions and not by brains.
  Aside from a vast vanity, heroes are but ordinary
  men.

2
Its the power of Wolsey

• Wolsey, with his arrogance and ambition, raised
  against himself the hatred of the whole people
  and, in his hostility towards nobles and common
  folk, procured their great irritation at his
  vainglory. His own odiousness was truly
  complete, because he claimed he could undertake
  himself almost all public duties.
• Every time he wished to obtain something from
  Henry he introduced the matter casually in top
  his conversation then he brought out some small
  present or other, a beautifully fashioned dish,
  for example, or a jewel or ring or gifts of that
  sort, and while the king was admiring the gift
  intently, Wolsey would adroitly bring forward the
  project on which his mind was fixed. - P. VERGIL

3
WOLSEY

• What is Vergil implying here about Wolseys
  success?
• Provenance by Vergil Vergil was imprisoned by
  Wolsey in 1515
• Published in 1532, revised 1546, Henry VIII King
  how had his relationship with Wolsey changed by
  this time?
• How should these factors affect our assessment of
  such as evidence? Was Wolsey really such a
  Villain? More to the point what had Wolsey
  done to have such enemiesclearly Wolsey had
  enemies in high places. But why?

4
ISSUES RELATING TO WOLSEY AND POWER
Kings Minister or Countrys ruler?

• A Victim of the Kings or his own
• ambition?

Cardinal first?
WOLSEY AND POWER
Usurper of Noble power, place privilege
Foreign Policy success, failure?
Enforcer? Reformer?
Chief Adviser to King, friend?
Just an ideas man?
5
Elton on Wolsey Is This Fair?

• Anyone with eyes in his head could see that
  Wolsey had tried to do the impossible, to rule as
  king when he was not king , to ignore the legal
  and constitutional traditions of England and
  substitute for them his own self-confident
  judgement, to do a highly professional job in a
  very amateur manner. He had lasted so long
  because in two things he was not amateur at all
  he knew how to promote himself, and for most of
  the time he knew how to keep Henry satisfied.

6
Still Elton on Wolsey Is this more fair?

• Wolseys long period of ascendancy proved
  essentially sterile, nor do the many links
  between the before and the after alter this
  verdict at all. And why should this surprise?
  Wolsey was not a creative or reflective man, but
  an uncomplicated activist, a magnificent if often
  extravagant manipulator of what was available.
  And here lies some measure of redemption. To
  recognise that Wolsey contributed virtually
  nothing to the future is not to discard the
  present. For fifteen years he impressed England
  and Europe with his grandeur, his hard work, his
  skill and intelligence, and his very positive
  action in the affairs of this world. He often
  achieved what he set out to do, even if
  subsequent events showed his aims to have been
  mistaken and his solutions to have been
  patchwork. He made a great and deserved name,
  and his age would have been very different
  without him. And surely, this is something
  surely it is enough.

7
WOLSEY

• Deceitful diplomatist?
• True servant of the king?
• Extravagant spendthrift?
• Energetic reformer?
• peace-loving statesman?
• Greedy egoist?
• Impartial dispenser of justice?

8
So

• Wolsey what kind of man, minister, adviser,
  Cardinal?
• What do you think its over to you!