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Thomas Wolsey

Type Figure Region England Time c. 1473–1530 Also known as Thomas Wolsey、Cardinal Wolsey

English cardinal and lord chancellor who effectively dominated Henry VIII's government from 1514 to 1529, rising from keeper of the seals to archbish…

Timeline

  1. 1514York · YorkshireWolsey was appointed Archbishop of York by Pope Leo X, reaching the summit of the English church. This consolidated his influence beside Henry and paved the way for his later combination of the chancellorship with both secular and ecclesiastical power.
  2. 1515–1529Westminster · LondonWolsey succeeded Warham as lord chancellor, becoming Henry VIII's de facto chief minister. He presided over the Star Chamber, promoted financing for the war with France and reorganized the Privy Council, his power unmatched in the early Tudor period.
  3. 1515–1518London · LondonPope Leo X raised Wolsey to cardinal, placing him second only to the papal legate in the English church. His dual secular and ecclesiastical rank allowed him to intervene directly in European diplomacy, representing Henry at continental negotiations.
  4. 1518–1520London · LondonWolsey brought about the signing of the Treaty of London by multiple European powers in 1518, proposing a league of universal peace, and prepared the Field of the Cloth of Gold meeting of 1520. Though his continental balance-of-power vision did not last, it showed the peak of his influence as an international mediator.

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