John Fisher as chancellor and Nicholas West as diocesan bishop, with Hugh Latimer being most prominent amongst these new reformists. Beyond the universities, the line between Lutheranism and anti-clericalism (and more broad demands for reform) was blurred, and Wolsey was called upon numerous times to hear appeals in the legatine court against losses of preaching licenses and accusations of heresy, as well as organizing book-burnings and other anti-heretical measures. However, religious reform was a difficult issue, and Wolsey was awkwardly placed to deal with it. While he was empowered as to conduct monastic visitations and deal with lay and legate a latere clerical heresy, he had no clear target. Monasteries were, by and large, extremely popular throughout reign, with one of the most obvious expressions of this Henry’s popularity being the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536. Yet monasteries—which were generally exempted from diocesan interference—could very well fall short of their as with the Cistercian house at Tharne, which Wolsey visited in society’s standards, 1526. efforts to promote reform through education seemed to have Wolsey’s necessarily taken precedence over support for monasteries. This is further supported by plans to redraw diocesan boundaries at the expense of monastic houses. This Wolsey’s process was an ongoing one, and monastic reform took a substantial amount of time well into 1529. Wolsey’s However, from 1526 relationship with his monarch was beginning to Wolsey’s change. After the failure of the Amicable Grant, Henry appears to have made some attempts to branch out and seek counsel from other court figures. As we have seen, Wolsey had managed to anger the duke of Suffolk and the former friends of the duke of Buckingham, and his relationship with the earl of Surrey (and from 1524, the third duke of Norfolk) is difficult to ascertain. own psychology is uncertain and the Henry’s transition into adulthood may well have played a role in his growing interest monarch’s in diversifying his council. However, there is one event that certainly played a leading role in downfall, and managing the resulting diplomatic crises, religious Wolsey’s upheaval, and the vast cast of characters grew to dominate final years in Wolsey’s power. What initially motivated Henry to express uncertainty over the validity of his
John Fisher as chancellor and Nicholas West as diocesan bishop, with Hugh Latimer being most prominent amongst these new reformists. Beyond the universities, the line between Lutheranism and anti-clericalism (and more broad demands for reform) was blurred, and Wolsey was called upon numerous times to hear appeals in the legatine court against losses of preaching licenses and accusations of heresy, as well as organizing book-burnings and other anti-heretical measures. However, religious reform was a difficult issue, and Wolsey was awkwardly placed to deal with it. While he was empowered as legate a latere to conduct monastic visitations and deal with lay and clerical heresy, he had no clear target. Monasteries were, by and large, extremely popular throughout Henry’s reign, with one of the most obvious expressions of this popularity being the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536. Yet monasteries—which were generally exempted from diocesan interference—could very well fall short of their society’s standards, as with the Cistercian house at Tharne, which Wolsey visited in 1526. Wolsey’s efforts to promote reform through education seemed to have necessarily taken precedence over support for monasteries. This is further supported by Wolsey’s plans to redraw diocesan boundaries at the expense of monastic houses. This process was an ongoing one, and monastic reform took a substantial amount of Wolsey’s time well into 1529. However, from 1526 Wolsey’s relationship with his monarch was beginning to change. After the failure of the Amicable Grant, Henry appears to have made some attempts to branch out and seek counsel from other court figures. As we have seen, Wolsey had managed to anger the duke of Suffolk and the former friends of the duke of Buckingham, and his relationship with the earl of Surrey (and from 1524, the third duke of Norfolk) is difficult to ascertain. Henry’s own psychology is uncertain and the monarch’s transition into adulthood may well have played a role in his growing interest in diversifying his council. However, there is one event that certainly played a leading role in Wolsey’s downfall, and managing the resulting diplomatic crises, religious upheaval, and the vast cast of characters grew to dominate Wolsey’s final years in power. What initially motivated Henry to express uncertainty over the validity of his
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