Downfall

• Success in foreign policy- Wolsey did manage to increase English influence in Europe, Field of cloth and treaties of London Bruges should be viewed as wolseys greatest achievements
• Failures in foreign policy - this was W most important task, England was weak so not an easy job, England was still not as powerful as France or the Habsburgs and struggled to compete with the, attempts to achieve military glory against France achieved nothing and he was powerless to stop Charles walking all over them and the French alliance 1525-29 was a failure
• Catherine of Aragon- 1st wife- 3years of age she was betrothed to King Henry3rd eldest Arthur, he died with “sweating sickness” and then got annulled and married in private ceremony to younger bro Henry as he assumed the death of his father was a sign of gods will.
• Henry loved Catherine of Aragon but she kept delivering girls, had a son in 1511 but the male heir died. they had 6children all 5 boys died and 1 girl survived Mary
• Henry became obsessed (infatuated) with Anne Boleyn who refused to become his mistress
• Henry started to believe his sonless marriage was a punishment from god from marrying his dead bros widow. 1527- Henry sent Wolsey to pope to grant annulment which he refused to and Wolsey didn’t want to upset the pope as he had ambitions to be the pope one day. Pope held a trial and it ended without granting annulment so Wolsey was sacked as Lord and fell from power. Wolsey went to London to answer charged of treason but dies on route. Thomas Cromwell was waiting in the wings to take over from Wolsey
• Henry’s need for a son worried abt validity of marriage in the eyes of god and his love for Anne Boleyn all contributed to his decisions for annulment
• Wolsey didn’t get annulment cus he could not over come the queens determined opposition and cus the pope dominated by Catherine’s nephew