Abstract
The period between 1527 and 1534 in England was a period of transition. King Henry VIII up until this time period had been faithfully served by his chief minister Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. The English nobility had increasingly become unsatisfied and jealous of the absolute power Wolsey had commanded for so many years. Wolsey had done a good job solidifying his position as well as maintaining his monopoly over the ears of the King. A faction against Wolsey emerges at a crucial juncture for Henry, his divorce from Catherine of Aragon. The faction is successful in removing Wolsey from notoriety and influence. However, the ineptitude and lack of skill in administration that existed from those that had removed Wolsey paved the way for a new single chief minister, Thomas Cromwell. The intent of this thesis is to examine the transition from Wolsey to Cromwell. Using various primary sources including letters, parliamentary records, and observations of foreign ambassadors in addition to various secondary sources, the thesis follows the coming together of the faction against Wolsey to the collapse of that faction and the rise of Cromwell. Through analysis of these numerous sources it is shown that the failures of the anti-Wolsey faction to satisfy the King's greatest desire in addition to their overall weakness in governance paved the way for Cromwell.
Notes
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Thesis Completion
2011
Semester
Spring
Advisor
Larson, Peter
Degree
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
College
College of Arts and Humanities
Degree Program
History
Subjects
Arts and Humanities -- Dissertations, Academic;Dissertations, Academic -- Arts and Humanities
Format
Identifier
CFH0004105
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus-only Access
None
Document Type
Honors in the Major Thesis
Recommended Citation
Raphael, Brandon, "A time of transition from Wolsey to Cromwell in England" (2011). HIM 1990-2015. 1177.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015/1177