Sunday, February 01, 2015

Question from CasaNova73099 - Conflict between Wolsey, Norfolk, and Thomas Boleyn

Does anyone know more about the history behind the bad blood between Thomas Wolsey and the (3rd) Duke of Norfolk and Thomas Boleyn? I can understand it as far as everything in relation to their political ambition to make Anne Boleyn the next queen, though I would have also thought that a largely Catholic family would for the most part be in support of a cardinal, so what else caused this?

1 comment:

PhD Historian said...

It was in part a matter of power and influence. Cardinal Wolsey was the senior churchman in England, while Thomas Howard was the senior noble. Wolsey had more influence with the king than did Howard, and thus more power, and that rankled with Howard. Pushing his distant relation Anne Boleyn forward as a new wife for the king was itself an attempt by Howard at gaining favor and thus greater influence and power. Also consider the traditional generalized struggle between the church and the nobility for power in the realm (e.g.: Henry II and Thomas Beckett).