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Lot Essay
Sir Thomas Wolsey, the son of an Ipswich butcher, began his career in the church, becoming archbishop of York in 1514. He rose in stature and dominated the government and foreign policy of Henry VIII during the first two decades of his reign, becoming Lord Chancellor of England in 1515.
Before the need to obtain a divorce from Catherine of Aragon necessitated Henry's break with Rome, due to her failure to provide him with a male heir, the King had been a staunch upholder of the Catholic faith. He defended it from attack by the radical cleric Martin Luther who was excommunicated and denounced as a heretic in 1521. In recognition of this, Pope Leo X invested him with the title "Defender of the Faith". Thus, Wolsey is shown enthroned, surrounded by officials supervising the burning of works by Martin Luther on a raised platform, St. Paul's beyond, surrounded by a large crowd. A priest stands at a lectern preaching from the bible as the flames rise before him.
When Wolsey failed to get Henry his divorce, his fall from grace was swift and the King broke with Rome, making himself Supreme Head of the Church in England. Although Henry VIII did not seek Protestant reform during the remainder of his reign, the break with Rome brought the Protestant Reformation and many of Luther's teachings to England which were eagerly adopted by Henry's son Edward VI and his daughter Elizabeth I.
Before the need to obtain a divorce from Catherine of Aragon necessitated Henry's break with Rome, due to her failure to provide him with a male heir, the King had been a staunch upholder of the Catholic faith. He defended it from attack by the radical cleric Martin Luther who was excommunicated and denounced as a heretic in 1521. In recognition of this, Pope Leo X invested him with the title "Defender of the Faith". Thus, Wolsey is shown enthroned, surrounded by officials supervising the burning of works by Martin Luther on a raised platform, St. Paul's beyond, surrounded by a large crowd. A priest stands at a lectern preaching from the bible as the flames rise before him.
When Wolsey failed to get Henry his divorce, his fall from grace was swift and the King broke with Rome, making himself Supreme Head of the Church in England. Although Henry VIII did not seek Protestant reform during the remainder of his reign, the break with Rome brought the Protestant Reformation and many of Luther's teachings to England which were eagerly adopted by Henry's son Edward VI and his daughter Elizabeth I.