Thomas Wolsey

c. 1470/71 - 1530, English statesman and a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.

The son of an Ipswich butcher, Wolsey first went to the local grammar school, afterwards to Oxford. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the King´s almoner. He became the controlling figure in all matters of state and extremely powerful within the church. The highest political position he attained was Lord Chancellor, the King´s chief advisor. Wolsey´s downfall is usually connected with his inability to gain an annulment of the King´s marriage to Catherine of Aragon. He was stripped of his government office in 1529 and died shortly afterwards in 1530.

Wolsey had Hampton Court built for himself, after his downfall the King took over and today it is considered as one of the best examples of a Tudor Palace.