Do you agree with the view that the main reason for Wolsey’s fall from power was his failure to secure the annulment of the king’s marriage to Catherine?

1)Failed to secure annulment
2)Factions against him-Aristocrats and anne boleyn out to get him
3)Combination of factors

Thomas Wolsey’s rapid rise to power following the first French war is often overshadowed by his even faster downfall by 1529. The third source heavily implies that Wolsey’s downfall was due to factions in particular the Boleyn faction, but it also subtly suggests Wolsey’s previous failures i.e. the amicable grant “fiasco” made him much more susceptible to criticism and helped sow doubt into Henrys mind. Source 4 supports the third source and also brings to attention the role played by another group of people- the aristocrats- who despised Wolsey and as Loades claims Wolsey was a “victim of factional intrigues organised by leading aristocrats”. However the final source totally disagrees with the theory that it was purely factions that resulted in Wolsey’s downfall and instead supports the statement given to an extent, but believes it was a combination of factors that resulted in his downfall, something which the evidence tends to support.
There is no doubt that Wolsey’s inability to secure an annulment of Henrys marriage to Catherine infuriated Henry and Wolsey’s sacking was a direct response to this failure. By 1529 the pope was under the control of Charles V after the latter’s victory at the battle of Landriano, and as the nephew of Catherine it was unlikely he would allow the pope to issue a dispensation for the marriage to Anne. If Wolsey had been allowed to go about the annulment in his own way and not be forced down the route of claiming the marriage was invalid due to Leviticus stating “one cannot marry his deceased brothers wife for it is an unclean thing” as Henry had persisted, then perhaps his attempts would have been more successful. It cannot be disputed that this was the trigger of Wolsey’s downfall, but it could be argued his position by 1529 was so weak his job was near enough untenable and his sacking was inevitable due to “the kings weakened trust in him”. Loades’ source is the only one of the three which suggests Wolsey’s downfall was at least in part due to his inability to secure an annulment, however its opinion certainly carries more weight than the first which is by Wolsey’s friend and servant George Cavendish who not only would be exceptionally loyal to Wolsey, but his knowledge of the complex political dimensions occurring would most probably be exceptionally limited.
The argument that Wolsey’s downfall was in fact caused by a combination of groups targeting him is certainly quite convincing. Both source three and four imply this is the case. Cavendish writes in his book written some 15 years after working for Wolsey an account which heavily implies Wolsey’s downfall was due to Anne Boleyn, attributing quotes to her such as “consider what debt and danger he [Wolsey] has brought you into” and “had my father behaved in the same manner he would have lost his head”. Assuming what Cavendish says is true, it is highly plausible that Boleyn was a catalyst for his downfall, as it is known how infatuated Henry was with Anne her word carried significant weight, furthermore Lotherington in source four not only believes Boleyn caused Wolsey’s downfall but the aristocracy as a whole applied enough pressure to cause Henry to get rid of the cardinal. Wolsey’s abysmal relation with the rich was clear for everyone to see- most notably in the courts where Wolsey overwhelmingly turned the tides of rich victories to become the champion of the poor, this not only inevitably infuriated the wealthy but they already had a strong dislike of the “butchers cur from Ipswich”; leader of this faction against the cardinal according to Lotherington was Charles Brandon the duke of Suffolk. The veracity of source three however must be investigated, not only are Cavendish’s claims based on what he “heard reported by them that waited on the king” but furthermore Cavendish has every reason to mislead, the man who he worked closely with for seven years had had his reputation destroyed and Cavendish will have wanted to restore his good name. Furthermore the aristocracy had despised Wolsey from day one, so it is difficult to be sympathetic to the argument that after 15 years of service Henry decided to listen to the aristocracy, in order to last 15 years so close to Henry their relationship must have been fantastic and so something major or indeed a combination of big errors on Wolsey’s behalf must have caused his downfall.
Therefore it is certainly most plausible to suggest that Wolsey’s downfall was due to a succession of failures on his part as well as mounting unpopularity. In 1525 Wolsey’s disastrous attempt to raise money for an invasion of France shattered the illusion of his invincibility and became the platform for all his enemies to launch smear campaigns. His failure in “the amicable grant fiasco” is a key reason for his downfall according to source five but also source three implicitly suggests that the damage done by this failure was so extensive that years later it still niggled in the kings mind and Boleyn would use this to her advantage to manipulate the king stating “consider what debt and danger he has brought you into” Loades agrees that the damage done by the amicable grant failure resulted in the kings “weakened trust in him”. Clearly this was the first stage of the downfall of the cardinal. The pressure exerted by factions who despised Wolsey although not particularly influential were a cause for concern for the cardinal as it was seen he was often paranoid of the aristocracy going as far as having the duke of Buckinghamshire executed, however the influence of opposition significantly grew with the introduction of the Boleyn faction who believed Wolsey was incapable of ensuring an annulment and so Anne’s influence over the king which by his own admission was huge (he had her killed for witchcraft due to how she managed to control him so well) certainly contributed to his fall. On top of these two factors Henrys personal fury at Wolsey for not securing an annulment was perhaps the final nail in the coffin. The Kings Great Matter was as important as the name suggests and Henry who was a relatively religious man or at least deeply superstitious would have been mortified that the pope was not on his side and he could not progress smoothly with a marriage to Anne.
It is clear to see the Wolsey’s failure to secure an annulment directly resulted in his downfall, however based on the sources and from the complex nature of Henrician politics it is most plausible to conclude that Wolsey’s disastrous attempt at raising the amicable grant, which would have potentially allowed Henry to achieve his lifelong aim of gaining the French crown, was the start of a slippery slope for the cardinal, and combined with deep hatred and mistrust from the country’s most elite including Boleyn resulted in Wolsey’s position becoming exceptionally uncertain and by 1529 when it became apparent Wolsey would not acquire an annulment Henry had finally had enough, therefore his failure to get an annulment was a significant reason for his downfall, but it is not clear to see which is the main reason for his downfall as the evidence suggests it is a combination of the factors discussed.