Assess the claim made by the Venetian ambassador in 1519 that Wolsey ruled both the King and the entire Kingdom.

There is a lot of evidence in the form of primary sources supporting the fact that Wolsey was the person who conjured up many ideas that Henry himself had accredited himself for. The majority of this support is from accounts taken directly from the period of Henry and Wolsey making it first-hand evidence however there are factors that could potentially mean that these sources are of a biased view as the writer’s may have begrudged either the King or Wolsey. Recently, there are a lot more historians of the opinion that at the end of the day Henry was in charge over Wolsey as he is King and nothing can take this dominance and power away from him.
In my opinion, despite the fact that Wolsey did most of the groundwork and served Henry extremely well (and it is arguable that without Wolsey, England would be in a much worse state than it is with him as he was that important in the running of the country) Henry is ultimately in charge of the country and Wolsey for a number of reasons.
Firstly, the quote “Had I but served God as diligently as I have served the King, He would not have given me over in my grey hairs" the word ‘served’ is extremely important as it shows the balance of power between Henry and Wolsey. Everyone in England was a servant to the King as he is the most powerful man in the country, Wolsey was no different to any other person in this sense. This quotation also shows the dedication and work Wolsey put into serving the King as he compares the amount he served Henry to how he had served God. Wolsey was Cardinal, which is a massive role in the Catholic Church. Ultimately, his number one objective should be to serve God but clearly, as shown in this quote, Henry was second to none showing the importance of Henry to Wolsey.
Secondly, as well as Wolsey, Henry was also regarded as an intelligent and capable man. Surely, throughout the fifteen years that Wolsey was chief of minister, this intelligence did not cease to prevail. Henry obviously placed his trust in Wolsey and gave him his independence and the freedom to increase his wealth as long as Wolsey served the King to a suitable standard. While Henry decided on policy, Wolsey carried out and in doing this increased the trust within their relationship.
Also, it was obvious to Wolsey that his current position in the land depended entirely on Henry as even though he held an extremely high position as legatus a latere, Wolsey was aware that this could count for nothing if the King disputed it. The King’s superiority over Wolsey is shown in the example of the decision for a new Abbess. 1528, a new abbess was needed for a nunnery in Wilton, Wiltshire. Henry had decided that the position should go to one of his courtier’s relations. Wolsey thought otherwise and appointed someone else. Henry was livid, as a royal wish had been ignored. Henry sent three letters to Wolsey demanding an explanation. It was only on the third that Wolsey realized just how difficult his position was. He claimed that he had not fully understood the instructions or letters of the king and sent his profuse apologies. Just one year later, Wolsey was relieved of all his government positions. In these circumstances, Henry let Wolsey develop his own wealth and power base simply because they did not threaten Henry. Henry could remove Wolsey. Wolsey could not remove Henry. This example shows that despite the King and Wolsey having a seemingly faultless relationship, everything could come to blows instantly. This highlights the King’s position ruling over Wolsey as it shows that serving the King is the main priority and no matter who you are, you will be punished for not completing requests from him.
Finally, one of the main pieces of evidence supporting the fact that Henry ultimately was always in charge of the Kingdom and Wolsey, is the events leading to Wolsey’s death. Henry and Wolsey’s relationship took a huge turn for the worse when Henry requested an annulment to his marriage from Catherine of Aragon and Wolsey failed to deliver this. As Wolsey was legatus a latere, he had confirmed the ease of being able to gain the approval of the Papacy in order to carry out the annulment as he was of high regards in Rome. When Wolsey failed to provide Henry with good news concerning the annulment, Henry was livid and Wolsey had left himself open to attack not just from Henry but from a large number of people who opposed him and his views. Henry used the law against Wolsey who was accused of praemunire, the punishment if found guilty was imprisonment at the king’s pleasure and confiscation of all property. Wolsey later died on his way to imprisonment. Once again, this shows that Henry was always in charge over Wolsey, and although Wolsey had a substantial part in certain ideas and policies. He was always under the watchful eye of the King, who had the power to dispose of him whenever the time was to be.