ABSTRACT
Thomas Wolsey's emergence in public affairs during and after the French War of 1513 was due to the influence which he possessed with the King. Henry lacked the detailed concern for administration which had been the hallmark of his father's rule, and it was Wolsey's willingness to deal with such routine business which first commended him to the King. The formation of the League of Cognac against the Emperor in 1526 was brought about partly through English diplomacy, and Wolsey's desire to support the Pope, from whom he derived his legatine powers and who could dispense him to hold benefices in plurality. The history of Henry VIII's earlier years has generally been written in terms of Wolsey's foreign policy, and domestic issues have, comparatively speaking, been neglected; indeed there is scope for a study of magnate political manoeuvr-ings between 1509 and 1529.
