The day Cardinal Wolsey went to Hell

In January 1531, two months after the death of Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas Boleyn - father of Anne Boleyn - invited to his London home French Ambassador Claude la Guische. For this evening, Thomas Boleyn and Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, put together a performance to be acted out especially for the ambassador.

Cardinal Thomas Wolsey

Spanish Ambassador Eustace Chapuys wrote of the event;

"invited to supper Monsieur de la Guische, for whose amusement he caused a farce to be acted of the Cardinal going down into Hell"

This play was a farce entitled 'The going to Hell of Cardinal Wolsey' which depicted the deceased Cardinal's journey down to Hell.
The two men wanted to show off their own new positions as important court figures now that Wolsey had gone, as well as to emphasise that Wolsey's reign is over and that his methods and influences were in the past and a new era had begun; a Howard era. The inclusion of having a Cardinal, a man of the Catholic church, being abused and sent to hell was a euphemism for the growing hatred King Henry held for the Catholic church and the Pope, which had arisen due to the Pope's refusal to grant Henry a divorce.
The fact that this was performed specifically for the French ambassador is also of significance; immediately before Wolsey's downfall the French were plotting with him, as the two had shared a 'special relationship'. Also, Boleyn and Howard saw this as an opportunity to present themselves to the French as the possible new intermediaries between the French and King Henry.

The French ambassador was not amused by the spectacle - Chapuys wrote that;

"he much blamed the earl, and still more the Duke for his ordering the said fare to be printed"

Following the performance Thomas Howard gave the order to have the play printed so that the sentiments expressed in it could be spread to many others at court.
The play was later performed at the royal court for the king; Wolsey being played by the court jester and the devils dragging him down to hell by four noblemen.

A scandalous Carey nun

William Carey, who married into the Boleyn family, had a family which wasn't short on its own scandal. The Carey family were descended from Edmund Beaufort, and therefore were cousins to King Henry VIII, through his grandmother Margaret Beaufort.

Thomas Carey and Margaret Spencer (1472-1536) had seven children;
+ William Carey (1495-1528) m. Mary Boleyn
+ John Carey (1491-1552) m. Joyce Denny
+ Edward Carey (1498-1560)
+ Eleanor Carey (1499-1528)
+ Anne Carey (1493-1550)
+ Mary Carey (1501-60) m. John de Laval
+ Margaret Carey (1496-1560)

Eleanor and Anne Carey both became Benedictine nuns at Wilton Abbey. Wilton Abbey had gained a reputation for housing scandalous nuns who had had affairs with men and even born children.
On the 24th April 1528 the Abbess of Wilton Abbey, Cecily Willoughby, died and a new Abbess needed to be appointed.

Wilton Abbey

Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who was at this time high in the king's favour, chose as candidate for the position Isabel Jourdain as she was "ancient, wise and discreet" and he hoped she would have a good influence on the nuns there. Isabella Jourdain was the sister of Agnes, the Abbess of Syon Abbey. In 1528 Isabella was the Prioress at Wilton Abbey. The nuns had delegated Cardinal Wolsey to elect the new Abbess and he concluded that Isabella should be Abbess and Eleanor Carey should be the new Prioress. The nuns who objected to this appointment were imprisoned under the orders of Cardinal Wolsey and it was by doing this that he got the convent to accept his choices.

William Carey

However, Anne Boleyn became involved in the matter and put forward Eleanor Carey for the position. This probably came about due to suggestions from William and John Carey and Mary Boleyn to Anne that she ask the king for this. This was the last royal favour that William Carey sought out as he died in the June of that year. On the 23rd June 1528 Thomas Heanage wrote a letter to Wolsey about the Abbess situation;

 “Mr Carey begs you to be gracious to his sister, a nun at Wilton Abbey …”

However by the time Wolsey received this letter, William Carey had died of the sweating sickness.
King Henry decided to look into the matter and choose between the two candidates by having Cardinal Wolsey interview the two women to reveal any impediments to them becoming Abbess.
However, this examination of Eleanor by Cardinal Wolsey soon revealed things which quite abruptly put an end to her aspirations of being made abbess. Henry wrote to Anne of what had been confessed by Eleanor;

 'As touching the matter of Wilton, my lord cardinal has had the nuns before him and examined them, Master Bell being present, who has certified to me that for a truth she has confessed herself  to have had two children by sundry priests, and further since has been kept by a servant of Lord Broke that was, and not long ago; wherefore I would not for all the world clog your conscience nor mine to make her ruler of a house who is of such ungodly demeanour, nor I trust, you would not that neither for brother nor sister I should so stain mine honour and conscience. And as touching the prioress or Dame Eleanor's eldest sister though there is not any evident cause proved against them, and that the prioress is so old that of many years she could not be as she was named: yet notwithstanding to do you pleasure I have done that neither of them shall have it, but some other good and well disposed woman shall have it, whereby the house shall be the better reformed and God much the better served.'

Once it was clear that Eleanor was unfit for the position of Abbess, her elder sister Anne Carey who was also a nun at Wilton was put forward for the position. The Carey family pointed out that Isabella was not fit for the position either, they claimed she had led an unchaste life in her younger years and had two illegitimate children, and was now 'spotted with incontinence'.

King Henry refused to give the position to either Carey girls nor Isabella Jourdain. However, Cardinal Wolsey went ahead and gave the Abbess position to Isabella. By doing this Wolsey was showing a disregard for the king's wishes in terms of the spiritual life in England and therefore challenging the king's authority. This event was the first major dispute between the King and Wolsey, and was the beginning of the breakdown of their relationship and eventually, Wolsey's downfall. 

Boleyn vs Wolsey in the case of Cheney

Sir John Russell, Gentleman of the Privy Chamber to King Henry VIII, had two step-daughters from his first wife Anne Broughton (nee Sapcote); Katherine (d.1535) and Anne Broughton (d.1562). When their father died in 1518, and then also their brother John dying in 1528, the two girls became great heiresses.
In 1528, the two girls were still underage and were the wards of Cardinal Wolsey.
Sir Thomas Cheney wished to marry Anne, while Sir John Wallop wished to marry Katherine, however both Cardinal Wolsey and John Russell objected to these marriages.

Signature of Thomas Cheney

Sir Thomas Cheney was a relative of Anne Boleyn's; Anne's great-aunt Isabella Boleyn (d.1485) had been the first wife of Thomas Cheney's father William - Thomas being his son by his second wife Margaret Young.
Due to this familial connection, Anne Boleyn became Thomas' champion at court; she had previously gotten involved with a dispute he had gotten into with Cardinal Wolsey.

Isabella Boleyn

However, this time, King Henry sided with Russell and Wolsey;

"proud and full of opprobrious words, and endeavoured to dishonour those who were most glad to serve him"

Thomas was banned from the Privy Chamber and the royal presence until he had made peace with Russell, however he did not do this and the dispute continued for several months until Wolsey banished Thomas from court.
Despite Wolsey's command, Anne soon after recalled Thomas to court;

"In spite of the Cardinal, without using rude words to Cardinal Wolsey".

Cardinal Wolsey then gave way and Thomas Cheney was contracted into marriage with Anne Broughton, and the couple officially married in May 1539 when Anne became of age. However, John Wallop did not marry the other sister Katherine, as he had no influential support to his claim; Katherine went on to marry before 1531, William Howard, a brother of Elizabeth Boleyn (nee Howard), Anne Boleyn's mother. 

Katherine Broughton

The end result of the matter is a good representation of Anne Boleyn's growing power and influence at court and over the king, however it also shows a building of enemies at court - people who in the process of consolidating her power and allies, she also alienated people and turned people against her.