The King's Commoner: The rise and fall of Cardinal Wolsey (The Tudor Saga Series Book 2)

by David Field

  ‘Indeed it would,’ Thomas enthused, already in his mind ordering a new set of robes for his installation, ‘but Your Majesty is over generous, I fear.’

  ‘I do nothing for nothing, Thomas,’ the King replied. ‘You were a schoolmaster for a time, I believe?’

  ‘Indeed, Your Majesty, it was my great pleasure and privilege, while the Head of Divinity at Magdalen College, to tutor the three excellent sons of the noble Marquis of Dorset, the stepbrother of your most gracious late Queen.’

  ‘So you are well experienced in tutoring those of noble blood?’

  ‘Yes, Your Majesty.’

  ‘I wish you to begin to attempt to instil some book learning into the young Prince Henry. He is an indifferent scholar, since his main delight is with knightly show and dangerous sports. If the firing of arrows at retreating deer, the rattling of opponents’ heads in the tiltyards, the launching of hawks into the sky and the tupping of eager ladies-in-waiting gave a man learning, then young Hal would be the foremost scholar in Europe. As it is, he knows as little of Latin and Greek as he does the internal workings of the human body, and he cares even less. If he is to take his place upon the throne of England then he must be swiftly assisted to make up for lost time. See to it, Thomas.’

  With that, the King rose from the table and retreated through the door to his bedchamber. Thomas felt Foxe’s reassuring hand on his shoulder.

  ‘Courage, Thomas. Prince Henry is indeed the wildcard of the suit, but you will have daily access to the man who will soon be King, and who will be in awe of your learning. When he claims his throne, if he be his father’s son, he will choose to have about him those in whom he can trust. This is how Lovell and I attained our high office.’

  Two days later, in Prince Henry’s chambers in Richmond Palace, Thomas appreciated how much luck he was going to need. Henry, an athletic, handsome youth of seventeen, had the scholastic attainments of an average nine-year-old. Whenever Thomas tried to engage ‘Hal’, as he preferred to be called, in the language of the Classics, he would find some way of diverting the conversation into one on heraldry, hawking or armorial bearings, which were more to his interest and a complete mystery to his frustrated tutor.

  However, Thomas had learned enough about the ways of the Court to realise that there was something to be gained from every learned fact, if employed to advantage. He quickly came to appreciate that Henry was headstrong, wilful and totally committed to his own desires, and wanted nothing to do with affairs of State. He would shortly become a young, pleasure-driven king with a vast Treasury at his disposal and, as Foxe had advised Thomas, he would wish to leave the affairs of State in the hands of those he trusted, while he went off hunting, jousting or whoring. All that Thomas needed to do was to ensure that he was trusted, and the world would fall into his cassock pockets.

  There was only one topic upon which Hal seemed to require Thomas’s guidance at this stage in his life.

  ‘Does not the Church say,’ he asked Thomas one dismal November afternoon, ‘that it is a sin to lie with one’s brother’s wife?’

  ‘Indeed it does,’ Thomas replied, slightly taken aback. ‘The Book of Leviticus.’

  ‘And yet my father insists that I wed the Spanish dumpling?’

  ‘He does so for reasons of State, Hal,’ Thomas advised him in hushed tones. ‘It is to England’s benefit to be allied with Spain, and it was doubly unfortunate that your brother Arthur died when he did, leaving Katherine a widow at so young an age.’

  ‘Did Arthur manage to tup her, think you?’

  Thomas dropped his pious gaze to the richly carpeted floor. ‘I am an ordained priest, Hal, and such matters are not within my experience. Still less am I party to such intimate secrets.’

  ‘He would need to have been desperate to do so, even were he capable of raising his flagstaff for the purpose. She smells of olive oil, did you know that?’

  ‘Indeed I did not, and how would I?’

  ‘You do not hear her confession?’

  ‘Only your father’s. I can, however, advise you that marriage to the Dowager Princess of Wales would be something against which the Church would counsel. But I am also obliged to advise you, privily, that for every sin there is an absolution, and for every contemplated sin there is a dispensation.’

  ‘It seems to me that your Church is as flexible as a wet rope,’ Hal smirked back. ‘Your Church is one of convenience, Thomas.’

  ‘It is God’s church, Hal,’ Thomas muttered.

  ‘I wonder if God would agree with that,’ Hal replied. ‘But at least I know that I can always come to you for a convenient pathway out of any sin I may be contemplating, or may have committed. For the right price, of course.’

  ‘May we continue with this translation, your Highness?’

  ‘No, we may not,’ Hal replied with a stubborn set of his lip. ‘We may continue with your opinion of this latest sonnet. And please call me Hal, if we are to remain friends.’

  In New Year of 1509, King Henry’s health took a frightening turn for the worse. Thomas was constantly at his side whenever the physicians had finished fussing around him. At times when Henry was lucid, Thomas administered the last rites just in case this might be his last day on earth.

  Then came the day when the royal physicians finally agreed that Henry would not see another sunrise. Foxe and Lovell muttered between themselves, the physicians came and went with their potions, and Thomas yet again administered the last rites, almost off by heart this time.

  Late in the afternoon Prince Henry appeared at the foot of the bed, wreathed in sweat and mud from some royal park or other, and averted his gaze as if reluctant to be reminded of the mortality of human life. As Thomas finished the last service he would ever perform for the monarch who had raised him thus far, he lifted his head and met the eyes of the scared young prince. With an almost imperceptible gesture of his head, he indicated to Hal that he wished to speak with him outside the death chamber, and the young man needed no further encouragement.

  ‘Is he marked for death this day?’ Hal asked.

  Thomas shrugged his shoulders. ‘This day or the next, the outcome is not far away, Hal. I shall soon be calling you “Your Majesty”.’

  ‘You will continue to call me Hal or I will have your head,’ the prince joked weakly, ‘but I would have your counsel as to what I must do next.’

  Thomas drew him to a bench in the hallway close to the chamber doors, and they both sat down. Thomas took a deep breath, said a short prayer for guidance in his choice of words, and placed his hand on Hal’s shoulder.

  ‘I am your friend, Hal, and would be your counsellor at this solemn time. But you must know that the throne is unpopular with the people, due to your father’s misguided reliance on two men who between them have lined their pockets at his expense while letting the blame therefor rest with him.’

  Hal’s eyes widened. ‘You speak of Foxe and Lovell?’

  ‘No, I speak of Edmund Dudley and Richard Empson, who have plundered the wealthy and taxed the poor. Should they remain in office — or indeed in this world — then I fear a popular uprising against the throne, led by the London mob.’

  ‘What must I do, Thomas?’

  Thomas jerked his head towards the chamber doors. ‘I will return in there shortly, and seek to persuade all those with knowledge of your father’s death, when it comes, to speak nought of it for two days. In those two days you must secure the arrest of Dudley and Empson on charges of treason and have them conveyed to the Tower with great public show. Then you must yourself retreat to the Tower, for your own protection against any mob. I will come and go regularly, to keep you advised of how matters progress. No-one will suspect a humble priest going about his business, and within two days we may begin to plan your coronation, with great splendour. The common people love spectacle.’

  It was Hal’s turn to grip Thomas’s shoulder, then he looked up expectantly as the chamber doors swung open, and the doleful face of Richard Foxe appeared.
He looked down the corridor to where Thomas and Hal were sitting.

  ‘It is time, Thomas. And a defining moment for you — Your Majesty.’

  As Thomas and Henry rose glumly to their feet, Henry turned again to his mentor.

  ‘I will find some way to repay your good offices, Thomas.’

  V

  Edmund Dudley and Richard Empson were arrested within an hour of King Henry’s death and were already secured within the Tower before the new King reached it, along with a select royal bodyguard. By the time that Thomas joined him, Henry was seriously concerned about the will of the people.

  ‘Is there yet any sign of rebellion, Thomas?’

  ‘Fear not, Your Majesty. As yet, the people are unaware that your father is dead, and hopefully they will remain in ignorance for at least another day. As to any challenge to your throne, we shall have to await any rival claimants.’

  ‘There can be none, surely?’

  ‘Only from those few who remain within the pack of Yorkist dogs, of whom the most worthy claimant, your Plantagenet cousin Edmund de la Pole, has long been confined within these very walls, and according to my sources of information has all but lost his reason. But that does not exempt you from making your own claim to rule England stronger than it is at present.’

  ‘What must I do, Thomas?’

  ‘First, you must disclaim the policies by which your father grew rich. He has left you a healthy Treasury — much richer than it was when he won the crown from Gloucester — but it has been at the expense of the wealthy merchants and the nobility, most of whom would throw their hats in the air were you to proclaim that there will be no more taxation.’

  ‘But how will I survive?’

  ‘The taxation granted by Parliament is only one source of your revenue. You also acquire much by way of traditional feudal entitlements, the grant of monopolies, and trading profits from certain ventures that your father established with my assistance. Believe me, Your Majesty, you will not starve. Talking of which, I have ordered that your supper be brought forth shortly, and with your gracious leave I will join you at board.’

  ‘Gladly, Thomas, gladly! There is so much upon which I need your guidance, if I am to be best placed to enjoy my inheritance. For example, how may I ensure that the people love me?’

  Thomas thought deeply for a moment, then waved in the servers who stood hesitantly in the doorway behind the pages and footmen who hastily assembled the board. Platters of meats, loaves of freshly baked bread, tureens of soup and several jugs of wine appeared on the table as if by feats of conjuring, and as he dug heartily into his supper Henry appeared more relaxed, which was precisely as Thomas wished him to be before launching into the more delicate advice he had to impart.

  ‘Your people are simple folk, Hal, and they require only peace, prosperity and security. Give them those, and they will hail your progress through the streets as a hero, a champion, almost a God. Peace and prosperity you can already give them, by putting down any rival claim to your throne, and by relaxing the burden of taxation upon them.’

  ‘And “security”, Thomas? What did you mean by that? A powerful army with which to repel foreign aggressors?’

  ‘That certainly. You must always demonstrate your ability and willingness to lead a strong army into battle. But there is also the certainty of succession.’

  ‘Meaning what, precisely?’

  ‘Forgive me, Hal, but it means siring heirs — legitimate male heirs, that is. Once the people are assured that the throne is not only secure for the present, but that its peaceful continuation is assured by the existence of a healthy male royal heir, then they will feel secure for the foreseeable future. That is why your father took so much care over your safe upbringing once your brother Arthur died.’

  Henry’s face set in resignation. ‘I must marry the Lady Katherine, say you?’

  Thomas nodded as he took a mouthful of wine. ‘That would be the most obvious policy at this time, Your Majesty. You were once betrothed to her anyway, although you renounced that, much to your father’s anguish, when you attained your fifteenth year. But she is still available, still anxious to be Queen of England, and richly connected to the house of Spain, with her sister Joanna ruling Castile alongside their father in his lands of Aragon.’

  ‘They say Joanna is mad,’ Henry pointed out.

  ‘Indeed they do, and with some justice, so I hear. But her father Ferdinand rules as her Regent, which is another pertinent argument in favour of your marrying Katherine. She is not uncomely, she is pious and gracious, and she is no doubt highly fertile, in that way of devout Catholic women of all Southern European nations.’

  ‘Shall I need a dispensation from the Pope?’

  ‘Indeed you shall, but your father thought of that, too. It was granted some years ago, and it covers both possibilities regarding whether or not her marriage to your brother Arthur was consummated.’

  Henry sat deep in thought before announcing his decision. ‘It shall be as you advise. Presumably there will be no objection should I also take mistresses?’

  Thomas shrugged his shoulders. ‘As an ordained priest, I can hardly be heard agreeing to fornication outside of marriage. In any case, that were a question best put to your wife.’

  ‘Can you order a splendid ceremony, with the Archbishop of Canterbury presiding?’

  ‘Only you can order that, Your Majesty, although I can manage the finer details. But speak you of your wedding? If so, might I respectfully urge against it? The splendour should surely be reserved for the coronation, and any magnificent ceremony ahead of that would detract from the glory of the actual crowning. If I might suggest a quiet wedding, followed by the most glorious of joint coronations?’

  Henry nodded. ‘It shall be as you say, and as ever I shall rely on you to make it all happen.’

  ‘Very good, Your Majesty. And thank you for your trust in me.’

  ‘If I cannot trust you, Thomas, in whom can I trust? Will you consent to join my Council?’

  ‘In time perhaps, Your Majesty, but for the moment I would advise that you make no changes in that regard. It is as well to retain those men in whom your father trusted, while sending a message to your people that these are worthy men, and that there are to be no great upheavals in government.’

  ‘Who were the most trusted?’

  ‘Bishop Foxe, most certainly. And Sir Thomas Lovell. In his last days, your father trusted none other than those two, although I would advise that you add others of high degree — trusted men who will do your bidding.’

  ‘Who would you recommend?’

  ‘The Archbishop, perhaps? It is customary for him to also be appointed Chancellor, and from what I have learned William Warham is a biddable man, although he begins to feel his advanced years of late.’

  ‘None of those we have mentioned so far is a man of warfare, Thomas, save Lovell in his youth. What say you to Thomas Howard? He is loyal, his father the Earl of Surrey is a great military commander, and Thomas and I have shattered many a lance together in the tourney.’

  ‘Perhaps, then, the Earl of Surrey himself, rather than his son, who is merely my age, and in my experience somewhat hot of temper?’

  Henry smiled. ‘Howard tells me that he once used to bully you at school. Do you still fear him?’

  ‘No, Your Majesty, I pity him. But I merely suggest that, should you wish an accomplished and current soldier to be a member of your Council, then his father Surrey would be more appropriate. It will also serve as a reward to a man upon whose skill in battle you may one day come to rely.’

  ‘Again, wise counsel. It shall be as you advise, Thomas. Shall we call for more wine, say you?’

  ‘For myself, Your Majesty, I have had sufficient, and must now, if you will excuse me, depart for my own house. It is some miles away, in Putney, as you may know, and I must needs take a wherry down to Fulham steps.’

  ‘Take the royal barge, Thomas. In fact, feel free to call upon a royal barge at any time that
you are engaged on my business. But we must find you a house closer to Westminster and the Tower. They tell me that Edmund Dudley has a fine house in St Brides, which he will no longer require, so I would wish you to occupy it. That way, you will be closer to hand. I am also in need of an Almoner — would you consent to accept the post?’

  Thomas suppressed a smirk of satisfaction and did his best to look humble. ‘You do me great honour, Your Majesty, but I regret that such a position calls for a man much higher in the Church than I.’

  ‘How high?’

  ‘Traditionally, it is a post that has been occupied by a bishop, and sometimes an archbishop,’ Thomas mumbled back, hoping that he was not reaching too high at this early stage.

  ‘That is easily achieved, Thomas,’ Henry replied. ‘The first bishopric that becomes vacant shall be yours. Then will you consent to be my Almoner?’

  ‘I have already consented, Your Majesty,’ Thomas beamed back at him. ‘It is simply that I did not wish so honourable a position to be in some way diminished by my lowly clerical rank.’

  ‘Consider yourself appointed, Thomas. And since I appreciate that you must depart forthwith, please attend upon me in the forenoon tomorrow, that I may take up the dull drudgery of learning once more at your hand. I am but a poor scholar, I acknowledge, and I must rapidly acquire more learning if I am to acquit myself on the stage of Europe. But there is one more matter, ere you take your leave.’

  ‘Your Majesty?’

  ‘That. You call me “Your Majesty”, when I have let it be known that I prefer you to call me “Hal”. Do you presume to disobey me already?’