Thomas Wolsey - Henry VIII's Powerful Chief Minister

Thomas Wolsey was born the son of a butcher from Ipswich, yet he rose to become one of the most powerful men in Tudor England as Henry VIII's Lord Chancellor. He was even known as 'The Other King', and built a palace that rivalled Henry VIII's. This spectacular rise was only matched by the drama of his fall. In this first episode of our new series on Henry VIII's ministers, Tracy Borman is joined by historian Elizabeth Norton to explore Wolsey's time in Henry's court. How powerful was he? Why did he fall from Henry VIII's favour? And what legacy did he leave behind? Read more about Thomas Wolsey and see inside his palace at Hampton Court on our website.

You can listen to Thomas Wolsey - Henry VIII's Powerful Chief Minister online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Thomas Wolsey - Henry VIII's Powerful Chief Minister is an episode from Talks and Lectures by Historic Royal Palaces.

This episode is 48:24 long.

This episode was published on Apr 23, 2026.

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