Questions about Reginald Pole
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who was Reginald Pole and why is he significant in English history?
Reginald Pole was an English cardinal and the last Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury, holding the office from 1556 to 1558 during the Marian restoration of Catholicism. He was born on the 12th of March 1500, a great-nephew of Edward IV and Richard III through his mother Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury. He died on the 17th of November 1558, barely twelve hours after Queen Mary I, marking the effective end of the Catholic restoration he had led.
Why did Reginald Pole refuse to support Henry VIII's annulment from Catherine of Aragon?
Pole opposed the annulment on theological and political grounds, believing the marriage to Catherine was valid and that the royal supremacy over the Church was unlawful. Rather than accept Henry VIII's offer of the Archbishopric of York or the Diocese of Winchester in exchange for his support, Pole went into self-imposed exile in 1532 and later published Pro ecclesiasticae unitatis defensione, a treatise that directly denounced Henry's policies and denied the royal supremacy.
How close did Reginald Pole come to becoming Pope?
At the 1549-1550 papal conclave following the death of Pope Paul III, Pole secured 26 of the 28 votes he needed to be elected. He was blocked by the Cardinal of Ferrara, who persuaded cardinals of the French faction that Pole was, in the words of English observer Thomas Hoby, "both Imperiall and also a verie Lutheran."
What happened to Reginald Pole's family because of his opposition to Henry VIII?
Henry VIII retaliated against the Pole family through what became known as the Exeter Conspiracy. Pole's brother Henry, 1st Baron Montagu, and Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter, were arrested in November 1538 and executed for treason in 1539. Pole's mother, Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury, was held in the Tower for two and a half years and executed in 1541; Pope Leo XIII beatified her in 1886.
When was Reginald Pole Archbishop of Canterbury?
Reginald Pole was ordained a priest on the 20th of March 1556 and consecrated a bishop two days later, formally becoming Archbishop of Canterbury. He held the office until his death on the 17th of November 1558, making him the last Catholic to hold the position.
What did Reginald Pole write about Machiavelli's The Prince?
After reading The Prince during his years in Italy, Pole described it as "written by an enemy of the human race." He wrote that the book "explains every means whereby religion, justice and any inclination toward virtue could be destroyed."