English cardinal and archbishop of Canterbury who broke with Henry VIII over the latter's policy with Rome, and later one of the most powerful men in Mary Tudor's reign (1555-58) as her partner in the attempt to return England to the Catholic Church.
Pole was born of royal descent, a cousin of Henry VII, and was in fact supported through school at Oxford and Padua by Henry VIII in recognition of their kinship. Pole moved to Padua when he disagreed with Henry VIII's decision to have his marraige to Catherine of Aragon annulled and then to break with Rome when the annulment was not forthcoming. There he wrote a long treatise attacking Henry's claim to supremacy over the English church and defending the Pope's spiritual authority. The treatise was published without his permission, which made it impossible for him to return to England while Henry reigned.
His diplomatic missions on behalf of Rome to persuade the European monarchs to act against Henry further earned him the king's wrath. Henry, in revenge, murdered his brother (Lord Montague) and, later, his mother (who died an excruxiating death at the hand of an inept executioner; some think this was a deliberate act by Henry VIII by which to make a point).
Pole rose steadily within the ranks of the Catholic Church. He was appointed the presiding prelate at the all-important Council of Trent when it opened in 1545; his attempt to formulate a mediating position between Rome and the Protestants, however, did not win him much impact in the Council's proceedings. When Pope Paul II died in Nov 1549 and Julius III was elected to succeed him, Pope was the alternate candidate; despite the strong support of Holy Roman emperor Charles V, the French and Italians refused to endorse him.
Pole returned to England in 1554, soon after Mary ascended to the throne, and received England back into the fold of Rome. He gained a central and influential place in Mary's government, and was made archbishop of Canterbury in 1556. However, he fell out of favour with Pope Paul IV and, denouced as a heretic, he died a demoralized man half a day after Queen Mary died.
©ALBERITH