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How did Thomas Wolsey become connected to fears about Roman law in England?

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King Henry II and St. Thomas Becket — Common law Henry II (left) disputing with Thomas Becket (center), miniature from a 14th-century manuscript; in the British Library (Cotton MS. Claudius D.ii).

Thomas Wolsey, who served as lord chancellor under King Henry VIII, became connected to fears regarding the introduction of Roman law in England primarily due to his administrative and judicial reforms.12

During the 16th century, there was a broader European trend toward adopting written, bureaucratic legal procedures—often modeled on Roman and canon law—which contrasted with the traditional, oral-based English common law. Wolsey’s actions fueled suspicions that he intended to replace or undermine the established common-law system with these foreign legal principles. Specifically, he was accused of planning to introduce Roman law into England, a concern exacerbated by his practice of appointing clergy to the Council of the North and as justices of the peace, as these individuals were often trained in civil and canon law at universities like Oxford and Cambridge.23

These fears were part of a wider tension between the traditional common-law courts and the rising prerogative courts, such as the Star Chamber, which Wolsey expanded and used to impose royal justice.123