How Far Do Sources 1, 2 and 3 Suggest That, in His Role as Lord Chancellor, Wolsey Genuinely Tried to Achieve Justice for All?

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Overall, the sources suggest that Wolsey did genuinely try to achieve justice; however they don’t conclusively state that he did this “for all”. This is shown by the sources through suggesting he aimed to override traditions or laws if meant being more just; it is also shown in the opinions and expectations that others held of him. An argument against him genuinely trying to achieve justice for all is the claim that he punished those who didn’t deserve it, however only source three gives this view and, taking into account the provenance of the source, it isn’t entirely trustworthy. Source one suggests to the largest extent that Wolsey was genuinely try to achieve justice for all, source two agrees to the second largest extent as it doesn’t necessarily suggest it is for all, source three disagrees with the other sources entirely and claims he is definitely not just. One factor that all of the sources agree on is that Wolsey went against law and tradition in the name of serving justice. Source two does this by implying that when the law is acting unjustly, when “the major sent them to Newgate gaol for 11 days”, Wolsey is the man that people expect to help them. This would be acting against the traditional approach because in 1526 it would be expected that the men such as the Mayor and Aldermen, those with power, would get their way without interference if it meant exploiting lower class citizens. Source one supports this idea as Wolsey claims that “although it is the law, it may not be justice”. Together, these suggest that Wolsey didn’t let anything get in the way of his quest to achieve justice for all, even if it gained him powerful enemies and went against the tradition of the time. Although source three does agree that, in his unconventional way, “he [Wolsey] punished the rich”, it disagrees with sources one and two in relation to the question because it claims
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