Wolsey had been the minister of Henry the Eighth.

But with the ruin of the Cardinal the rule of the churchmen ceased.

The seals were given to Sir Thomas More.

The real direction of affairs lay in the hands of two great nobles, of the Duke of Suffolk who was President of the Council, and of the Lord Treasurer, Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk.

From this hour to the close of the age of the Tudors the Howards were to play a prominent part in English history.