Cardinal Wolsey (1912)

Plot Summary

King Henry VIII smitten with Anne Boleyn wishes to displace his estimable Queen Catherine for her. He appeals to Cardinal Wolsey to set aside the tenets of the Church and consent to his divorce from the Queen. The cardinal absolutely refuses to do anything so inimical to his office, as representative of the Holy See. Angered King Henry induces the Archbishop of Canterbury to call a special council through which he divorces himself from Queen Catherine. In punishment for his refusal to accede to the king's wishes, the cardinal is exiled to Leicester Abbey where he dies three days afterward, conscious that he had sustained the sacredness of his office, a martyr to his faith and of service to his king.

Full Cast & Characters

Hal Reid

Cardinal Wolsey

Julia Swayne Gordon

Catherine of Aragon

Clara Kimball Young

Anne Boleyn

Tefft Johnson

King Henry VIII

Robert Gaillard

Gardiner, later Bishop of Winchester

Logan Paul

Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury

George Ober

Bishop of Essex

Hal Wilson

King's friend (as Harold Wilson)

Director & Crew

Where to Watch Cardinal Wolsey Online

Movies Similar to Cardinal Wolsey

TMDB 6.0

Fairyocious

2019

TMDB NR

You will meet me and we will smile again

2026

TMDB NR

The Discomfort Has to Be Compensated

2016

TMDB 8.0

The Water Lily

1919

TMDB 6.0

Love

1972

TMDB NR

The Ballad of the Sunset Kid

2025

Frequently Asked Questions