Richard Pate, the Royal Supremacy, and Reformation Diplomacy

Abstract

In December 1540 one of Henry VIII's clerical diplomats defected to the papacy. As contemporaries believed that a king could be judged by the ambassadors he sent to represent him abroad, Pate's defection caused the English king considerable embarrassment. His acceptance of the bishopric of Worcester from the pope in July 1541 made Pate a figure of symbolic importance to opponents of Henry VIII's royal supremacy. This article examines Pate's diplomatic career, paying particular attention to how Pate negotiated the competing claims on his loyalty of the pope and Henry VIII. Although Pate was expected to represent Henry's church policy, his experiences in embassy also provided opportunities for conservatism, as Henry sought to maintain amicable relations with the emperor and deny charges of heresy. Pate's case raises important questions about the religious sympathies of those chosen by Henry to represent him abroad and had important consequences for the practice of diplomacy in the early English Reformation. Pate also offers important insights into the motivations of Henrician Catholic exiles, their views of the Henrician church, and their political opposition to it.

Charles V’s ‘Encomium Mori’ as Reported By Ambassador Elyot

“…Pate was again designated. However in December 1540, he defected from his post: his disagreement with Henry VIII's separation from the Church of Rome and the King's mistrust were the main causes behind his defection (Sowerby 2011). natural lapse of memory, from an earlier to a later meeting" ("Historical Notes" 355, note to 205/16-206/8).…”