Reginald Pole (12 March 1500 – 17 November 1558) was an English cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1556 to 17 November 1558, succeeding Thomas Cranmer and preceding Matthew Parker. He was the last Catholic archbishop of Canterbury, holding the post during Mary I of England's reign.
Biography[]
Pole as a regular priest, 1536
Reginald Pole was born in Stourton Castle, Staffordshire, England on 12 March 1500, the son of Sir Richard Pole and Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury. He was a great-nephew of Kings Edward IV and Richard III and a great-grandson of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, making him a Plantagenet claimant to the throne.
Pole matriculated at Magdalen College, Oxford in 1512 and was taught by William Latimer and Thomas Linacre, graduating in 1515. In 1518, King Henry VIII granted him the deanery of Wimborne Minster in Dorset, and he was also granted the titles of Prebendary of Salisbury and Dean of Exeter in 1527. In 1523, he became a fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, allowing for him to study abroad at the University of Padua in Italy.
In 1536, Pole finally and decisively broke with King Henry after his divorce from Catherine of Aragon and his marriage to Anne Boleyn. Pole, already a deacon, was made a cardinal in 1537, and Pope Paul III tasked him with organizing assistance for the Pilgrimage of Grace. Unfortunately, neither King Francis I of France nor Holy Roman Emperor Charles V supported this effort, and the English government tried to have Pole assassinated. As Pole himself was untouchable, King Henry instead punished his family, having his leading family members (including his innocent mother) executed.
In 1542, Pole was one of the Papal legates sent to preside over the Council of Trent, and only his belief in faith over works led to him losing the Papal conclave election of 1549-50. From 1553 to 1557, he served as Papal legate to England, as the devout Catholic Mary I of England now sat on the throne as queen. He also served as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1556 to 1558, serving as its last Catholic archbishop. He died in 1558.