17. =Closing Years of Wolsey's Greatness. 1525-1527.=--All idea of continuing the war being now abandoned, Wolsey cautiously negotiated for an alliance with France, and in the autumn of =1525= peace was signed between France and England. In February =1526= Charles set Francis at liberty on his promising to abandon to him large tracts of French territory. As soon as he was out of Spain Francis declared that, without the consent of his subjects, such promises were not binding on him. An Italian league, jealous of Charles's power, gathered round the Pope, Clement VII., to oppose him. In May =1527= the exiled Duke of Bourbon, who was now one of Charles's generals, took Rome by assault. He was himself slain as he mounted the wall, but his followers took prisoner the Pope, and sacked Rome with horrible barbarity. Wolsey was too worldly-minded to be shocked at the Pope's misfortunes; but he had much to fear from the enormous extension of the Emperor's power. For some weeks he had been negotiating a close alliance with France on the basis of a marriage between Henry's only surviving child, Mary, and the worn-out voluptuary Francis. Suddenly the scheme was changed to a proposal for a marriage between Mary, who was ten years old, and the second son of Francis, who was but six. The bargain was concluded, and for a time there was some thought of carrying it out. At all events when the news of the sack of Rome arrived, England and France were already in close alliance. Wolsey's position was, to all outward appearance, secure. CHAPTER XXV THE BREACH WITH THE PAPACY. 1527-1534 LEADING DATES Reign of Henry VIII., 1509-1547 Henry seeks for a divorce 1527 His suit before a Legatine Court 1529 Fall of Wolsey 1529 The clergy acknowledge Henry to be Supreme Head of the Church of England 1531 The first Act of Annates 1532 The king's marriage to Anne Boleyn and the Act of Appeals 1533 Cranmer's sentence of divorce 1533 The final separation from Rome 1534