Thomas Savage (bishop)

Thomas Savage (1449 in Clifton, Cheshire – 3 September 1507, in Cawood, Yorkshire) was a prelate, diplomat and scholar during the Tudor period.As a diplomat Savage held the positions of English Ambassador to Castile and Portugal, during which time he helped broker the marriage treaty between Arthur, Prince of Wales and Catherine of Aragon in 1489,[3] and later held the position of English Ambassador to France from 1490, where he took part in the conference at Boulogne.Previously only a rector and scholar Savage now received appointments to several positions of power and prestige; first receiving important diplomatic appointments as English ambassador to Castile and Portugal in 1488[7] during which time he helped broker the marriage treaty between Arthur, Prince of Wales and Catherine of Aragon in 1489,[8] and then later as Ambassador to France in 1490, where he took part in the conference at Boulogne (where Sir John would be killed whilst besieging the city in 1492).[14] Savage served as President of the council attendant on the King and Chaplain to Henry VII, before being appointed as Archbishop of York on 18 January 1501.The King was greatly displeased by the situation and the Archbishop's career faltered after this point, declining slowly but steadily until his death three years later.[30] Despite having had a key role in many of the notable events of his time (the brokering of the marriage treaty between Arthur, Prince of Wales and Catherine of Aragon, the creation of Prince Henry as Duke of York, the meeting with the Archduke Philip, and the reception of Catherine of Aragon and Prince Arthur) and being a much trusted employee of Henry VII (serving him as President of his council and his personal chaplain, as well as ambassador to several European powers), the Archbishop's legacy is slightly tarnished by allegations that he maintained a lifestyle too akin to that of a nobleman rather than that of a priest.Described as a 'flamboyant, worldly sophisticate, a keen hunter and a keeper of peacocks, with an unholy penchant for taking the lord's name in vain'[31] he was also accused of nepotism, exploiting his position to gain benefits for his friends and family.