 Francesco Piccolomini , the future Pope Pius III , was the first cardinal protector of England , elevated on the initiative of King Henry VII , and also the first officially approved cardinal protector of " any nation whatever " . Henry VII viewed good relations with Rome as a protection against domestic and foreign enemies and sent Christopher Urswick , his " almoner and trusted councillor " to Rome after receiving a bull of dispensation to marry Elizabeth of York . When Henry VII first sought a cardinal protector in 1492 , he feared that many of the English bishops would support his Yorkist opponents ( to whom they owed their appointments ) . 
