The ban on marriage was codified near the end of the first millennium AD. In the 11th century it was established that marriage was not allowed for the clergy. In the Lateran Councils of the 12th century it was ruled that clergy who illicitly got married were not married, that they could not receive the sacrament of marriage validly.
I don’t know if you realize that Cardinal Wolsey never married, but did have two children out of wedlock.
With all the raving moonbats which haunt these threads, it is tough to get straight data.
Yes, I am aware that Cardinal Wolsey had two children, a son and a daughter. I was not aware that they were born out of wedlock or that his marriage (or lack thereof) was never sanctioned by the church.
You are probably aware that his century or so later counterpart Cardinal Richelieu in France had a reputation for being a Lothario type and was heavily involved in the political intrigue surrounding the court of Louis XIV.
Wolsey, on the other hand, greatly regretted his involvement in the political intrigue surrounding the court of Henry VIII and devoted his final days trying his best to serve God and his fellow man. That, of course, doesn't make him some kind of a saint, but more of a tragic figure who at least realized where he went wrong and tried to get back on the right path.