B2) Wolsey Years Flashcards
(39 cards)
1
Q
what were Henry’s earlly aims?
A
- est his status amongst Eu monarchs through marriage
- est himself as a warrior King through success in battle
- re-est the role of the nob
2
Q
How did henry fair in est his status amongst Eu monarchs through marriage?
A
- married CoA (his brother’s widow) on 11th June 1509
- sought to quickly overthrow his father’s forign policy legacy
- Catherine exerted some infl over policy making in the early years
- occasional alliances w the french against Sp and HRE however H not foolish enough to go to war w Charles V
- by mid 1520s, H came to resent the rapidity of his marriage due to the lack of male heir and the fact that she was 5 yeras older than him
3
Q
how did henry fair in est himself as a warrior king through success in battle?
A
- shared the tastes & dominant military culture of the aristocracy
- nobles accompaied h to war in northern france
- overthrowing h7’s idea of forign pol
- persuit of military glory led directly to war w France, whereby vast amounts of £ spent to acheive painfully small gains of little strategic signif
- never foolish enough to go to war w Charles V
4
Q
how did henry fair in re-est the role of the nob?
A
- shared tstes & doinant military culture of the aristocracy
- nobles accompanied h to war in northern france
- nobles did not achieve the political domination they hoped for, as h instead chose to promote the interests of churchman Thomas Wolsey
- henry partnered w the sons of the nob, who were slightly older than him, in sports and revels that took up much of his time
5
Q
how do historians think of h7 and h8 dffereing at start in attitudes to ruling?
A
- h7 wanted a lot of control
- h8 cared but was not bpthered unless it impacted him personally or got power/ infl
- left day-to-day running to others/ not directly involved
- h7 delegates local rule- similar
- h7 more paranoid- h8- dynasty is alr est
- h8 liked to have an overview overview of his gov but happy to have others do mundane work for him- where TW comes in
6
Q
who was thomas wolsey?
A
- butcher’s son
- good education- Oxford uni + awarded BA at 15, then MA
- ordained preist in 1498 & bursar of magdalen college
7
Q
how did patronage help wolsey’s rise?
A
- chaplain to Archbishop of Canterbury
- then the deputy-lieutenant of Calais (Sir Richard Nanfan) brough thim to h7’s attention- became h7’s chaplain 1507- minor missions to Sc & Netherlands
- career promoted by Bishop Fox of Winchester- quickly eclipsed him
- 1509= Royal Almoner (responsible for distributing alms to poor)
-^ automatically member of council - became indispensable through org Fr expeditions of 1513
- many positions- eg Archbishop of York, Chancellor, Cardinal for life from 1515
8
Q
what did wolsey become in 1518?
A
- LEGATE LATERE- a cardinal who reps the pope on some special assignment w such powers as are delegated to him)
- app by pope
- now outranks his last opponent in ch- the ancient Archbishop Warham at Canterbury
- has auth to reform both secular church & the monastic system + to grant decrees + appoint to benefices
- made him 2nd in power to k himself- even that close
8
Q
how did dealing w opponents help wolsey’s rise?
A
- ruthlessly
- had been reported that Buckingham had been heard threatening to kill h8 & thought little of King’s councillors
- ^ his complaints were on back of the fact that wowlsey had just persecuted Sir William Bulmer for illegal retaining- Bulmer had worn Buckingham’s livery (crest) & was his man- so the attack was an indirect on Buckingham
- W’s actions that Buckingham was arrested, charged w treason & executed (1521)
8
Q
How did pol divisions help wolsey’s rise?
A
- council divided on h wanting to wage war on Fr
- TW backed pro-war faction to get h’s favour- would reap the rewards of his gratitude
- helped plan campaign of 1513- awarded w app of Lord Chancellor & Lord Privy Seal in 1515/16
9
Q
who were wolsey’s main opps?
A
- Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk
- Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey
- Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham
10
Q
how did luck help w rise to power?
A
- h was young, lazy & focused on all-action, heroic kings like henry5th rather than frugal administrators like h7
- but h8 not prepared to leave affairs in hands of h7’s old-fashioned great servants- e + d executed, Foxe & Warham reaching retirement age & were encouraged out of court through insults by w
- so w left to moniter state affairs while h8 remained at ease
11
Q
how did charm help wolsey’s rise?
A
- made most of opps given to him
- ability to gauge his aud, flatter, enterain
- gift of natural eloquence
- ^ imp in the age of renaissance diplomacy
- enjoyed fine things in life
- sociable, witty, convivial, sponsor of musicians & artists
- when wanted something from h8, often brought him small present to charm him while he put forward the issue
- good at networking
12
Q
how did opportunism help wolsey’s rise?
A
- flexibility of outlook
- initially opp to h’s idea o war w france but became enthusiasit of the idea when h refused to change mind
- ready to advnace the k’s will & pleasure w/o any respect from the actual matter- described by Cavendish
- ^questionable moral trait but useful politically
13
Q
how did intelligence help wolsey’s rise?
A
- phenomenal org skills when put in charge of fr expedition- h noticed
- student & fellow at oxford- showed similar acumen- engaged in ambitious building works whilst in charge of magdalen college’s finances ( almost bankrupted it in process)
- prided himself at early academic achievements
- had recog that a career in thech was the best way to fame & fortune for anyone born w/o privilige
14
Q
how did industry help wolsey’s rise?
A
- v hardworking & fast- others at gentler pace
- h even encouraged him ti take holiday- one of the few demands w felt able to ignore from his master
- eg
- ^ h ordered w to travle to flanders as a special envoy to Emporer Maximillian- did this within 3 days there and back to prove his worth
-^ h upbraided him for his tardiness as beleived he hadn’t left yet
15
Q
what did wolsey try to do during his power?
A
- introudeced some imp reforms to the star chamber
- made the law more accessable for the poor
- tackled what was seen as the evils of enclosures, but w little success
- had plans to reform the church but weren’t effective due to his own lifestyle/ income not reflecting reform ideals etc
16
Q
what was the amicable grant?
A
- tax levied by wolsey w/o consent from parliament- disguised as a freely given gift to the king
- after battle of pavia- h wanted to invade france
- both clergy and laity expected to pay it, but money that had been ‘loaned’ in 1522-3 had still not been paid and the 1523 subsidy was still being collected
- gov/pa annoyed he’s done it w/o their approval, altho in practise dukes of noroflk & suffolk had gone along w it
17
Q
what was the response to the amicable grant?
A
- widespread dissent
- full-scale revolt erupts in Suffolk & spreads to borders of Essex and Cambridgeshire
- Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk mustered the East Anglian gentry and managed to negotiate the surrender of 10,000 rebels at Lavenham
- when h realised what was going on, he claimed he never knew of it, and changed it to a benevolence
- wolsey took the blame, said the plan was devised by the council w/o h knowing full details- this seems unlikely tho
18
Q
what were wolsey’s main concerns?
A
- legal system, formulation of domestic policy, political decision making
19
Q
what was the privy chamebr liek until 1519?
A
- full of young courtiers w h’s favour- nicknamed ‘minions’- increased status & role of PC- ‘gentlemen of the PC’
- head= groom of the stool- infl over h
20
Q
how did wolsey change the privy chamber in 1519?
A
- removed h’s ‘minions’, giving them jobs away from central decision making eg ambassadors & military & naval leads in war w fr 1521-25
- replaced them w his own supps- eg Richard Pace dealt w royal correspondense
- now abt 20 members
- but many recover their positions & so is 1 part of gov not under w’s control
21
Q
what was h’s relationship w his privy chamebr?
A
- never attended meetings but drew up its agendas
- lord chancellor or sir william paget, the controller of the king’s household, would seek h’s approval on key decisions
- enabled k to distance himself from unwanted attentions of courtiers & suitors
22
Q
what was the court of chancery?
A
- presided over by wolsey- turned it into a cort of equity, applying a strict reading of canon law that ensured equity
- used to uphold fair justice in cases concering esp enclosure disputes, contracts & land left to others in wills
- concern was it became too popular so justice was slow to administer
23
what was the court of the star chamber?
- most distinct of w's legal conntributions
- offshoot of k's council
- w heard cases of allegation of nobility in their localities eg local officials who abused their power
- no of cases brought each year came to abt 120- w encouraged commoners to bring complaints- a friend to the poor
- eg royal councillor Sir Robert Sheffield imprisoned in ToL as an accessory to felony & heavily fined by the court due to w encouraging ppl to bring cases against him
24
what happened when too many cases came to the court of the star chamber?
- w had encouraged its use for private lawsuits, proved too succesfull and had to set up series of 'overflow tribunals' to deal w pressure of business
- eg theCourt of Request initially set up in 1519 as a permanent committe e specialising in cases involving the poor
25
what was the general proscription/
- 1522 survey to assess ppl's taxable wealth
- so able to levy £200,000 by 2 forced loans in 1522-3
26
how did wolsey feel towards parliament?
- disliked it- though t it would stir up trouble for gov and it didn't understand their prime function was to carry out k's wishes
- reluctantly allowed parliament to be summoned in 1523 as no other way to fin support h's interventionist policy in france- experience from AG soon showed that parliament's vote was best way to raise £ for a large army
27
how did wolsey' change tudor subsidies?
- as under h7, was expected that taxpayers would provide extra rev when needed, most effectively achieved through subsidies- so not a new concept
- but w chanegd; instead of using local commissioners to assess taxpayer's wealth (with the risk they'd be overly generous to local nob), he set up a national committee that he headed himself
28
what was the tudor subsidy?
- grant issued 1523 by parliament to the sovereign for state needs- imposed tax of 1 shilling in the pound for land worth £50- as much raised as £800,000
- but was an insufficient amount raisedand had to use AG
- w also taxed the church- abt £250,000- first time crown attempted to raise mroe realistic taxation
29
what did thomas more stand against in parliament?
- w's financial demands
- k's forgiveness of the boisterousness of some of its members
30
what were the Eltham Ordinances?
- 1526, reforms to finances of PC
- disguised as a reduction in royal household expenditure, w reduced no of gentlemen in PC from 12 to 6
- w removed h's groom of the stool (infl intimate post- much confidence placed & many secrets shared), sir william compton, and replaced him w more compliant & politically neutral henry norris
- est the COUNCIL ATTENDANT ON THE KING- abt 20 members- used to keep councillors carry out duties elsewhere- kees K sparsely attended
31
what was the issue of enclosure?
- ppl lost their common rights over land- brought by wealthy landlords& fenced off
- bc of arable farming & sheep farming- needs fewer labourers- ppl lost their jobs
32
how did wolsey try to counter the enclosure issue?
- 1517 lands a NATIONAL ENQUIRYto consider who was affected- some 260 landlords or corporation eg some oxford colleges had cases launched against them- most clear verdicts against proportional class dependents
33
how did wolsey's enclosure national enquiry fail?
- gradual abandonement- in 1523, in pa, w agreed to abandon the issue for 18 months in return for large subsidy for war- needs of war placed over social reform
34
how did anne boleyn lead to w's downfall?
- AB & fam had sympathy w relig of refs not w- only small dislike at first but from 1527-1529, was quick to blame w for every setback
- she was a rival for h's affections & intensified factional politics- councillors & PCs lined up in supp of w or ab
35
what appointment did w and anne boleyn clash over?
- abbess of wilton in 1528
- w went ahead and app his own candidate, told off by h for not app who he wished
- w managed to smooth things over but was a sign of weakend ties
36
how did wolsey fall in oct 1529?
- h needed little persuasion as angry over divorce failures
- dismissed from lord chancellorship & proescuted on charge on PRAEMUNIRE
- h kept his hopes alive that he may have future uses- allowed him to return to his house at Esher, and restored him to AB of York
- h kept remainder of his wealth incl fortune at york place
37
how did wolsey breifly hope to have a comeback?
- april 1530 retired to archdiocese, but hoped for comeback
- started correspondence w fr & imperial agents- enemies knew of this ( norfolk & suffolk) and persuaded h he was plotting treason
- dies on the way to trial at LEICESTER ABBEY on 29th nov 1530
