henry topics 1 - 3 <333 Flashcards
treaty of london
- 1518
- Diplomatic triumph for Wolsey
- Promised universal peace
- Non-aggressive policy by not attacking each other
- All allies so would defend
- Signed by 20 European leaders + Pope
- Prevented war for 3 years
- Henry great peacemaker
- england started to be seen as a significant power
the battle of the spurs
1514
The Battle of the Spurs was the final battle in the first French war that ultimately gave victory to Henry.
the treaty of burges
Secret treaty between Emperor Charles V and Henry VIII providing for a joint invasion of France before March 1523.
the treaty of cambrai
- In 1529, Francis I negotiated a peacedeal with Charles V after his defeat in the Treaty of Cambrai, only notifying Wolsey of the negotiations when it was too late. This was a snub to Wolsey and Henry and left them diplomatically isolated
- England was no longer seen as an equal
the ‘field of the cloth of gold’
1520
- one of a series of meetings arranged by Wolsey to prevet war
- Francis I (france), and Henry, in Calais
- showed of prestige and granc occassion
- Henry at centre of European diplomacy
- nothing of substance achieved but increased sus that eng taking sides in spain
- no decisions to bring peace w France improved.
= brought honour = equal terms
wolseys failures: 1522-25
1522-25
- French war and alliance with Charles V failed because Wolsey’s support for Charles V against France, in theTreaty of Bruges, was based on the idea that Charles would help him seize French territory and the French throne = This did not happen.
–> Charles gave Henry little military support. After the Battle of Pavia, Charles ignored Henry’s suggestion that France be divided between England and the Holy Roman Empire with Henry getting the French throne. –> Instead, Charles released Francis from captivity. The war was unpopular, cost £430000 and achieved little.
wolseys failures: 1525 - 1529
1525-29:
- An alliance with France to fight Charles V failed because the French were again defeated by Charles and received little help from England, damaging Henry’s reputation as a reliable ally.
what was a key factor of wolseys disatrous foreign policy?
the unreliability of Francis I and Charles V was a key factor in Wolsey’s disastrous foreign policy.
henrys marriage to catherine
successful: Henry was a good husband
- Catherine was a popular queen - charity work
- Catherine supported Henry, regent when Henry fought with France
- strengthened Henry’s relationship with Spain and Holy Roman Empire, meant it would not be isolated in Europe
why did henry want a male son?
- secure the tudor dynasty w a male heir
- succession would be threatened, posssible invasion and civil war under a female heir
Catherine’s failure to provide
Henry with a son
- Catherine was pregnant at least six times , but only one child, Princess Mary, survived. Catherine’s failure to provide Henry with a male heir was a growing concern to him because:
= it reflected badly on Henry’s manhood and reputation + suggested that Henry was incapable of producing a male heir
= it threatened the succession - Catherine was six years older than Henry = making another pregnancy and a male heir unlikely.
reasons for the annulment - henry questioning their marriage
1 - Henry blamed Catherine for not giving him a healthy son - he had had an illegitimate son by his mistress, Bessie Blount, so it couldn’t have been his fault
2 - Henry had lost interest in Catherine and had turned his interest to younger women like Anne Boleyn
3 - By marrying his dead brothers wife, Henry thought God was punishing him by not giving him a male heir, as in the Old Testament it states “ If a man shall take his brother’s wife it is an impurity… they shall be childless”
henrys attempt to gain an annulment
1 - !527, Henry instructed Wolsey to persuade Pope Clement VII to grant an annulment on the grounds that the marriage was ungodly
2 - The Pope was reluctant to grant the annulment as he didn’t want to offend Charles V whose troops were close to Rome
3 - 1528, Wolsey proposed that as Papal Legate, he would rule on the case along with the Popes representative, Cardinal Campeggio. This failed because, under the Pope’s instructions, Campeggio dragged out proceedings . 1529, the case was adjourned without a decision being reached
pressure on catherine
Tremendous pressure was placed on Catherine to renounce her marriage to Henry:
- it was suggested that she give up the crown and become a nun
- she was accused of hating the king. - Henry also threatened to ignore their daughter, Princess Mary, excluding her from the succession
the court case and opposition to the annulment
Catherine had the support of Thomas More, adviser to the King
- Catherine was popular with ordinary people due to her charitable work
- Catherine had support of John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester
- Cardinal Campeggio engaged in delaying tactics, frustrating Henry and Wolsey by refusing to come to a decision on the issue
- Catherine herself opposed it, even publicly begging the King to not cast her aside, making it hard for Henry to make a convincing case for annulment
Reasons for Wolsey’s fall from power 1929
- Amicable Grant
- Annulment
- Foreign Policy
- Eltham ordinances
- The Boleyns
- Wolsey’s reforms
Wolsey’s failure with the Amicable Grant
Wolsey’s decision to introduce the Amicable Grant tax without approval of parliament in 1525 damaged his reputation as it led to a rebellion and the failure to collect the tax. Henry was forced to distance himself from Wolsey’s actions, undermining his power and influence over the King
Wolsey’s failure to get an annulment
Wolsey’s failure to secure an annulment of Henry’s marriage to Catherine angered Henry. He became increasingly impatient with Wolsey and began to believe he was working with the Pope to prevent an annulment from happening
Wolsey’s foreign policy (fall from power)
Wolsey’s failure to build an alliance against Charles V was frustrated by the Treaty of Cambrai, leaving England isolated and vulnerable in Europe. Henry was prepared to get rid of Wolsey because he no longer had confidence in his skills as a diplomat
Wolsey and the Boleyns
Henry’s infatuation with Anne Boleyn gave the Boleyn family (especially Thomas Boleyn) increasing influence at court.
- Wolsey’s failure to secure an annulment led them to plot against him by suggesting that he was siding with the Pope + disrupting proceedings
- Anne hated Wolsey and together with her brother and other nobles who were unhappy with Wolsey, - Persuaded Henry to get rid of him = attacks on him increased
Wolsey’s reforms (fall from power)
Wolsey’s reforms to the
- justice system
- his opposition to enclosure
- his willingness to reclaim land held by nobility had made him many enemies at court = These people were more than happy to conspire with the Boleyns to undermine Wolsey
Wolsey’s dismissal
- October 1529, Wolsey was stripped of most of his powers and possessions and exiled to York
- July 1530, Wolsey was summoned to London on charges of praemunire (working in the interests of the pope and not the king) but died on his way to London of natural causes
Thomas Cromwell
Was not a member of the nobility, rose from humble beginnings to become a member of the Privy council in 1531
+ become the King’s chief minister by 1534
Cromwell’s personality
- Often seen as a ruthless and unprincipled figure who was prepared to do the King’s “dirty work”, such as organising the execution of members of the nobility and dissolving the monasteries
- In reality, Cromwell was capable of great loyalty
- He had a vibrant personality and could be witty, charming and persuasive when he wanted or needed to be
Reasons for Cromwell’s rise to power
- Loyalty
- Wit and Charm
- Ruthlessness
- Efficiency
Cromwell’s Loyalty
Cromwell remained loyal to Wolsey, defending him in audiences and even in audiences with the King. This loyalty impressed Henry who was prepared to promote him on the grounds that he would be equally loyal to Henry, as a servant of the King
Cromwell’s Wit and Charm
Cromwell’s wit and charm won him many supporters at court, including the King
Cromwell’s Ruthlessness
Cromwell’s ruthlessness meant that the king was prepared to rely on him to manage violent and controversial acts and discouraged rivals and opponents from challenging his power
Cromwell’s efficiency to the king
As Henry began to involve himself more in day-to-day government after 1530, Cromwell was there to carry out his instructions quickly and efficiently and as the King’s loyal servant
How Cromwell got the annulment
1 - Cromwell realised that Pope Clement VII wasn’t willing to annul Henry’s marriage to Catherine as he didn’t want to upset Charles V
2 - Cromwell changed tactic, arguing that the power to grant an annulment should be taken from the pope and given to Henry instead
3 - Henry & Anne were secretly married by Archbishop Cramner in 1533, Anne was already pregnant and there was a need for the child to be a legitimate heir to the throne = wasn’t legal.
4 - Parliament passed the Act in Restraint of Appeals in March 1533, asserting that England was an empire and not subject to any form of foreign rule. Henry was now supreme head of England and the church and only he, not the pope, could annul his marriage to Catherine
5 - A divorce began in May 1533, led by Cramner, the court announced that:
- Henry’s marriage to Catherine was invalid
- Henry and Catherine had never legally been married
- Henry’s secret marriage to Anne was valid because he had been a bachelor at the time
6 - Anne was crowned Queen in September 1533
Cromwells responsibilities after 1534
- In charge of the church = He became vicar-general in 1535, with power to institute Church reform
- Influential role in law = He had become Master of the Rolls in 1533
- In charge of Henry’s household = He became Lord Great Chamberlain in 1540
- In charge of finances = He had become Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1533 = He became Lord Privy Seal in 1536, a senior position in the Privy council with unlimited access to Henry’s documents
- In charge of King’s personal seal =
reasons for the fall of anne boleyn
1 - Early 1936, Henry was becoming infatuated with Jane Seymour and saw her as his Queen, Anne would have to be removed to make way for Jane
2 - Henry was becoming increasingly exasperated with Anne, she had failed to provide him with a male heir, her assertive personality and flirtatious behaviour in court may have been an embarrassment
3 - Anne had strong opinions about foreign policy and religion that were not considered seemly and this increasingly irritated Henry
4 - There were allegations of adultery against her which Henry was more than happy to believe
cromwells role in annes fall
- Cromwell was aware of Anne’s role in the downfall of Wolsey and did not want to share his fate
- Anne & Cromwell had differences of opinion on foreign policy and how the income from the dissolution of the monasteries should be spent
- Cromwell built the case of adultery against Anne, interviewing and torturing witnesses and using spies to unearth any evidence of adultery, he used this to persuade Henry and the court that Anne was guilty
However, others believe it was unlikely that Cromwell conspired to end Anne’s time as Queen and he was only building a case against Anne as he was carrying out Henry’s wishes
Jane Seymour
Married Henry and became Queen on 30 May 1536, 11 days after Anne Boleyn’s death. She gave birth to a male heir, but died shortly after
Henry’s marriage to Jane Seymour
Henry was keen to marry Jane as quickly as possible because he needed a son to become the legitimate heir to the throne. Without this, if Henry died, the succession would go to someone outside the family
Why was there no longer an heir to the throne? 1536
- Princess Mary and Princess Elizabeth had been declared illegitimate
- Henry Fitzroy, Henry’s illegitimate son had died soon after the Act of Succession had been passed in 1534, this allowed Henry to appoint any successor he liked which could have been Henry Fitzroy
The heir (Henry’s legitimate son)
- On 12 October 1537, Jane gave birth to a son, Edward
- This strengthened the succession and meant there was less chance of competing claims for the throne on Henry’s death
- Strengthened Henry’s authority as it suggested God had blessed Henry with a son implying his marriage to Jane and the events preceding this were acceptable by God
Jane’s death
Less than 2 weeks after giving birth to Edward, Jane died. Henry went into a state of mourning and refused to marry again for 2 years
Henry still began searching for a new wife as he needed to produce more male heirs
Cromwell’s reform of the Royal Council
Cromwell argued the Royal council was too big with up to 100 members
- Replaced it with a new simpler, Privy Council made up of 20 permanent advisers
- Composed of lawyers and professional administrators rather than noblemen
- Cromwell hoped this would stop 1 person dominating, as all would have equal status
Cromwell’s reform of the Council of the North
- Had existed since 1472 and aimed to improve how the North of England was governed, contained members of nobility and churchmen
- Cromwell made it into a permanent institution, which from 1537 was responsible for maintaining law and order in the North
- It was important as it kept rebellion from happening and maintained the Government’s authority
Cromwell’s Financial reforms
Traditionally, the King’s Chamber was used to record income(taxes, rents, etc) and expenditure. With an increase in income from the dissolution of the monasteries, Cromwell decided the chamber couldn’t cope with the increased work so he created 6 departments.
4 dealt with the king’s traditional income and 2 dealt with the dissolution
- The Court of Augmentations
- The Court of First Fruits and Tenths
The Court of Augmentations
Dealt with property and income from the dissolution of the monasteries
The Court of First Fruits and Tenths
Collected taxes from the clergy previously sent to the pope in Rome
Parliament at the start of Henry’s reign
- Parliament had existed since the 13th century
- Contained 2 chambers The House of Commons and The House of Lords
- Its role was limited to approving taxation
- It did not meet very often
The development of the role of parliament by Cromwell
- Cromwell used parliament more regularly
- Key changes in the Church and the State were made by Acts of Parliament
- The King and Cromwell used parliament to gain support from people who were significant (nobility, churchmen). This strengthened the King’s authority as it suggested that these people approved of his ideas and policies
Cromwell’s effectiveness in managing parliament
- Controlled parliamentary business, ensuring that ideas were debated and discussed and laws were properly drafted
- Sat as an MP, enabled him to guide debates and ensure that there was support for laws he wanted to pass
- Used threats and intimidation to undermine any opposition
The significance of the increased use of parliament
- Parliament was at the centre of government (had legislative power and could pass laws on all aspects of daily life)
- Parliament could not be ignored and had to be consulted on all major laws that the King wanted to pass
anne of cleves
The second daughter of the Duke of Cleves, a small state in the north of the Holy Roman Empire. She was 24 years old when she came to England and spoke very little English.
Henry found her unattractive when he first saw her and took an immediate dislike to her, referring to her as a “Flanders mare”
Reasons for/significance of Henry’s marriage to Anne of Cleves
- By 1539, there seemed a real threat of a Catholic crusade against England from Charles V and Francis I. The marriage would provide Henry with a valuable European ally, who might persuade other German states to help him if England was attacked
- The Duke of Cleves seemed happy to marry Anne off to Henry as he and other reformist states needed allies against Charles V.(In spite of Henry’s reputation as someone who had killed his wife)
- Henry had only 1 male heir, the risk of Edward dying young required a further marriage to produce more male heirs
- The Duke of Cleves had also broken from Rome, so this suggested that Henry had no intention to back out of his decision to break from Rome too
