Henry VIII Flashcards
How did Henry VIII succeed the throne?
Succeeded in April 1509, two months before his 18th birthday. Since the death of Arthur, he had been educated for his role of king and was well read and had been introduced to humanist ideas.
Describe Henry’s character
Manner of succession displays astuteness and ruthlessness as death of Henry VII concealed for two days whilst Henry VIII and his counsillors secured his position.
Richard Fox, Thomas Lovell and Richard Weston established themselves in power and arranged for the imprisonment of Empson and Dudley - this was a popular move which seemed to symbolise end of old ways of ruling.
- Ruthlessness and cynicism (shown through execution of
Empsen and Dudley).
- Insecurity (shown through his willingness to resort to
execution for treason).
- Impulsiveness (his marriages to CoA, AoC, and CH, and his
decision to execute Cromwell - all which he later regreted.
Henry believed in his ‘divine right’ to rule and conformed to practises of Catholic Church.
How was Henry VIII different from his father?
He lacked strong work ethic, rather enjoyinh activities such as pageants, sports, hunting, and tournaments.
He had little interest in daily business of government, however could act decisively when she chose.
He relied heavily on others (on members of his Council and his chief minister (Wolsey or Cromwell).
Legacy of Henry VII
- Full Crown coffer (around £300,000)
- Peaceful kingdom in which nobility had been checked and
Tudor dynasty secured. - Although some of his methods of raising revenue had
been unpopular, his peaceful foreign policy and efficient
government had helped to provide stability (welcomed
after WoR).
Aims of Henry VIII’s government:
Early aims - estabilish himself and preserve the best of what his father had left him, but wanted to be seen as new king.
Once his position was consolidated his aims became less clear: always eager to pursue glory and secure succession, however showed little interest in policy-making.
The lasting effects of his reign (dissolution of monasteries, plundering of church wealth) arose from circumstances and were not the results of a clear set of policy aims.
Aims and actions
Aim 1: Dismantle unpopular aspects of his father’s legacy, while maintaining stability = Empson and Dudley executed; Coucil Learned in the Law abolished (Jan 1510); many bonds cancelled
Aim 2: Establish status amog European monarchs through marriage and preserve dynasty (through heir) = married Catherine of Aragon (June 1509).
Aim 3: Support nobility whilst preserving strong government = nobles’ sons became Henry’s personal companions in sport, leisure, war - but poltical influence was limitied (Wolsey dominated as chief minister).
Aim 4: Establish himself as warrior king through success in battle = pursued military glory through war with France.
Key chronology of ‘King’s Great Matter’
1525: Henry asked Wolsey to secure papal dispensation for annulment of marriage to C, providing biblial justification that his marriage to his brother’s widow had been illegal in sight of God.
1527: Wolsey (as Pope’s representative) called special court to ‘try’ Henry for living in sin to which Henry agreed but Catherine opposed. She appealed to Pope Clement VII. Pope relucant to sign divorce because Catherine’s nephew, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, opposed annulment. May - Charles’ troops entered Rome, sacked city and took Pope prisoner.
Two years of useless diplomacy followed, during which the Pope deliberately procrastinated.
1529: Pope sent envoy, Cardinal Campeggio, to hear the case along with Wolsey in a legatine court. Hearing opened June but Campeggio adjourned it in July, without aggreeing to annulment. October - Wolsey charged with praemunire (using papal authority against the Crown) and retired to Yorkshire, surrendering possessions to king.
1530: November - Wolsey arrested, but died before tried and executed. Henry determined to press ahead with “Great Matter” - used scholars (such as Thomas Cranmer [who was rewarded with Archbishop of Canterbury in 1532]) to put the theological case for annulment.
1531: English clergy collectively accused of praemunire and ordered to pay $100,000 fine.
1532: Thomas Cromwell emerged as king’s chief minister - passed a series of measures and laws through parliament to release king from papal control, and thus enable him to remarry with a clear conscious.
- Act passed witholding payment of annates (taxes on first fruits and tenths = a tax paid to the papacy by clergy on taking up their appointments).
- The Supplication against the Ordinaries = accused bishops of over-stating their power.
- Submission of the Clergy = Cromwell organised the surrender of the Church’s law-making function to the king.
1533: By Jan, Anne pregnant so Cranmer conducted a secret marriage ceremony. May - Cranmer annuled Henry’s previous marriage, allowing Anne to be crowned queen. September 7th - Birth of daughter, Elizabeth, did not solved problem of succession.
Government under Henry VIII
Henry inherited strong and efficient government staffed by able administrators. Henry’s early years saw a good deal of continuity until 1514.
- 1509-1514: Government by the Council.
Conciliar government broken down by 1514 because of disagreements between Henry and his councillors.
- 1514-29: Thomas Wolsey as chief minister.
Henry started relying on Wolsey to manage government effectively. Wolsey’s influence derived from close relationship with king than formal positions.
- 1529-32: Conciliar government restored.
Wolsey’s downfall leds to restoration of CG.
- 1532-40: Thomas Cromwell as chief minister.
Cromwell rose to power as chief minister by 1532 and dominated royal government for the rest of the 1530s.
- 1540-47: Conciliar governmet restored in new form.
Following Cromwell’s fall, new privy council emerged with fixed membership and recorded procceedings. Power lay with conservatives in Privy Council.
Importance of Parliament
Grew in importance, particularly from 1529, when the so-called ‘Reformation Parliament’ (1529-36) dealt with Henry’s divorce from CoA and reformed Church.
Henry used Parliament to grant extraordinary revenue to finance his wars.
When was Wolsey in power?
1515-29
Who was Wolsey?
Churchman of humble origins.
His organisational abilities (especially in French campaign) impressed Henry and he rose to become Archbishop of York in 1514, a cardinal in 1515, and papal legate (Pope’s personal representative) in 1518. He was appointed Lord Chancellor in 1515, which put him in control of royal government and gave him immense power because all other courtiers had to go through him to speak to the king.
What was Lord Wolsey’s chancellorship centred on?
Strengthening royal authority and raising finance, particularly to support Henry’s wars with France and Scotland.
How did Wolsey promote royal authority by enforcing law and order?
- Presided over court of chancery, which he used to uphold ‘fair’ justice in problems relating to enclosure of open fields for sheep farming, contracts, and land left to others in wills.
- From 1516, he extended use of the court of star chamber, which had been established as offshoot of king’s council during Henry VII’s reign, making it the centre of government and legal system. Used to increase cheap ad fair justice and heard cases of alleged misconduct and private lawsuits.
- Local law officers were appointed to enforce royal law.
- Authority of the Crown over reigional councils was extended.
How did Wolsey raise finance for the king?
- Instead of using local commissioners to assess taxpayers’ wealth for raising subsidies (extraordinary revenue), he set up a network of royal commissioners appointed by himself.
- 1525: amount of extraordinary revenue still insufficient to finance Henry’s war in France so he tried to raise Amicable Grant. In theory, this was a voluntary gift to king from subjects, but in reality it was heavy tax, levied without Parliament’s approval = led to widespread resistance and had to be abandonded.
- 1526: he introduced Eltham Ordinances which were aimed to reduce royal household expenditure by reforming Privy Chamber’s finances, but through them Wolsey also succeeding in reducing in the influence of the Privy Chamber.
What was the ‘King’s Great Matter’?
Concerned the annulment of Henry’s marriage to CoA; something which could only be granted by the Pope (Clement VII).
By mid 1520s Henry had no male heir and only one surviving daughter, Princess Mary, and CoA past childbearing age.
Henry feared for kingdom if he should die without a male heir.
He was also in love with Anne Boleyn, the niece of Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk.
State the 6 Acts of Parliament that Cromwell passed in 1533-41 to establish royal supremacy + their significance?
April 1533 - Act in Restraint of Appeals: no appeals could be made to Rome against decisions of Church courts in England - Catherine could not appeal to Rome against marriage annulment.
April 1534 - Act of Succession: annulled Henry’s marriage to Catherine; vested the succession in Anne’s children; to deny Anne’s marriage was treason - Mary illegitimate; hopes for heir rested on Anne.
November 1534 - Act of Supremacy: king declared Supreme Head of the Church in England - Pope’s authority no longer recoginised (the ‘break from Rome’).
November 1534 - Treason Act: treasonable to call Henry heretic - used against opponents of royal supremacy.
November 1534 - Act in Restraint of Annates: allowed annates to be transfered from Pope to king - strengthened king’s position (special court set up to administer this).
1536 and 1541 - First and Second Suppression Acts: dissolved monasteries - confiscation of church land to crown increased wealth and power.
Who was Cromwell?
- A lawyer, who was noticed by king while working under Wolsey.
- his skills engineered the break with Rome = became invaluable to Henry
- been suggested that his policies revolutionised the government as he achieved royal supremacy through Act of Parliament
- Helped give parliamentary law precedence over church law.
How did Cromwell change government?
- developed a more ‘modern’ form of government (replaced ‘personal’ approach with a more bureaucratic approach that invloved creating departments, controlled by rules and produres, for different areas.
- EG: Court of Augmentations and the Court of First Fruits and Tenths (established to look after Henry’s income from the Church; were subject to scruitiny and careful auditing of all accounts).
