Henry VIII's Government Flashcards
(76 cards)
1
Q
What was the nickname given to Wolsey by the public?
A
Friend of the Poor
2
Q
How many times was parliament called while Wolsey was the first minister?
A
Twice - 1515 and 1523
3
Q
What was the name of the measure Wolsey introduced in 1525 to raise money for war without Parliament’s approval?
A
The Amicable Grant
4
Q
By how much did Wolsey increase the number of cases heard by the Star Chamber?
A
10 times
5
Q
What was the name of the court that heard 7526 cases and used principles of fairness rather than a strict reading of the law?
A
Court of Chancery
6
Q
When was the Eltham Ordinances passed?
A
1526
7
Q
How much had Wolsey raised by 1520 despite expenditure being 1.7 million?
A
800,000
8
Q
Which year did Wolsey fall from power?
A
1529
9
Q
What was the main reason behind Wolsey’s fall?
A
Inability to secure a break
from Rome
10
Q
Why was Wolsey disliked by his enemies?
A
- He was not of noble stock
- He believed he had the the same amount of authority as the king
11
Q
How did Wolsey use Parliament to gain extraordinary revenue?
A
The Tudor subsidy
12
Q
Which treaty did Wolsey create to bring an end to England’s diplomatic isolation?
A
Treaty of London 1518
13
Q
What court did Wolsey extend the use of to administer cheap and fair justice in 1516?
A
Star Chamber
14
Q
What did Wolsey build, and then later gift to Henry?
A
Hampton Court Palace
15
Q
What was the charge brought against Wolsey?
A
Praemunire
16
Q
When does Thomas Cromwell serve as chief minister and lord chancellor?
A
1532-1540
17
Q
When was the dissolution of monasteries?
A
1536 – 1542
18
Q
Who was hostile to Cromwell’s religious reforms?
A
The Duke of Norfolk
19
Q
When was the Act of Supremacy passed?
A
November 1534
20
Q
How many men made up the privy council after it was reduced from 70 members?
A
Cromwell reduced the number down to 19 members
21
Q
What did Cromwell charge Anne Boleyn with in 1536?
A
Adultery
22
Q
Who did Cromwell arrange a marriage between after the death of Jane Seymour?
A
Anne of Cleves 1540 and Henry VIII
23
Q
What was Cromwell’s fathers job?
A
Blacksmith
24
Q
What institution did Geoffrey Elton believe that Cromwell was responsible for revolutionising?
A
Parliament
25
What type of payment was withheld from the Papacy under Cromwell’s policy in 1532?
Annates due to the First Act of Annates in 1532
26
What did the First Act of Succession state and when was it drafted?
- April 1534
- Henry’s marriage to Catherine was void (Mary wasn’t to inherit)
- Children of Henry and Anne (Elizabeth) should succeed the throne.
27
What court was used to deal with the income of the dissolution of the Monasteries and by how much did crown income rise?
Court of Augmentations.
Crown Income rose from £150,000 to £300,000
28
What role had Cromwell assumed by 1532?
The king's chief minister
29
What was Cromwell arrested for?
He was arrested for charges of treason, heresy & corruption – on the 10th June 1540.
30
An example of how the Star Chamber curbed the powerful’s abuse of the legal system?
1516 the Earl of Northumberland was put in prison for contempt of court.
31
What was set up as a result of the popularity of the Star Chamber and Chancery?
Overflow Tribunals
e.g Whitehall in 1519
32
What did the Court of Chancery deal with and what was passed that led to how many prosecutions 2 years later?
The Enclosure Act 1515
17 committees were sent out in 1517 to make sure the law was being carried out. This led to 264 prosecutions.
33
Limitations of the Court of Chancery
Wolsey became distracted by foreign policy
The court was slow because of popularity
The enclosure policy was abandoned in 1523 for 18 months because of the subsidy.
34
What was the Act of Resumption under Henry VIII?
1515
Returned some of the Crown lands to increase revenue
_ Income from Crown Lands decreased to £20,000 per anum
35
How did Wolsey change the method of assessing wealth?
Moved away from using local commissioners to do it
In 1522, he used a national committee that ran a survey
36
How many times and how much did the Subsidy raise (Wolsey) ?
Used 4 times (1513-1515 & in 1523)
Total raised : £822,000
Total expenditure on war 1509-1520: £1.7 million
37
Limitations of the Amicable Grant
London & East Anglia had a resistance of 20,000 men
Widespread unpayment
Pardoned by the King so Wolsey took the blame for the expensive foreign policies
38
Who was the Trade Embargo against in 1527?
Spain
Wolsey had aligned foreign policy with France & against Spain
Spain controlled the Netherlands which heavily impacted the English cloth trade
39
What 3 events contributed to the first occasion in Tudor England of substantial economic suffering of the poor?
- Debasement of the coinage
- Trade Embargo with Spain heavily impacted the Cloth industry
- Poor harvests in 1527
40
The first parliament of 1515
Wolsey stopped the Parliament before it granted money because some MPs were criticising the Church, addressing anticlericalism
41
The Second Parliament of 1523
Wolsey requested £800,000 in subsidy
Wolsey received £150,000
He asked Parliament for £100,000 which was unpopular
Showed lack of humility & caused relationship with Parliament to worsen
42
When & what was the Act to abolish Sanctuary?
- 1540
- Criminals could no longer shelter in places of worship to avoid arrest and prosecution.
43
Laws in Wales Act 1536
- English common law replaced any pre-existing laws in the area.
- Justices of the Peace, appointed by the King, were responsible for the maintenance of law and order in each Shire.
- English became the official legal language for documentation
44
After the pilgrimage of Grace, Cromwell reformed the Council of the North in 1536 by...
- Cromwell repurposed the Council of the North in 1537 following the Pilgrimage of Grace.
- This issued royal proclamations and ensured justices and JPs were loyal to political and religious policy.
45
The Court of First Fruits and Tenths
Established to collect the money previously paid to Rome through the Annates.
46
Debasing of the coinage happened in what years under Cromwell?
- 1544
- 1546
47
Reformation of Parliament 1529-1536
Statute law created in parliament could only be overturned through a subsequent act of parliament
48
Justices of Peace under Cromwell
- Increased the number of JPs
- 1,000 paid JPs
- Justice of Assize 1542, JPs held accountable
- Duties increased
49
Palatinates under Cromwell
Palatinates are semi-autonomous areas of England : Durham, Cambridge & Lancaster
In 1536, JPs were appointed to limit their powers and brought the Palatinates under the Crown more.
50
Local government change in Calais under Cromwell - How was it transformed and can be argued it wasn't
- 1536 : 2 MPs sent to the House of Commons
- Did little further to bring it under central control or enhance the quality administration
51
Local government change in the South West under Cromwell
The creation of the Council of the South West was unpopular & ineffective.
President John Russel
Abandoned after Cromwell's fall
52
Local government change in Ireland under Cromwell
- Lord Grey sent to govern & 4 royal commissioners to examine the issues but was dismissed in 1540
- June 1541: Policy introduced that Ireland was a kingdom & Henry VIII was King
- The Cusack st Leger initiative in 1540 meant each Irish lord had to obey the king's officers, pay tax, do military service, and adopt English customs. This initiative was abandoned in 1543.
53
When did Wolsey become appointed as Papal Legate? Why was this significant? - Character and Aims
- 1518
- Gave him precedence over the Archbishop of Canterbury in terms of Church rank
- Wolsey was in control of England’s religious orders.
54
When was Wolsey appointed as Lord Chancellor?
1515
55
What 3 things did Henry VIII do in 1510 which eradicated his father's legacy of unpopular methods of extracting money?
- Abolish Council Learned
- Abolish Bonds & Recognizances
- Execute Empson & Dudley
56
When was the Second Act of Succession passed? What did this determine?
- 1536
- Declared Elizabeth illegitimate
- Henry could determine his own successor in the absence of an heir apparent.
57
When was the Third Act of Succession passed? What did this determine?
- 1543
- Henry’s succession being from Edward to Mary to Elizabeth.
58
What was the attitude of Wolsey to Parliament?
Wolsey had a strong dislike of Parliament, preferring to have free will with which to administrate the realm.
59
When did the period of conciliar government at the start of Henry VIII’s reign last from-to? What led to its downfall?
-1509 until 1514.
- Henry became dismayed at the reluctance of his father’s councillors to support war with France.
- Admired Wolsey’s personal aptitude for administration and management.
60
How did Wolsey complement Henry VIII’s attitude to government so well?
Wolsey’s detailed and dedicated approach was a perfect contrast to Henry’s more released and hands-off approach to government.
61
What is a subsidy? How did Wolsey use them?
- A subsidy is a grant issued by Parliament to levy taxes or other requirements by the state.
- Wolsey used these to raise extraordinary revenue in times of need by Parliament.
62
How did Wolsey change the way in which subsidies were calculated? Why was this necessary?
- Created an independent national committee headed by himself to assess the wealth of taxpayers in order to increase revenue gathered by taxation.
- This was needed as local commissioners assessing wealth would often be over-generous to the nobility.
63
The Eltham Ordinances of 1526 reduced the number in the privy chamber from what to what?
12 to 6
64
Why did Wolsey pass the Eltham Ordinances?
To remove politcal opponents.
- Example of ruling for himself.
65
What was the ‘King’s Great Matter’?
The issue of securing an annulment of Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon in order for him to marry Anne Boleyn.
66
What Biblical basis was there for Henry VIII having an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon?
- In the Book of Leviticus, a line exists preventing a man from marrying his brother’s widow.
- Henry used this to argue that his marriage to Catherine was sinful and that it required annulment.
67
What issues were there with Henry VIII’s Biblical argument for annulment?
- Catherine claimed that her marriage to Arthur had never been consummated, therefore nullifying the argument made by Henry.
- Furthermore, it was believed that this line meant only not to marry your brother’s wife whilst he is alive.
68
What problem was there in securing a divorce between Henry and Catherine in terms of foreign relations?
- In 1527, Rome had been sacked by Charles V, with the Pope made his prisoner.
- As Charles V was the nephew of Catherine of Aragon, Charles was not going to permit a divorce and see his family insulted.
69
What did Wolsey aim to set up using his position as Papal Legate in order to secure a divorce in 1527?
- May 1527, Wolsey set up a fake court which accused Henry of living in sin with Catherine
- A charge which Henry agreed to.
- Catherine would not accept this verdict and later appealed to the Pope.
70
Cardinal Campeggio was sent by the Pope as an envoy in June 1526 and what was his outcome on the hearing of divorce?
Campeggio adjourned the hearing in July 1526, with no divorce granted to Henry.
71
How can Cromwell be said to have NOT transformed the Palatinates?
- They did little more than change who exercised power in these regions
- Failed to control the rebellious and recalcitrant regions. This was especially evident after the break from Rome.
72
Who did Cromwell have appointed as President of the Welsh Council? How many Welsh did he hang in 6 years?
- Bishop of Coventry as President of the Welsh Council in 1534
- Hanged 5000 Welsh in 6 years.
73
How can Cromwell be said to have NOT transformed the governance of Wales?
Council of Wales had previously existed so he merely repurposed the institution, Wales still seen as a threat and required the presence of Marcher Lords to reaffirm English control of the region.
74
How can Cromwell be said to have NOT transformed the governance of the North?
- Magnate control was still required over the North due to the expenditure of dictating governance from Westminster.
- Earl of Northumberland was appointed Lieutenant of the North.
75
What was the Court of Wards? What were its impacts?
- Established to collect feudal dues from estates of a minor who had inherited land.
- Another specific department established with a certain role, formalising this act as part of Cromwell’s bureaucracy.
76
What led to the downfall of the conservative faction in Henry VIII’s conciliar government?
The Duke of Norfolk, the head of the conservatives, was the uncle of Catherine Howard. Once her adultery became apparent, she was executed and the conservatives fell out of favour.
