2.10 English society under Henry VIII Flashcards
Growth: Provide some evidence that the Nobles were better off under Henry?
-The size of the nobility increased, with 9 new peers at the end of his reign. Edward Seymour, for example, became Earl of Hertford. By 1547, there were 51 peers.
-Suffolk was endowed property in Lincolnshire, and John, Baron Russell, was raised to peerage & given lands in Devon.
-2 new Dukes were created by Henry, primarily for the military success.
Growth: Provide some evidence that the Nobles experienced no change/decline?
-Thomas Fiennes, Baron Dacre of the South, was tried for murder in 1541 & hanged. This humiliating death suggests that Henry was not concerned with bettering their postion.
-The Duke of Buckingham was executed for vague charges of treason in 1521.
-Henry Pole Baron Montague & Henry Courtenay, the King’s relatives, were executed in 1538.
-Margaret Pole Countess of Salisbury was attained for treason, and held in the tower for 2 years before being executed.
-The numbers of new peers were offset by ‘natural wastage’ and the number of attainders.
-Nobles held 10% of the land available for cultivation.
Growth: Provide some evidence that the Gentry were better off under Henry?
-By 1540, there were 5000 gentry families, and 200 knightly families in 1524.
-Heralds were unwilling to grant the title of esquire to those with lands worth less than £10pa, which implies that there was growing wealth among gentry, as the title had to become more protected.
-Many gentry underwent legal training.
-Knights owned 8% of cultivated ares by E’s reign, just less than the nobility.
Growth: Provide some evidence that the Gentry experienced no change/decline?
-Gentry were drawn into unpaid crown internships.
-Many gentry/noble families died out/became impoverished. In Yorkshire, 181 families became extinct in the male line, 64 left the country, and 30 vanished w/o trace.
-Under Henry VII, middling-lesser gentry had held 25% of cultivated land. This reduced to 15-20% under VIII.
-The terms ‘gentleman’ and ‘gentility’ lacked any legal precision, so don’t actually suggest any significant great influence.
Rule/Reign: In what ways did Henry rule between 1509-14?
-Leads invasions of France in 1512 & 1513.
-Invades Scotland in 1512.
-Empson and Dudley are immediately arrested, and then executed 16 months later (taking decisive action in order to reinstate the position of the nobility).
-Patronage: he knights Sir Ralph Egerton in 1513.
Rule/Reign: In what ways did Henry reign between 1509-14?
-Relied heavily on his concilliar government (Morton/Fox). Many of these came directly from Henry VII’s government.
-Henry’s invasions of France had limited impact, and there was a reliance on nobles (like Marquis of Dorset) to lead them.
-Treaty of Etaples is renewed not by Henry’s effort. The 1510 renewal was a product of the council, and the 1514 was negotiated by Wolsey. Suggests that Henry was focused on war, and unable to deal with its consequences.
Rule/Reign: In what ways did Henry rule between 1514-29?
-Control over the Privy Chamber was maintained until 1519. Even after this, he allowed those that Wolsey had deposed to recover their former positions.
-When Wolsey failed to secure his annulment in 1529, he was arrested (4th Nov 1530) & later executed for Praemunire. Henry was still the ultimate authority.
-Henry builds new palaces @ Bridewell & refurnishes Eltham/Greenwich before 1525, spending a minimum of £40000.
Rule/Reign: In what ways did Henry reign between 1514-29?
-Wolsey orchestrated the 1515 Act of Resumption in order to repeal some of the crown lands that Henry had granted away.
-By 1526, Wolsey had begun to adminster some control over Henry’s court; the Eltham Ordinances secured the replacement of Sir William Compton as Groom of the Stool with Henry Norris.
-Wolsey reformed finance & introduced the Amicable Grant in 1525 (taking over economic policy).
Rule/Reign: In what ways did Henry rule between 1532-40?
-Henry did eventually resist Cromwell’s influence, and in June of 1540 was removed from the King’s Council & taken to the Tower of London (though, this was more Thomas Howard).
-Again, Henry had ultimate authority, and the ability to removal Cromwell from power at his will.
Rule/Reign: In what ways did Henry reign between 1532-40?
-Cromwell’s rise essentially replaced Wolsey, and between 1533-40, Cromwell passed 4 Parliamentary Acts in order to achieve the break with Rome.
-Cromwell went behind Henry’s back, and organise a group of Oxford grads to visit Zwingli (a protestant reformer).
-Cromwell convinced Henry to marry Anne of Cleeves despite Archbishop Cramner’s insistence that he should marry for love.
-Went against Henry & Howard over the Norfolk Priory.
-Influenced dissoltion of the Monasteries.
Rule/Reign: In what ways did Henry rule between 1540-47?
-Cromwell’s fall meant a return to concilliar government. This implies that he was returning to more traditional forms of government to reassert his influence.
-Despite factions, Henry continues to control foreign policy and religion.
-Henry didn’t let Gardiner’s attempt cloud his view, and allowed Cranmer to lead his own inquiry.
-Henry chose a PC for Edward, instead of a singular regent.
Rule/Reign: In what ways did Henry reign between 1540-47?
-Arguably, factions had a lot of control and weakened Henry’s grip on the nobles.
-Henry, again, allowed people to influence his choice of wife. Conservatives persuaded him to marry Catherine Howard.
-Bishop Gardiner tried to implicate Cranmer in the Prebendaries Plot.
-Reformers, like Denny, had control over the Dry Stamp, and it was believed that they had created and signed a fake will for Henry using it.
Regional: What was the situation in Wales before 1536? What did the Wales Act do? What did this mean?
-Before 1536, Wales was a separate territory, but was, in practice, under English control. It didn’t have single, unified administration, nor a formal political link
-The Wales Act stipulated that: Wales would be divided into shire counties; these shires had direct representation in the Commons; Wales would be brought into the same legal framework as England.
-This meant that Wales was incorporated into England, with little separate identity. The control of Wales was exercised by the Crown, but increasingly came under the jurisdiction of earls like Pembroke, and anglicised members of the Welsh gentry.
Regional: What happened with the English palantines?
-This comprised Lancashire, Cheshire, and Durham, and meant that they were separate jurisdiction from the rest of the kingdom.
-This was insignificant in Lancashire & Cheshire, but in Durham the palantine jurisdiction was exercised by the bishop.
-The Act Resuming Liberties to the Crown of 1536 reduced the independence of the bishop, but did not remove it.
Regional: Were there problems with the Anglo-Welsh border?
-Not particularly!
-The four bordering counties came under the jurisdiction of the Council of Wales and the Marches, which was based at Ludlow.
-This offered relatively cheap and local access to the law, and could therefore be seen as a benefit.
Regional: Were there problems with the Anglo-Scottish border? What happened
-It was very difficult to police, as much of it was remote an inhospitable in the Winter months. Both sides of the border had a reputation for lawlessness; cattle and sheep rustling were rife and violence was common.
-The border was split into three marches, each under the jurisdiction of a warden. Appointing them, though, was difficult, as a noble might exploit the office for power.
-Instead, he appointed local officers from the gentry class, like Thomas Lord Wharton in 1542.
Regional: What happened with the Council in the North?
-After the Pilgrimage of Grace, Henry and Cromwell reestablished the Council as a permanent body based in York, with a professional staff.
-It was beneficial in keeping the north quiet during the summer rebellions of 1549 (under Edward).
Pilgrimage of Grace: What had previous opposition to Henry’s religious reform like?
-HRE essentially kidnapped Pope Clement to prevent the BwR.
-HRE-French alliance was signed, which forced Henry towards the Act of 6 Articles.
-Thomas More resigned as Chancellor in response to reform.
Pilgrimage of Grace: What was the Lincolnshire Rising?
-The rising began at Louth of the 1st Oct 1536, moving across the county and gathering with the Horncastle rising at Linclon.
-The angered people set upon the Chancellor of the BIshop of Lincoln, and murdered him in a frenzy.
-It was initially led by Nicholas Melton (a cobbler), but soon devolved into the gentry, priests, and monks. 10,000 people assembled at Lincoln, with several lists of articles.
-The rebelion was put down by the 11th October, when the Duke of Suffolk’s army drew near - many gentry begged for forgiveness.
Pilgrimage of Grace: What were the events of the PoG?
-Inspired by the Lincolnshire Rising, Yorkshire lawyer, Robert Aske began the PoG on the 8th Oct 1536.
-By the 10th, he had become chief captain of an army of 30,000 men. The rebels made headquarters in York, before moving to Pontefract, where Lord Darcy handed over Pontefract Castle (fortress in the North). Aske provided leadership for the PoG, and ensured all goods were payed for, and no murders committed.
-Soon, PoG had sway over virtually all of the north, and so the Duke of Norfolk was sent to meet with rebels.
-They presented their five articles, & a truce was signed on 27th Oct. The articles were to be presented to the King, but Henry offered no concessions, except a pardon for the 10 ringleaders.
-They met again between 2nd & 4th Dec, finalising their demands, which were presented to Norfolk. It was promised that Parliament would consider the demands. The rebellion had ended by the 8th of December.
Pilgrimage of Grace: What were the events of Sir Francis Bigod’s revolt?
-Bigod was unconvinced of Aske’s success, doubting the government’s sincerity. He planned to capture Hull & Scarborough and force Norfolk to act as a go-between.
-It began on the 16th Jan 1537, but collapsed within a few days. Bigod fled but was arrested in Cumberland.
Pilgrimage of Grace: What was the aftermath?
-Bigod’s rebellion provided Henry with the evidence he needed of the rebel’s bad faith, but he had had never had any intention of honouring the rebel’s requests.
-Members of the rebellion were rounded up, and 178 were executed, including Aske, Lord Darcy, and Bigod.
-The Percy family was destroyed as Northumberland agreed to hand over his lands to the Crown, and his brother, Sir Thomas Percy, was beheaded.
-Council of the North, was reorganised.
Pilgrimage of Grace: In what ways was the Lincolnshire Rising threatening?
-It was a large rebellion, comprising 10,000.
-It was violent, involving the murder of the Chancellor of the Bishop of Lincoln.
-However, it was led by insignificant individuals (not the gentry), was geographically concentrated, and was easily put down.
Pilgrimage of Grace: In what ways was the PoG threatening?
-Directly opposing Henry’s religious policies, and comprised of up to 30,000.
-There was invovement by the gentry: Lord Darcy. Darcy also worsened this through his correspondence with Chapuys, Charles’ ambassador in Britain. However, this didn’t amount to anything.
-It was geographically widespread, made up of 9 hosts: Richmond, North Yorkshire, Beverly, Howden, Windsor, Craven, Cumbria, and Westmorland.
-It also lasted a month - but was eventually quite easy to put down.
