2.3 Henry VIII - Ministers Flashcards
use of parliament to break with Rome timeline?
1529: parliament encouraged to voice anti-clerical feelings
1530: revival of the law of praemenurie, 15 members of the upper clergy charged
1531: the entire clergy charged with praemenurie, Canterbury paid 100,000 and York paid 18,000
1532: supplication against the ordinaries, Henry looks into abuses within the church - the submission of the clergy, Henry can now veto church laws and appointments - act in restraint of annates, money no longer leaving England
1533: act in restraint of appeals, appeals no longer go to Rome,
1534: act of supremacy, treason act, act of succession
what is Elton’s argument that there was a constitutional revolution in parliament and the response to it?
Elton’s Argument:
- Henry became the Head of the Church as well as the state, this gave him authority over Church appointments, taxation and doctrine
- Royal authority was extended at this time to the regions and Wales (this is sometimes referred to as having spiritual and temporal power)
The Response:
- Henry already had influence in significant areas of the Church such as appointments (the monarch usually chose new Archbishops and so on and the Pope simply confirmed the choice, kind of in the way the King now confirms things but can’t really say no)
- This is seen when Warham died in 1532, Henry chose Thomas Cranmer who was a reformer who favoured the annulment and yet the Pope still confirmed this!
- This suggests the crown’s power over the church already
what is Elton’s argument that there was a political revolution and the response to it?
Elton’s argument:
- the ‘King AND parliament’ became the ‘King IN parliament’
- the importance of parliament grew as the 1529-34 reformation parliament legislated so much during the break with Rome (act against annates, the first fruit and tenths, the act against appeals and the supremacy treasons)
- Following this there was further doctrinal legislation such as the Act of 10 (1536) and the Act of 6 (1539) – so the scope of legislation broadened
- The composition of the Lords would also change as the ‘old guard’ Catholic bishops felt at threat from the changes
The response:
- Parliament developed because the king needed its support
- It was still working FOR the King who remained in control
- E.g. parliament DID NOT grant Henry the Supremacy – they simply confirmed he was already the Supreme Head
- Elizabeth I had 13 parliaments in 44 years whereas Henry VII had 9 parliaments – this doesn’t suggest much of a revolution
What is Elton’s argument that there was a bureaucratic revolution and the response to it?
Elton’s argument:
- The Privy Council emerged as the main engine of government
- The role of the Principal Secretary (Cromwell) developed as opposed to the Lord Chancellor
- Specialised government departments developed such as the Court of Augmentations, Council of Wales in 1536, the Council of Wardship and the Court of the First Fruit and Tenths
The response:
- The government remained personal and reflected the interests of the monarchy
- Some specialisation had already taken place in the mediaeval era and under HVII or prior to Cromwell e.g. Wolsey developed the Court of Star Chamber
- Of course you need new departments when new things arrive, but this is just adapting not a revolution
Overall - was there a Tudor revolution in government?
No…
- parliament were called more frequently and they did legislate to a greater degree but they were still doing as the monarch instructed
- parliament was not continued to be used as frequently as seen in Elizabeth’s reign
- the most revolutionary aspect was Henry becoming Supreme Head but there wasn’t a revolution in parliament
What were two of Cromwell’s greatest achievements?
- helping Henry get key legislation passed by the reformation parliament: most notably the act against appeals and the act of supremacy
- in his role as vicegerent his actions relating to monasteries were significant: called for the Valour Ecclesiasticus to be drawn up (looking into church wealth and corruption), the visitations to take place (by Legh and Layton) and passed the act against small monasteries (1536) and the act against large monasteries (1539)
What were five of Cromwell’s roles
- principal secretary
- chancellor of the exchequer
- master of the rolls
- vicegerent of the church: the deputy of the church but not ordained
- lord privy seal: power to put royal seal on documents in the absence of Henry’s signature
note that he’s not Lord Chancellor - Henry’s principal ministers usually were
What are some facts to show the growth in parliamentary power?
- the parliament of 1529 lasted for seven years and passed a large quantity and range of legislation
- this length allowed parliament and MPs to gain experience and develop procedures like never before e.g. passing a bill after three readings in the commons and lords became standard practice
- it passed laws in areas it was previously uninvolved in e.g. the leadership of the church
How did parliament change as a result of the Cromwell?
- Cromwell used to statute law to develop a cross section of the nation within parliament to represent most major groups and ideally limit resistance to any change
- the composition of parliament also changed as a result of the developments in the 1530s, the clergy became a minority in the Lords
how was finance managed and how did Cromwell reform it?
*- Henry followed the policy of managing finance through the privy chamber
- Cromwell also created new institutions to manage finance due to the high volume of wealth as a result of the dissolution
- the court of augmentations: to deal with monastic wealth
- the court of general surveyors: to deal with ex-monastic land
- the court of first fruit and tenths: to collect money previously sent to Rome
- the court of wards: right of the king to collect money from the estate of a minor
How did Cromwell fall from power?
Real reasons:
- the disastrous Cleves marriage
- Henry wasn’t happy with the direction of religious change
- his enemies at court felt emboldened by the act of six
- Norfolk spread rumours Cromwell was helping Protestants in Calais
Charge:
- Cromwell was made Earl of Essex in 1540
- in July of the same year he was accused of introducing protestant changes and failing to enforce the act of six articles
- he was executed by act of attainder the same year Henry married Catherine Howard
what was Henry’s government like right at the beginning of his reign?
- a conciliar approach to government was taken from 1509-1514
- Henry inherited counsellors from his father’s reign such as Bishop Fox and William Warham
- this approach quickly came to an end because the older counsellors were more cautious with money and didn’t support his war in France
- he wanted the right to assert his own decisions
- he was impressed with the organisational skills of Wolsey and allowed him to rise to prominence
what was Henry’s approach to parliament before 1529?
- barely used parliament until 1529, only called in 4 times like his father before him (mostly for extraordinary revenue)
what positions did Wolsey hold?
1513 - archbishop of York
1514 - bishop of Lincoln
1515 - becomes a cardinal
1518 - becomes papal legate
1529 - abbot of St Albans
how did Wolsey exert control over the privy chamber?
- it was technically an organisation outside his direct influence
- 1526 Eltham Ordinances, supposedly ‘reforming finances’ that reduced the numbers within the privy council and replaced the groom of the stool with his own minion, Henry Norris
