AS FP2 : Henry VIII, Government + Parliament, (Establishment of Royal Supremacy) Flashcards
The King’s great matter
What did the King’s great matter lead to in both the long and short term?
The problems of the King’s Great Matter led, in the short term, to the downfall of Wolsey, as well as the long-term establishment of Royal Supremacy.
The King’s Great Matter
Why did Henry want a divorce / annulment for his marriage to Catherine of Aragon?
- Henry had become disatisfied with his marriage to Catherine, she was five years over child-bearing age and had failed to give Henry a son.
- Henry had fallen for Anne Boleyn, the neice of the Duke of Norfolk, she refused to be Henry’s mistress and wanted to be the Queen.
- Henry genuinely believed he was living in sin due to Leviticus 20:21 ; believed that God looked unfavourably upon his marriage.
The King’s Great Matter
What was Wolsey’s three-point approach to achieving the annulment?
- Leviticus 20:21, a man should not marry his brother’s wife or else they shall be childless ; However, this was contradicted by the book of deutoronomy which stated it was a brother’s duty to marry his dead brother’s wife if the marriage had not beem consumated, which Catherine argued it had not.
- Diplomatic maneuvres (1527 Treaty of Amiens), Wolsey attempted to make an alliance with France to cause disruption in Italy but this failed.
- Attempts to hold court proceedings in England and have Wolsey preside over them, however Cardinal Campeggio was sent with secret instructions to delay the proceedings for as long as possible.
The King’s Great Matter
Why was Pope Clement VII never in a position to agree to the King’s annulment?
In May 1527 an Imperial army had sacked Rome, and after this the Pope came under the domination of Emperor Charles V who happened to be Catherine of Aragon’s nephew - Clement didn’t want to offend Henry but couldn’t afford to offend Charles by allowing Henry to humiliate his auntie. The result was a stalemate, as the Pope was never able to fully commit to a decision.
The King’s Great Matter
What problems did Henry face in attempting to achieve his annulment?
In 1528 Cardinal Campeggio was sent to England to try the case, however Campeggio was under orders to delay for as long as possible.
In 1529 Catherine herself made an appeal to the Pope on the grounds that she could not expect a fair hearing in England. The Pope accepted her appeal and overruled the hearing, Campeggio returned home and Wolsey hadn’t gained the annulment.
The Court of Black Friars and Campeggio’s return = Wolsey’s Fall
The King’s Great Matter
What happened to Wolsey?
In 1529 he was charged with praemenire and sentenced to death, however he died of dysentary in 1530 before he could be executed.
The King’s Great Matter
How did Henry put pressure on the Pope in hopes of gaining the annulment, to what extent did this help to establish Royal Supremacy?
Henry attempted to put pressure on the Pope by threatening his income from the Church in England or by attacking the powers of the Church itself :
- In 1531 the English Clergy as a whole were charged of praemunire, they were only allowed a pardon if they willingly gave Henry £100,000
- In 1532, Supplication against the Ordinances was a list of grievances against the Church. The Clergy had to make a submission which gave the king control over the church courts and their canon laws ; achieved through the ‘Submission of the Clergy’
- The Restraint of Annates took money from the Bishop’s office and gave it to Henry.
Clement’s only response was to threaten Henry with excommunication, however these measures helped to establish Royal Supremacy over the church, particularly the supplication of the ordinances.
Royal Authority
What was the new theory of kingship?
While he was on the attack against the Church, Henry also developed a significantly new approach to kingship which lasted in the long-term.
- The king ought to have no rivals in his kingdom,
- A nation like England was an empire, meaning that the king was in charge of both the spiritual and temporal aspect of the kingdom.
- He was God’s representative and it was the people’s duty to obey him and him only : he was their majesty.
This new theory of kingship was confirmed in the opening of the Act of Appeals (1533).
Royal Authority
From what did the Theory of New Kingship originate? How did Henry attempt to establish it?
The Old Testament, King’s such as David and Solomon who had ruled over the priests as well as the people. 14th century writing which stated that state and church were simply two departments of a unified realm.
Henry attempted to establish his new theory of kingship through the printing of an English Bible, as the Bible included his own view of kingship and the supreme virtue of obedience.
Establishment of Royal Supremacy
Domestic Policies under Cromwell
What did the emergeance of Cromwell end?
The emergeance of Cromwell brought both government by councils and the King’s Great Matter to an end.
Domestic Policies under Cromwell - Revolution in Government
How did Goverment develop under Cromwell?
The Role of the Royal Household diminished and Cromwell’s position as secretary within the household was given renewed importance and status.
- Development of State Bureaucracy.
- Privy Council assumed a significant role in managing government.
- Parliament grew in importance.
Domestic Policies under Cromwell - Revolution in Government
How did the Privy Council change under Cromwell?
It was a smaller (reduced to 20 men), more professional privy council that was compromised of lawyers and bureaucrats rather than clergymen.
Domestic Policies under Cromwell - Revolution in Government
What departments of government emerged under Cromwell?
- Court of Augmentations, dealt with the wealth from the dissolution of the monastaries.
- Court of General Surveyers
- Court of Wards
- Court of First Fruits and Tenths.
Professional administrators were therefore needed to maintain the system and thus reduced the importance of nobility and clergymen within government.
Domestic Policies under Cromwell - Revolution in Government
What and when were Acts of Resuming Liberties and Law in Wales Act?
Both Acts were in 1536, the Act of Resuming Liberties reduced the independence of Palatines such as Lancashire, Chester and Durham that werent technically under Crown juridstriction but a Bishop’s.
The Law in Wales Act divided Wales into shire counties, it gave these shires direct representation in the house of commons and brought Wales under the same legal framework as England.
It helped to centralise authority, however it increasingly became the responsibility of the aristocricy, e.g the Earl of Pembroke, and anglicised Welsh Gentry to exercise power in Wales on the Crown’s behalf.
The divorce from Catherine of Aragon and its impact on the Church.
How was the break with Rome and Henry’s divorce accomplished?
Both the divorce and the Break with Rome were accomplished through the use of statue law whose supremacy over canon law was firmly established.
Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn
What was the short-term cause of the Break with Rome?
-Anne consented to sleep with Henry in hopes of becoming pregnant in order to push for decisive action.
- In December 1532 there was a secret marriage between Anne and Henry.
- In 1533 Thomas Cranmer became Archbishop of Canterbury and he annuled the marriage of Catherine and Henry.
- Henry thus broke with Rome through the legislation which allowed him to marry Anne and ensure the throne’s succession.
Anne gave birth to a girl and the succession crisis remained ongoing.
Relationship between Crown and Church post 1534
What was the relationship between Crown and Parliament by 1534?
By 1534 the relationship between Crown and Parliament had effectively been smashed to pieces, royal supremacy over the church had been created - largely by means of parliamentary statue. As a result, Parliament’s strength as a lawmaking body had been strengthened and Henry now had control over the church.
Domestic Policies under Cromwell - Revolution in Government
What and when was the Act against Liberties and Franchises?
The Act against Liberties and Franchises of 1535 removed powers traditionally held by nobles, bringing them under uniform governnance with the state.
Reformation Parliament, 1531-1534
How did the Act of Restraint of Appeals allow for Henry to marry Anne Boleyn and establish the Royal Supremacy?
The Act of Restraint of Appeals (1533) meant that people could not appeal to the Oope to overturn Henry’s rulings of the Church. It stated that ‘This Realm of England is an Empire’ and the Pope had no right to interfere in its business.
Henry now possessed imperial juridstriction that was not subject to any foreign power, giving him free right to marry Anne Boleyn.
Reformation Parliament, 1531-1534
When and what was the first act of succession?
The First Act of Succession (1534) made Anne’s daughter, Elizabeth, Henry’s heir and declared her half-sister Mary illegitemate. Denying the validity of Henry’s marriage to Anne was also made treasonous.
Reformation Parliament, 1531-1534
What and when was the Act of Supremacy?
The Act of Supremacy (1534) stated that Henry had always been the ‘Supreme Head of the Church of England’ and Henry and his government took control over the Church.
Reformation Parliament, 1531-1534
What and when was the Act of Annates?
(1534) The First Act of Annates awarded Church taxes that had gone to Rome to the King instead.
Reformation Parliament, 1531-1534
What and when was the Act of Dispensations?
The Act of Dispensations (1534) confirmed that the Church of England would follow Catholic Beliefs.
Reformation Parliament, 1531-1534
What and when were the Treason Act and Act of Annexing the First Fruits and Tenths to the Crown?
The Treason Act (1534) treason could now be defined as both written and spoken word, this mainly targeted intellectuals or members of the King’s court rather than ordinary people.
The Act of Annexing the First Fruits and Tenths to the Crown (1534) made the Annates which had to be paid to the Pope to be now paid to the crown, increased the Clergy’s financial burdern.
