Chapter 3: Henry VIII and Wolsey Flashcards
What was the impact of Henry’s personality on the government of England in the period to 1529
Had different aims:
- Break away from Henry VII
- Successfully go to war and become king of France
- War with Scotland and secure border
Break away from Henry VII
wanted to prove himself to be a vigorous, vicious king
Success: arrested and executed Edmund Dudley and Sir Richard Empson (2 of H VII’s most hated advisors
Married CofA who had been kept as a prisoner by H VII (restored Anglo-Spanish alliance) -> provided an ally
-politically changed role of nobility, lavish lifestyle, war with France and Scots, seen in public, vibrant court (opp. to Henry VII)
-helped gain H popularity
Failure: maintained many of his fathers policies and methods of government
Successfully go to war and become king of a france
medieval ambition due to William the Conqueror
Success: 1512 expedition to France in 1513 (aim to get Aquatine)
1513: took town of Therouanne (handed to Maximilian who burnt it down)
leiged siege to Tournai who surrendered (internationally known city)
Battle of Spurs 1513 => great peopeeganda victory -> seemed like H achieved his aims of glory and military conquest (increase in H’s status both at home and abroad) -> prove himself to be a powerful king who can win battles
-French agreed French Pension
-H sister to marry Louis XII
-H successfully break away from father => war, lavish life, vibrant court
Failure: France => powerful and H’s ministers = less supportive of war
- Archbishop Warham and Bishop Fox tricked H into renewing the truce with France in 1510
- agreement with Spain - unreliable (Ferdinand used English troops to Spain advantage
- English army = short of supplies and unwelcomed so returned home (cost a lot of money)
- campaign exhausted English finances => Henry could not return to France in 1514 and was forced into a peace policy
- H sacrificed sister to 52 year old Louis XII
War with Scotland - secure border
Success:
Battle of Flodden (10,000 Scots killed m, including James IV) - removed Scottish threat for many years
-> more significant victory than the one against France
Failure:
- Scotland invaded due to Auld Alliances with France
- > H fighting two battles at one time -> although want to be war king so good?
Why was Wolsey able to rise to power and how powerful was he?
Henry’s aim in foreign policy
Political positions
Religious position
Henry’s aim in foreign policy
Wolsey: took on organisational tasks (v difficult) & overcome logistical obstacles and opposition when H went to war with France in 1513
-> grants H’s aim of going to war with France - H’s support and respect for Wolsey secured early into the reign -> lots of time to rise to power
Why made him powerful:
H see Wolsey as man who can help him achieve his aims => Wolsey soon granted more positions of power and ‘loved’ by the king
Political positions
Wolsey’s role:
- Lord Chancellor -> direct control over the legal system 1525
- Chief advisors to Henry by 1514
- > responsibility for all areas of gov.
- > create policies and laws to win the favour of H and increase power in England
Why it made him so powerful:
- Wolsey create policies that play into H’s personality and aims
- > Wolsey = extremely powerful but still trying to impress and please king to keep power (politically manipulating H)
Religious position
Dean of Lincoln w/ H VII
1515 approved a cardinal
1518 appointed papal legate (confirmed for life in 1524)
most important in church
got masses of money (=power)
authority and power in church = ultimate reason for his downfall (must have granted him a lot of power)
Why it made him powerful:
Wolsey appointed papal powers - he is ‘close to God’ and above other ministers in the church
Aims of Henry VIII’s foreign policy
War and aggression:
assert himself
demsosrate England as a major power
achieve glory and honour
Secure dynasty:
secure the succession
secure his dynasty
Trade:
maintain good relationship with the Netherlands
National security:
unite England and Scotland
subdue Scotland to protect England
How different were Henry VIII’s FP aims compared to his fathers?
Incredibly different
HVIII focus on proving himself as war king, less focus on national security & trade (H VII secured these during his reign so H VIII inherited stable crown)
HVII focus on preventing war and prevent internal Yorkist threat and securing Tudor dynasty
Different sections when evaluating H’s FP
Early campaign in France (1512-14) English policy (1515-21) The Field of Cloth of Gold (1520) War with France Diplomatic revolution FP and the kings ‘Great Matter’
Early campaigns in France (1512-14)
Military successes:
-satirised king’s desire for glory
Military failures:
-not as impressive as the defeat of the Scots at the Battle of Flodden and Peace Treaty
Secure dynasty successes:
- marriage of Mary to Tudor
- restore French pension
- keep land captured
National security successes:
-peace treaty with France
English policy 1515-21
Military successes:
-Wolsey hijacked papal initiative to raise troops to fight Turks and create Treaty of London
Military failures:
new king Francis I of France and HRE Charles V = more money and resources than H -> have ability to beat H
Treaty of London = good for Eng. but H not proving himself as war king through peace treaties
Secure dynasty successes:
-Treaty of London in 1518 made H appear to be a pivotal power in Europe -> glory for H & centre of diplomatic activity as pushing Europe towards peace
Secure dynasty failures:
- Francis encouraged Duke of Suffolk to marry H’s sister Mary -> kings sister married non-royal and now cannot be used
- peace treaty bet. F,S and HRE that England excluded from (Eng. left on sidelines in European affairs)
National security successes:
-Treaty of London signed by 20 European leaders (prevent risk of invasion)
National security failures:
-H not involved in other peace treaty (could be a threat)
Field of Cloth of Gold (1520)
Military successes:
-within two years of FOCOG, Eng. and France at war with each other (H = war king)
Military failures:
war = expensive and so was FOCOG
Secure dynasty successes:
-both Francis and Charles keen to secure Eng. as ally (meeting w/ Charles in Eng. in May 1520 and Francis in June in Calais kept Eng. at centre of European stage)
Secure dynasty failures:
FOCOG secured nothing and F&C at war two years later (Eng. = not diplomatically & militarily strong enough)
-H&C agreed not to make sep. peace with France
National security successes:
-England wanted as ally
National security failures:
- Treaty of London but reinforced by meeting (@ war within 2 yrs)
- F&HRE at war (Eng. could be involved or invaded)
War with France
Military failures:
- Wolsey agree to invade F unless F made peace w/ Charles (Treaty of Bruges)
- > threat did nothing & English army sent to fight in France (army abandoned by C and returned => v. expensive at £400,000)
- Charles capture Milan and Francis at Battle of Pavia (Feb 1525) -> H tried to assert claim to French throne but failed due to lack of funds
- Eng. not shown to be military power
Secure dynasty failures:
- C abandoned Eng.
- any prestige H gained lost
- C annulled marriage bet. himself & H’d daughter Mary)
National security failures:
- at war with France
- lost Charles who is now very powerful in Europe)
Diplomatic revolution
Military success:
-English declaration of war against Spain (H able to try to prove himself)
Military failure:
- no army raised
- much bigger focus in peace and allies
- Treaty of the More (H gave up claim to throne)
Secure dynasty successes:
- August 1525: England signed Treaty of More (friendship)
- Wolsey now peruse an anti-Imperial alliance in N Italy in 1526
- League of Cognac try to reverse French defeat
- Anglo-French Treaty of Westminster and Aimes agreed to attack Charles to strengthen rel.
Suicide dynasty failures:
-war bet. Francis & Charles ended in 1529 with Treaty of Cambrai and England only invited at last minute to join (not as influential as first thought)
National security successes:
-peace agreement etc. help to maintain security
Trade successes:
-1528 agreement to protect English trade in the Netherlands
Foreign policy and kings Great Matter
Military failures:
-French allies defeated in 1528 by Charles
Secure dynasty failures:
-kings great matter (annulment from COA began) -> determined by events in Europe, COA= Charles’ aunt and i’m 1527 Charles had sacked Rome & captured Pope -> Pope under pressure to refuse request from H after defeat French ally with Charles & Pope => H diplomatically isolated
National security failures:
- isolated = vulnerable
- cannot manage to get annulment -> risk of war to get it, internal uprisings etc.
Trade failures:
-supervision of trade w/ the Netherlands
How successful was Wolsey’s domestic policy?
legal reform financial reform social reform administration relations with the nobility
Legal reform
Common law Civil law Secular justice system Court of Star Chamber Court of Chancery
Common Law
been in use since before 1066 based on precedent
Success:
long-lasting system of law must be a success
have access to more people
Failure:
resulted in some unjust verdicts that needed change
Civil law
based on natural justice
Success:
-prevented verdicts being won on technicality
Secular justice system
dealt with non-religious issues
Success:
- Wolsey used system for own benefit => attack people whom he had personal grudges (e.g Sir Amyas Paulet)
- available for the poor and weak (cheap and impartial justice)
Failure:
- unjust
- targeted members of society (particularly nobles and gentry) -> more accountable to royal authority
Court of Star Chamber
legal court that often tried cases against crown
Success:
-advanced justice enabled powerful to face justice
Court of Chancery
court of Lord Chancellor
heard cases when CL = insufficient
success:
- advanced justice
- dealt with cases brought by the poor
failures:
-not continued after he left
How successful was Wolsey’s legal reform
gave access to more people
all courts dispersed cheap and impartial justice
available to the poor and weak
change slow but significant
Wolsey = too ambitious
Wolsey’s domestic policy
Tudor subsidy
Amicable Grant
Act of Resumption
Tudor Subsidy
-standard parliamentary tax (replaced old system of 15th and 10th - taxes based on property (10th for town and crown lands, 15th for others) => had become fixed and required tax payers to give details of their property & income to local officers who decided how much they pay)
Success:
- brought in far more money than old system as based on more realistic valuation of wealth
- first time since 1334 the crown was raising sums based on accurate assessments
Failures:
-not enough to finance H’s wars
Amicable grant
- failure of previous tax to raise £800,000 to fund campaign in France in 1523 (only raised £300,000) so AG sent out
- non-parliamentary tax in 1525
- Wolsey forced to back down
- made H unpopular with working classes
Failure:
- timing not good (forced loans bet. 1522-23 raised £200,000 to fund war) but was still being repaid subsidy of 1523 was still being collected
- FD brought in little gain
- East Anglia: 100,000 men assembled at Lavenham in opp. and H forced to intervene
Act of Resumption
- revenue from crown lands dropped from £400,000 to £25,000
- 1515 AOR passed restored crown lands hat has been given away to the monarch
success:
- succeeded in restoring some land to the crown
- raised £322,000 in subsidies, £240,000 in clerical taxation and £260,000 in forced loans
failure:
- insufficient to make up the shortfall in expenditure-> did not cover £1.7 million spent bet. 1509 & 1520 on mainly war)
Social reform
Enclosure:
- attacked it
- 1517 enquiry lead by Wolsey identified enclosed land and led legal proceedings in Court of Chancery against those who ignored prev. laws
Success:
- 1518-29; 264 landowners faced legal action (188 verdicts reached) -> some forced to return land
- Wolsey = social concours or attack on nobles?
Failure:
-small impact & in 1523 Parliament, W made to sacrifice whatever gains made and accept all existing enclosures due to agreements for subsidy
Administration
Parliament
Privy Chamber
