Chapter 7: The Character and aims of Henry VIII Flashcards
1
Q
How did Henry come to the throne ?
A
- came to the throne 2 week before hi 18th bday
- seven years had passed since the death of his elder brother Author, he was prepared for his new role ha the future king of england
- he had been well educated for the task, including some acquaintance with the new learning of humanism- he was well read, although, according to John Guy, his mind was able but second rate
2
Q
How was Henry’s accession welcomed ?
A
- welcomed as a breath of fresh air after the stultifying and rather sinister atmosphere associated with the influence of Empson and Dudley in the last years of his fathers reign
- the early impression he created was very positive being described as ‘extrovert, affable and charming’
- very positive and new/hope for people
- time of continuity ?
- extrovert, affable and charming
- BUT Henry had had no experience of government or public affairs
3
Q
How did HVIII’s kingship differ from that of his father ?
A
- profound dislike for the business of government and found the writing and reading of State papers both tedious and painful
- but he could intervene suddenly in the business of government, in the process contradicting decisions or actions which had already been taken (still wanted to know he was in charge)
- this impetuous approach had considerable implications for the quality of decision-making within Henry’s administration (important given henrys nature)
- lacked the work ethic which many historians attributed to his father, instead preferring to pass the time with good company eg pageants, revelry, sports, hunting and tournaments
4
Q
How did the structure of government evolve differently compared with the reign of Henry VII ?
A
- in the short term there was a renewed emphasis on governing through council (conciliar government), this made two comebacks at later stages of his reign (1529-32, 1540-47)
- for two periods during his reign, H relied upon the work of a chief minister who shaped the structures of government to meet his own needs (Wolsey and Cromwell)
5
Q
Closer look into Wolsey ?
A
- richly rewarded for his efforts
- quickly acquired an impressive range of Church offices which ensured a lucrative living
- ❗️also achieved recognition from the papacy, being appointed cardinal by Pope Leo X in 1515 (more important for its symbolism than for political influence)
- ❗️appointed as papal legate in 1518 (was confirmed for life in 1524), meaning he outranked the ageing William Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury + also gave him control over religious orders in England
- ❗️had an accumulation of secular posts within the king’s government- appointed as Lord Chancellor in 1515
6
Q
Why did Wolsey fall ?
A
- no politician who has attained the stature that W obtained can ever be free of enemies
- it was W’s enemies who brought him down in 1529 by exploiting the weakness in his relationship with Henry: brought about by his failure to secure the annulment of HVIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon
7
Q
What did Henry VII leave for Henry VIII ?
A
- ❗️money- believed that H left around £300,000 upon his death
- unpopular mechanisms for extracting money
- a peaceful foreign policy
- a conciliar form of government (decisions made through a council)
🔔 these would disappear during the first few years of HVIII’s reign
🔔 the money inherited would vanish as a result of paying for the revival of a traditionally aggressive foreign policy towards France
🔔 the conciliar form of government would disappear in the short term as a result of the emergence of Fox’s former protege, Thomas Wolsey as the focus of govt
8
Q
What were Henry’s early aims ?
A
- to establish his status amongst European monarchs through marriage
- to re-establish the role of the nobility
- to establish himself as a warrior king through success in battle
+ dismantling the less popular aspects of his fathers legacy
9
Q
Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon ?
A
- marriage between Henry and his brother Arthur’s widow, Cathrine of Aragon had been discussed since Arthur’s death but had not been finally agreed while HVII was king
- HVIII perhaps believing that Catherine had been unfairly treated, was anxious to conclude the marriage as quickly as possible
- this suited H’s councillors who took the view that marriage for H would deflect him from political matters and enable them to conduct conciliar business as usual
- henry and catherine married on 11th of June 1509
10
Q
Significance of Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon ?
A
- not only was marriage initially successful on a personal level but catherine also exercised some influence over policy making in the first few years
- however by the mid 1520’s H would repent of the rapidity of his marriage to a women who was 5 years older than him, especially once it was clear that she could never present him with a healthy male heir
11
Q
How did Henry re-establish the nobility ?
A
- nobility had been largely frozen out of direct political influence by HVII, few of them had spent much time at court
- HVII’s largely peaceful FP had denied them their traditional outlet of pursuing military glory
- changed with this accession of HVIII who shared the tastes and dominant military culture of the aristocracy
- largely the sons of the nobility, generally young men who were slightly older than the king, who partnered H in the sports and revels which took up so much of his time and energy at the start of his reign
- it was they who accompanied H to war in northern france or the Marquis of Dorset to south-west france or the earl of surrey to scotland
- however in the end nobles did not achieve the political dominations they had hoped bcs H chose to promote the interest of Thomas Wolsey (the churchman who had organised the war in france on his behalf
12
Q
Why did Henry execute the Duke of Buckingham ?
A
- Buckingham, like HVIII was a descendant of King Edward III and was the only English duke at the start of his reign
- he was regarded with suspicion by H who wrote an undated letter to Wolsey setting out his concerns about Buckingham and four other nobles
- Buckingham was certainly prone to muttering about issues such as the succession- Wolsey had even warned him to be more cautious
- technically an discussion of what might happened after the king’s death could be regarded as treasonable and it was on this basis that he was tried by a court of his peers, headed by Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk
- this duly found him guilty and he was quickly executed
- the reason for the proceeding against him remains obscure and many historians presumed that Wolsey had a hand in his downfall, however Peter Gwyn has argued that there is no hard evidence to support this claim
🔔 H’s treatment of Buckingham is indicative of his ruthlessness towards the nobility in his early reign
13
Q
What changes did Henry make to foreign policy ?
A
- pursuit of military glory (fitted in closely with his rehabilitation of traditional nobility), this led directly to war in France (a theme recurring regularly throughout his reign)
- often vast amounts of money were spent to achieve painfully small gains which had little or no strategic significance
- this was strangely mixed with occasional alliances with the French against Spain and the HRE, though Henry was never quite foolish enough to go to war with the powerful Charles V
14
Q
What were Henry’s later aims ?
A
- the pursuit of glory and the need to secure the succession to the throne (were re-occuring themes)
- almost always gave priority to the pursuit of pleasure
- for the most part H was remarkably uninterested in the business of government except on an occasional basis
15
Q
Significance/impact of Henry’s reign ?
A
- the broadening of the use of statue law (acts of parliament) to achieve his political ends, resulting in the growing importance of parliament
- the destruction of much traditional religion and the plundering of much of the Church’s wealth
- the effects on the church however were almost completely a consequence of the break with Rome, a policy decision which would have seemed inconceivable in the first 20 years of the reign
- Henry certainly exhibited ruthlessness and cynicism demonstrated through his treatment of Empson and Dudley and his resort to execution for treason (often on the flimsiest of charges combined with with insecurity) and his impulsiveness in the speed of marrying Catherine (also with the marriages to Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard)
- his impulsiveness was not restricted to his marital relationships eg. he came to regret his impulsive decision to execute Thomas Cromwell. When combined with the sort of naivety demonstrated in his approach to foreign policy, the consequences would be potentially devastating for the governing of the country
