Crown and Parliament and government Flashcards
Why did Wolsey dislike Parliament ?
He believed they stirred up trouble for the government and that its primary function should be to carry out the King’s wishes.
Who were the 2 main ministers who ran the government on Henry VIII’s behalf ?
1) Thomas Wolsey
2) Thomas Cromwell
How does the governance in Henry VII’s reign and Henry VIII’s reign differ ?
Henry VII - Ran in the way of conciliar government whereby the King was centered at the top and the councils such as the Council Learned, the Great Council and Parliament would be there to advise and serve the King’s wishes.
Henry VIII - employed talented ministers to run the government on his behalf.
How many times was Parliament called in total in the reign of Henry VIII and compare this to Henry VII.
Henry VIII - 9 times
Henry VII - 7
In the _ times that Henry VIII called parliament, the sessions lasted a lot _________ than each of Henry VII’s _ sessions.
9, longer, 7
What is the argument around how Henry VIII’s government was shaped around the crown.
The idea of personal monarchy
How long/ what was the dates of the Parliamentary session that abolished the Council Learned in Law ?
Jan - Feb 1510
How did Henry use Parliament to help him achieve his aim of establishing himself as a “warrior king” ?
Parliament could provide extraordinary revenue for his expensive campaigns abroad.
Give an example of a Parliamentary session that provided extraordinary revenue for Henry for an expensive campaign abroad in order to help achieve his aim of being a “warrior King”.
Parliamentary session from Feb 1512 - Mar 1514 provided extraordinary revenue for invasions of France and Scotland.
When was the longest parliamentary session under Henry VIII and what was it called ?
Nov 1529 - Apr 1536 : The ‘Reformation Parliament’
Why do some historians see the 1530s as a revolutionary period for the powers of Parliament ?
This is because of Henry’s increased use of it as seen with the ‘Reformation’ Parliament. This can be seen as a stepping stone for the increased Parliamentary sovereignty that was to come.
What was the initial role of Parliament in the early years of Henry’s reign ?
pass laws & raise extraordinary revenue for the King
Why did Parliament meet more in the second half of Henry’s reign ?
This is because, under the guidance of Cromwell, the Crown was more eager to exploit the legislative possibilities that existed within parliament.
Which chief minister resolved the dispute in conciliar government from 1509 until 1514 emerging as a dominant political figure ?
Wolsey
What was one area of government that Wolsey was not able to control before 1519 ?
Privy Chamber
Why was Wolsey not able to control the Privy chamber before 1519 ?
1) the role of the chamber increased under the early years of Henry VIII as he used it more and more to deal with major issues of state for him
2) Henry’s ‘minions’ became gentleman of the Privy chamber
What were Henry’s ‘minions’ and where could they be found ?
Young courtiers who had Henry’s personal favour
How did Wolsey try to control the Privy chamber and rival Henry VIII’s power with all his ‘minions’ ?
By replacing them with his own supporters. E.g Eltham ordinances included this
How were Wolsey’s attempts to gain control of the privy chamber by replacing Henry VIII’s minions with his own supporters limited ?
Many of them recovered their positions and the chamber kept its prestige and status.
Give 3 reasons as to why the importance of Parliament grew under Henry’s reign
1) Reformation Parliament
2) used parliament for extraordinary revenue for wars
3) Break from Rome accomplished using statute law whose supremacy over canon law (church) was established.
Give the noticeable periods of government under Henry VIII from 1509 - 1547 (5)
1) 1509 - 14
2) 1514- 29
3) 1529 - 32
4) 1532 - 40
5) 1540 - 47
What type of government ran from 1509 - 14 under Henry VIII ?
Conciliar government
What is meant by ‘conciliar government’ ?
government run by councils
Briefly describe what Henry’s conciliar government from 1509 - 14 was like.
1) strong and efficient central and local government structure
2) staffed by able administrators
Identify 2 problems that arose during 1509 - 14 during the conciliar government that Henry inherited from his father.
1) poor relations with nobility due to his father’s poor relationship with them
2) Poor in allowing Henry to follow his own foreign policy
Why was the conciliar government from 1509 to 1514 staffed with able administrators and good advisors ?
Because Henry VIII had inherited the experienced councilors from his father.
Why did the Conciliar government from 1509 to 1514 have a poor relationship with the nobility ?
This is because of the actions of the council learned under Henry VII led by Dudley and Empson and high taxation
Give an example of how the Conciliar government from 1509 - 14 under Henry VIII were ineffective at allowing Henry to follow his own foreign policy.
Henry wanted war with France burt was repeatedly advised against it
What change took place in 1514 in terms of how government was structured under Henry VIII
Conciliar government had broken down and relied on Wolsey as his chief minister to manage government effectively.
Why had the conciliar government that had ran since 1509 under Henry VIII broken down by 1514 ?
1) Some of the senior councillors were reluctant to support war with France
2) Henry started to assert his independence and control decision making
3) Henry brought in more young courtiers who backed him against the ‘Old guard’
Give 2 advantages of Henry VIII’s government being managed by Wolsey from 1514 to 1529
1) seemed to demonstrate ability to get King’s wishes met
2) Wolsey was appointed as Lord Chancellor to enforce justice
What evidence can be used to justify the argument that Wolsey seemed to demonstrate the ability to get the King’s wishes met.
By 1514, Wolsey was involved in almost all of Henry’s dealings
Give 2 disadvantages of Henry VIII’s government being managed by Wolsey from 1514 to 1529
1) arguably exploited power for himself
2) Failed to deal with Henry’s marital affairs and solve the King’s Great matter
Give a piece of evidence to show how Wolsey arguably exploited power for himself as Henry’s chief minister form 1514 to 1529
He executed the Duke of Buckingham to reduce opposition to his governance
What changed between 1529 to 1532 in terms of the way that government was structured
the Conciliar government was restored
Why was a conciliar government restored between 1529 - 32 ?
Due to Wolsey’s downfall and fall from Grace
Who was elected to the King’s council in 1530 during the Conciliar governance from 1529 - 32 ?
Thomas Cromwell
Give a disadvantage of the conciliar government that ran from 1529 - 1532.
The council was headed by Sir Thomas More - He was a conservative Catholic with rigid ideas that did not allow for Henry to effectively deal with his Great matter
What is an advantage of the Conciliar government that ran from 1529 to 1532 ?
Cromwell, who was appointed to the inner circle of the King’s council in 1531, advised towards direct break with Rome and during this time, pressure was placed upon the Pope and clergy & Henry began to assert his ambition to control the Church in England
What change to the structure of government happened between the years 1532 - 1540 ?
Cromwell rose to power as chief minister by 1532 and dominated royal government for the rest of this time period.
Give 2 advantages of Henry’s government being ran by Thomas Cromwell from 1532 to 1540.
1) Revolution in government - made government more bureaucratic and efficient
2) advised the King to Break with Rome marrying Anne Boleyn in 1533 solving the King’s Great matter
What change to the structure of government occured from 1540 - 47 under Henry VIII ?
Conciliar government was restored but in a new form
Why was conciliar government revived in 1540 and lasting until 1547 ?
following the fall of Cromwell
In what new form did the conciliar government from 1540 - 47 take under Henry VIII ?
It was restored in the form of a privy council
Give 3 features of the new form of conciliar government that emerged from 1540 - 47 as the ‘privy council’
1) fixed membership
2) recorded proceedings
3) within the power of the conciliar government lay the conservatives
4) The use of the ‘Dry stamp’
What was Henry VIII’s dry stamp ?
A forged signature of Henry VIII used on all official documents - only his most trusted advisors had access
Give 2 advantages of the use of conciliar government from 1540 -47 under Henry VIII.
1) the government was now in Henry’s hands - there was no chief minister
2) Although there was a conservative revival within the King’s council, Henry’s power remained strong
Give a disadvantage of Henry’s conciliar government from 1540 - 47
factionalism emerged within the council
