Dissolution of Monasteries (brief) Flashcards
List the political motives behind the dissolutions
- monks/nuns had not actively opposed break, but presence of abbots in House of Lords (25) offered opportunity to resist further political changes
- religious houses could continue allegiance to Pope
- monasteries and nunneries were only settlements, centres of monastic orders were in Europe and Henry had no control over these
- gentry and nobility keen to benefit from Crown’s acquisition of monastic property by purchasing land at lower prices (need to keep their support due to Yorkist claims)
List the financial motives behind the dissolutions
- in instituting the Valor Ecclesiasticus, Cromwell was aware that the wealth would establish Henry as a European prince
- monastic land was worth 3 times more than royal landholdings
- Benedictine order from Glastonbury who made £3311 net income after taxation
- 30 or so of the richest monasteries received income approximately that of the country’s richest nobles
- doubling his income would mostly free him from dependence on parliamentary grants and would increase his political power immensely (but had no real reason to believe future of monarch would depend on financial independence)
List the religious motives behind the dissolutions
- 1535: commissioners sent to investigate behaviour of monks
- greedy, lazy, self-indulgent, in sexual relationships with women and each other
- 1 confession of homosexuality per 30 monasteries
- nuns had had children and not been punished
- 181 cases of sodomy reported
How can the religious motives be challenged?
- many nuns had children before entering abbeys
- even if all homosexuality confessions were true, it was a very small proportion of all clergy
- in all but 12 it was listed as solitary vice ie. masturbation
- visitations were quick and fabricated evidence
- Henry believed in monasticism, refounded Bisham abbey and nunnery of Stixwold specifically for prayers for family
When was the first act and what did it do? What were the following actions?
- March 1536
- 300 religious houses whose income = less than £200 a year to be dissolved
- not presented as an attack on monasticism, members allowed to move to larger establishments
- 67/300 were exempt by Henry due to individual qualities
- Act received royal assent - commissioners acted quickly to stop moveable wealth leaving country (inmates expelled, valuable goods sent to Tower of London)
In 1538, what was Henry and Cromwell’s next step?
- used bribery, bullying and persuasion to achieve surrender
- commissioners visited religious houses and promised large pensions to those who surrended possessions
In 1539, an act was passed that legalised the voluntary surrender of monastic property to king. Who didn’t want to surrender? What happened then?
- abbots of Colchester, Reading, Glastonbury
- false evidence was presented to suggest treasonable behaviour and theft
- told to ‘dig up dirt’ with efficiency and enthusiasm, not with fairness or balance
In the early sectarian controversy, what do Catholics and Protestants think about Henry’s motives?
Catholics: greedy and wicked, persuaded by Cromwell that legalised theft would make him rich
Protestants: monasticism based on lies of papacy, dissolution was integral to reformation - cleansed and revitalised Christianity
In the later sectarian controversy, what do Catholics and Protestants think about Henry’s motives?
Catholics: greed, especially as Cromwell accepted gifts from smaller monasteries in return for supporting their exemption appeals
Protestants: Valor Ecclesiasticus exposed major misapplication of funds, 1/4 to head of house, 3% to charity
- monasteries were unpopular, less people were wanting to be monks/ nuns
Both top-down and bottom-up historians believe Henry was motivated by wealth. How do bottom-up historians justify their ideas?
- transgressions could have been eliminated by modest reform programme
- public attitude to monasteries was neutral, accepted that 1/4 went to head of house
List the political consequences of the dissolutions
- Henry could impose authority on England in terms of control at centre and in localities
- financial gains allowed him to reinforce defences against overseas threats
- political authority further reinforced through compliant bishops placed in House of Lords
- Lords were able to purchase monastic lands at reduced prices = compliance secured
List the religious consequences of the dissolutions
- 8000 priests available for the Church of England, well versed in liturgy and doctrine, able to conduct services
- reorganisation of the Church - 1542: 6 new bishoprics introduced - new bishops = sympathetic to Cromwell’s work and happy to take places of abbots
List the social and economic consequences of the dissolutions
- monastic hospitals lost
- monasteries provided free food and alms for poor
- vagrancy and sturdy beggars in most urban centres was a concern
- lawyers and merchants could establish themselves within the landed classes - 1540 Statute of Wills gave part ownership of property
- monastic libraries - Worcester Priory = 600 books, only 6
- earliest Anglo-Saxon manuscripts lost
- new cathedral grammar schools in Canterbury, Carlisle etc.
- University Colleges founded, Christ Church College and Trinity College
- in towns and cities, benefactors (many merchants) set up grammar schools
- although it has been claimed that tenants were forced to pay higher rents, in actuality the rents charged were similar to those imposed by farm owners
Can the growth of urban education be attributed only to the dissolutions?
- not clear if it reflected increased importance of literacy in growing commercial climate and availability of printed sources
List the financial consequences of the dissolutions
- 1535-1540: four new departments of finance established by Cromwell (Augmentations, First Fruits and Tenths, Wards and Liveries, General Surveyors)
- more organised control over lands and finances
- minimal impact on prosperity of community in general
