Henry 8 - Rise of Wolsey and his policies Flashcards
1
Q
Society in England 1509
A
- Henry’s father, Henry VII became king in 1485
- Henry’s older brother, Arthur, died leading to Henry VII keeping Henry away from the outside world to make sure he had a male heir
- Henry VIII was unskilled when became ruler when he was 18
- Only 6% of the population lived in towns with 60,000 in London
- Roman Catholicsm was prominent
2
Q
Henry becomes king
A
- Henry never expected to become king
- Arthur died in 1502
- Henry VII became paranoid and he was led to keeping Henry VIII under close watch
- Henry was a keen jouster but he was then banned by Henry
- Henry was not sent to the Welsh Marches to learn to govern
3
Q
Henry’s initial popularity
A
- His lack of experience did not deter Henry, this was greeted with enthusiasm
- His father was a tired old man and he was a young enthusiastic man
- Henry distanced himself from his father by arresting two ministers of Henry VII’ failed financial policies
- The king still had a lot to learn
4
Q
Henry VIII Charcteristics
A
- Powerful athlete and had passions for jousting and archery
- Pursued pleasure above state affairs
- On a tour around the UK, people found young Henry generous and affectionate
- True renaissance man
- Spoke French, Spanish and Latin
- Loved to wear fine clothes
5
Q
Henry’s views on monarchy
A
- Henry was deeply religious
- Henry had a huge ego and would have seen himself as the only thing that mattered through the divine right of kings
- Henry was stubborn and hus advisors found it hard to negotiate with Henners
6
Q
Tudor Society
A
- Henry’s England was a ranked society and there were few opportunities to move up the social ladder
- God was at the top of the ‘Great Chain of Being’
- Everyone followed the Roman Catholic faith
7
Q
Hierachy in countryside
A
- Nobles
- Gentry
- Yeomen
- Farmers
- Labouring poor
- Homeless
8
Q
Hierachy in towns
A
- Merchants
- Professionals
- Business Owners
- Skilled Craftsman
- Unskilled Workers
9
Q
Componets of Henry’s government
A
- The king
- Royal Household
- Privy Chamber
- Royal Council
- Court
- Parliament
- Justices of the peace
10
Q
Role of the king
A
- Ruled the country and made all importanr decisions on blth foreign and domestic affairs
- Settled disputes between nobles
- Made war decisions
11
Q
Role of the Royal Household
A
- Mixed membership of nobles and servants that provided the King with clothes, food etc
- The king held audiences in the Royal Household
12
Q
Privy Chamber
A
- Made up of the King’s closest noble friends
- Looked after personal needs
- Had the power to influence politics
- Headed by the groom of the stool
13
Q
Royal Council
A
- Groupmof advisors selected for the nobility and the church
- Provided guidlines and handled state matters
14
Q
Court
A
- Made up of the monarch’s key advisors, friends and servants
- Mainly nobility
- Known as courtiers
- Displayed the wealth of Henry
- Being able to attend required the monarch’s permission
15
Q
Parliament
A
- Made up of the House of Lords and House of Commons
- Passed laws requested by the King and put taxes in place
16
Q
Justices of the Peace
A
- Large landowners who maintained peace in local areas
17
Q
Henry’s attitude towards the government
A
- Relied heavily on the Privy Chamber and Royal Council
- Later relied heavily on the chief minister
- Opposite to his father
18
Q
Henry’s attitudes towards kingship
A
- Wanted to model his reign on the Great Renaissance monarchies such as France and Spain
- The king was a towering figure with a strong court and with a strong culture
- Wanted to also model his reign of great English rulers
19
Q
Henry’s aims as a monarch
A
- Wanted to decide on England’s policies
- Achive glorious foreign war victories
- Create a rich court through art and culture
- Attract great man to his court such as scholars
- Perform traditional duties
20
Q
Strengths of Henry’s monarch 1509
A
- Popular with the English population
- Inherited a rich country
- England had a stable established government
- Loved his wife, Catherine of Aragon, which gave strong links to Spain
- Had experienced advisors around him
- Ambitious
21
Q
Weaknesses of Hnery’s monarchy in 1509
A
- Had little experience of government
- Had little desire to get involved in day to day governing of England
- Attitude was simplistic
- Wanted England to go to war as soon as possible
- Large ego
22
Q
Thomas Wolsey
A
First chief minister to Henry VIII
23
Q
Reasons for Wolsey’s rise to power
A
- Charming and gifted
- Following being appointed lord chancellor, he dominated England’s legal, financial and administrative systems
- Also was Archbishop of York and then became a cardinal
- Skilled a building relationships
- His ego was a direct contrats to Henry’s
24
Q
More reasons for Wolsey’s rise to power
A
- Was the son of an Ipswich butler, meaning he was lower class and had no possibility of gaining any divine power
- Well educated as he worked hard to get to Oxford University
- Ambitious
- Enjoyed performing menial tasks
25
Q
Further reasons for Wolsey’s rise to power
A
- Wolsey was lucky, Henry was bored of his fathers old legal advisors, many were arrested or retired so Wolsey rapidly rose up the ranks
- Wolsey proved he was willing and able. In 1513, he supplied a piwerful army to fight France
- Became a papal legate
26
Q
Wolsey’s lifestyle
A
- Lived a lavish life with a lot of money
- Built palaces with his money to entertain foreign guests
- Had around 500 servants which was equal to the Royal Household
- Funded artists and musicians
- Loved to show off his wealth through flattery
- He would sue those who threatened him
27
Q
Wolsey’s judicial reforms
A
- Originally, the system was flawed as it favoured the nobility
- Wolsey made a point when he was appointed that no one was above the law as he sent the Earl of Northumberland to prison
- Strengthend the court of the Star Chamber which gave justice to all
- He wanted revenge on the upper classes for treating the lower classes poorly
- Manipulated the legal system to favour him
28
Q
How Wolsey secured a fairer legal system
A
- Supported cases of the poor against the rich
- Oversaw many cases in person
- Increased the courts work rate from 12 cases a year to 120
- Made the reasoning for his decisions public
- Encouraged poor people to bring cases to court
29
Q
Enclosure
A
- Landowners fencing-off land to turn a profit from sheep rearing
- Blamed for poverty issue as this was common land intended for villagers to graze their animals
- Associated with selfishness
30
Q
Wolsey and Enclosure
A
- Wolsey tried to find a solution to enclosure, partly to aid he poor and partly to attack the rich
- This led to 260 court cases against landowners
- This led to a rise in Wolsey’s popularity from commoners
- He became unpopular with landowners in parliament and they forced him to stop
- Encolsure still remained an issue
31
Q
Wolsey’s financing
A
- Henry wanted an agressive foreign campaign to prove himself a great king in Europe
- His normal income was £110,000 this was not enough
- Wolsey had to find a solution and he realised direct taxation was not working
32
Q
Direct taxation in Tudor times
A
- Each community had to pay a certain amount to parliament when called upon
- This was one fifteenth in rural areas and one tenth in urban areas
- This was known as fifteenths and tenths
- The valuations were based on data from the 14th century so it was outdated
- But it was reliable and predictable but still not enough
33
Q
Wolsey’s finance solution
A
- Subsidy was an additional tax based upon a person’s income
- Commisoners would go around the country to create valuations
- Subsidy raised around £170,000 whilst fifteenths and tenths raised £90,000
- This helped to pay a war with France
34
Q
Other methods Wolsey raised money
A
- Forced loans - £260,000
- Clerical Taxation - £240,000
35
Q
Impact of Wolsey’s financial policies
A
- This ensured there was never a financial crisis in Henry’s early reign
- But it still could not keep up with Henry’s spending
- Around £1.4 million was spent on taxes
- Wolsey became unpopular amongst commoners
36
Q
Reasons for the Amicable Grant, 1525
A
- Charles V of France was defeated and captured in 1525, Henry wanted take this opportunity to invade France as it was vulnerable
- But due to a failed invasion of France 1523, England had little money
- Wolsey had already demanded subsidies and forced loans
- Wolsey needed to find a solution to this, his solution was a tax without parliament’s position
37
Q
Parliament’s role in taxes
A
- Parliament’s main role was to make sure the king did not tax the country too hard
- Fifteenths and tenths and subsidy had been approved by parliament
- If parliament was ignored, there was a risk of rebellion against the king’s rule
38
Q
Features of the Amicable Grant
A
- Demanded that priests pay one third of their incomes whilst everyone else payed one sixth
- Commisoners were sent out to collect tax and were greeted with anger
- People simply refused to pay
- A rebellion broke out in Suffolk who pledged loyalty to the crown but also said they were angry
- The Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk crushed this and forced the rebels to surrender
39
Q
Consequences of the Amicable Grant
A
- First significant rebellion of Henry’s reign
- Henry claimed that he was unaware of this tax and he ordered the collection to stop
- Wolsey was humiliated and forced to claim full responsibility, his popularity further increased
- Henry started to doubt Wolsey
- No further tax was attempted by Wolsey
- Henry’s wish to attack France was ruined, he sought peace instead
- The leaders of the rebellion were pardoned
40
Q
The Eltham Ordinances
A
- In 1526, Wolsey turned to reforming domestic and political aspects of Henry’s household
- Henry’s palaces were dirty, ill behaviour was common and expenses rose
- Wolsey drew up a list of rules known as the Eltham Ordinances
41
Q
Eltham Ordinance features
A
- Servants who were sick or not needed were laid off
- The umber of people who needed expenses for food, drink, fuel and lodgings were cut
- Meals were at set times
- Dogs were banned to promote cleanliness
The Ordinances were 79 chapters long
