henry the viii - wolsey Flashcards
what was the population like in England 1509?
6% of the people lived in towns, the rest lived rurally.
which were the largest towns in england 1509?
Norwich, York, Bristol, Coventry and Exeter.
what was the main religion of the population in england 1509?
Roman Catholicism.
what kind of king was henry’s father?
and how did henry want to be different?
a greedy, repressive king.
henry wanted to be a king of generosity and wealth.
when did henry become king?
he claimed the throne at the age of 18 in 1509, after his father died and after the rightful heir (his brother arthur) died.
strengths of henry as a king?
he was popular
he inherited a rich country
he had a strong team
he had high ambition
he had connections in Spain
weaknesses of henry as a king?
he had little experience
he did not enjoy the day-to-day governing of england
he had a high opinion of himself
he liked dangerous sports - jousting
he wanted to use war to prove himself
reasons for the rise of Wolsey?
Lord Chancellor - most important role of henry’s government, responsible for all forms of advice.
Cardinal - a senior leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
Archbishop of York - 2nd most important after the Archbishop of Canterbury.
personality - charming and gifted organiser.
wolsey’s justice policy?
justice - difficult for the poor to take legal cases to court because of high costs. wolsey wanted fair treatment for everyone. he stopped the rich from buying results. some people were helped but he couldn’t help everyone.
wolsey’s enclosures policy?
enclosures - there were no hedges to divide one persons land from another’s. wolsey tried to support common people. in 1517, he began law cases against illegal land owners. wolsey did not reduce the number of enclosures because the landowners were also struggling for money like the poor.
wolsey’s finance policy?
finance - the king had two sources of income, ordinary and extraordinary. the 10th and 15th taxes were unfair and unpopular, and didn’t raise enough for war. wolsey tried to increase the kings income by taking back lands given away by henry and replacing the 10th and 15th tax.
the crown did collect some more money but royal spending was greater than the income.
wolsey’s eltham ordinances?
henry’s court was attended by hundreds of people daily, and his palace was always dirty and the people out of control. wolsey devised a set of rules to regulate the functioning of the kings privy chamber.
no changes were ever made bc wolsey was trying to get the kings marriage annulled. no money was saved.
the problem of the amicable grant?
henry wanted to invade france, but wolsey failed to raise money because the parliament refused to pass a new tax because -
money was still owed by the king from the loan that was forced on people in 1522.
parliament had agreed to a tax in 1523 but that money was still being collected so why was a new tax needed?
actions of the amicable grant?
wolsey decides to collect another tax without asking parliament permission.
wolsey claimed this would be a friendly or amicable gift of money, given out of the goodness of people’s hearts for the love of their king.
the results of the amicable grant?
the tax was deeply unpopular. high unemployment meant people couldn’t afford to pay it
there was widespread resistance to paying and protests from the church.
in east anglia, there was a rebellion of 4000 people at suffolk to march to London, the duke of Suffolk was sent to end the protest but was outnumbered.
wolsey had to abandon the grant, and pardon the leaders of the rebellion. henry cancelled the invasion of France.
