Henry VIII

Question 1

What is meant by Henry VIII ‘Great Matter’

Answer 1

His desire for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon

Question 2

Why did Henry want a divorce

Answer 2

His desire for a male heir

-Catherine had failed to provide him a male heir and only gave birth to a girl, Mary I, and so he sought to replace her with his new love interest; Anne Boleyn

Question 3

How long did the kings great matter occupy royal and givernment business for

Answer 3

1527-34

Question 4

Examples of people who criticised the Roman Catholic Church

Answer 4

-John Wycliffe: (14th century)
His followers were known as the Lollards and they had attacked the Church for losing sight of the scriptures and becoming too ritualistic. The Lollards were persecuted by both the state and the Church and driven underground, however their ideas influenced the reformation

-Martin Luther: A Monk in Wittenburg, Germany, 1517
Nailed his 95 thesis to the door of the Cathedral ( a way of instigating debate). His analysis of the faults and corruption of the Church attracted followers within Germany, who became known as Protestants.

Question 5

How did Protestantism spread across Europe

Answer 5

-Their ideas spread along trade routes across the North
Sea and England.

The number of Protestants in England was small but they had some influence through the positions they held in the universities, London and even in the King’s court and Church. The early protestants drew influence and emphasised their continuity with the Lollards.

Question 6

When did Henry VIII become King

Answer 6

1509

Question 7

Who was first entrusted with the job of securing Henry’s divorce

Answer 7

Thomas Wolsey (1927-29)

Question 8

What position did Wolsey hold in the Church

Answer 8

Cardinal of the Church

Question 9

How did Wolsey attempt to get Henry a divorce and why was it a fail

Answer 9

-Travelled to Rome and plead Henry’s cause, however, the recent sack of Rome by Charles V of Spain, nephew of Catherine, meant that the Pope, Clement VII, was not in the position to grant an annulment

-Instead, Cardinal Compeggio was sent to London to conduct hearings at which Catherine gave evidence

Question 10

When did Henry dismiss Wolsey and who did he give the task of the ‘Great Matter’ to

Answer 10

1929
Thomas Cromwell

Question 11

Why was Wolsey often called ‘Alter rex’ (second King)

Answer 11

-Henry was not interested in the political aspect of running the country, only the idea of being King, and so these matters were handed to Wolsey to deal with

Question 12

Why was Wolsey seen as the ‘Epitome of Clerical Abuses’

Answer 12

-He had an accumulation of wealth and power (led a lavish lifestyle and even built Hampton Court Palace) which contradicted the values of the Church as he held a significant position as Cardinal. He was also an advisor of Henry
-Additionally, despite Cardinal’s not being allowed to marry or have children, he did.

Question 13

Why did Wolsey fall from power

Answer 13

-Failed to get Henry his annulment. Henry began to lose trust in him. His wealth led to accusations of corruption and clerical abuses. He was later arrested, however died before he could face trial

Question 14

What was the Amicable Grant

Answer 14

-1523, Wolsey was tasked with finding money to finance an invasion of France.

The Amicable Grant : priests and to pay 1/3 of their income, others pay 1/6. Many refused to pay and rebellion broke out in Suffolk

Question 15

What solution did Cromwell find for Henry’s divorce

Answer 15

-Unlike Wolsey, Cromwell bypassed the Pope completely by declaring that Henry was the only one who could grant an annulment to a marriage in England

Question 16

What position did Cromwell hold before becoming Henry’s second chief minister

Answer 16

-Wolsey’s advisor

Question 17

What did Cromwell change about the Privy Council

Answer 17

-Reduced the number of people on the Privy Council to around 20 and gave the remaining people more power and influence (initially an emergency response to the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536)

-However, many of these members distrusted Cromwell ( E.G Thomas Howard who convinced Henry to execute him)

Question 18

Why did Henry appoint Thomas Cranmer as Archbishop

Answer 18

-Henry was becoming impatient for the divorce to be granted as Anne was pregnant by January 1533. This meant that Henry needed a cleric who would be sympathetic to his divorce and prepared to act quickly.

-Cranmer was prepared to be complaint to Henry’s wishes and as a result, was appointed to Archbishop of Canterbury

Question 19

The Act in Restraint of Appeals 1533

Answer 19

-Prevented Catherine from challenging legal decisions on the Great Matter made in England, as it meant that all appeals to Rome were to be heard by English courts instead. It clarified the Royal supremacy for the first time.

-Allowed Cranmer to open his court at Dunstable to preside over the legitimacy of the king’s first marriage

-Led to Henry’s excommunication

Question 20

The Act in Conditional Restraint of Annates 1533.
What was it’s impact.

Answer 20

(Annates= payments from newly appointed Bishops to the Pope)
-Bishops gave the Pope 1/3 of their first years revenue. These payments were banned in the First Act of Annates, 1532, meaning that the primary source of papal revenue in England was removed

-Showed Henry had not given up hope that the Pope would grant him a divorce . The Act challenged centuries of tradition and worship .

Question 21

The Supplication of the Ordinaries 1532

Answer 21

-Removed the Church power of convocation, which had meant that assemblies of clergy could pass laws enforceable in their courts and no new legislation could be passed unless licensed by Henry

-Led to the resignation of Thomas More as Lord Chancellor and many clergy refusing to turn up to the session at which the deciding vote was taken on the issue

Question 22

The Act of Dispensations 1534.
What was its impact

Answer 22

-Stopped all payments to Rome, including Peter’s Pence. and future dispensations were to be issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

-Important as it cut off all funding from England to Rome and gave all legislative power to England

Question 23

The Act of Succession 1534

Answer 23

-Recognised the invalidity of Henry’s marriage to Catherine and the validity of his marriage to Anne

-Legitimised heirs of second marriage, bastardised Mary

-made it a treasonable offence speak with malice about Henry’s second marriage

Question 24

The Act of Supremacy 1534

Answer 24

-Made the King the only supreme head of the Church of England, not the Pope

Question 25

The Treason Law 1534

Answer 25

-Made it a capital offence to slander the Supremacy or deny the King’s new title as head of the Church.
-This gave Cromwell a weapon against potential opposition

Question 26

The Act Extinguishing the Authority of the Bishop of Rome 1536

Answer 26

-Removed Papal rights to preach and teach in England

Question 27

What were the economic consequences of the Royal supremacy

Answer 27

-Payments to Rome, such as Annates, had been banned, yet Henry still passed an Act to annex First Fruits and Tenths to the crown. This meant that any new benefice holder had to pay their first years income to the king, as opposed to Rome as previously. They also paid a levy annually of one tenth the annual value of the benefice from then on.

-Cromwell commissioned to carry out survey of ecclesiastical wealth, called Valor Ecclesiasticus. It detailed clerical incomes so Henry knew exactly how much property and revenue the Church possessed

-1485-1534, clergy paid £4,800 p.a. to Rome, but in 1535 and 1536 they paid £46,052 and £52770 to Henry

Question 28

Examples of measures that Henry and Cromwell took to ensure that people were loyal and accepted the Act of Supremacy

Answer 28

-All adult males has to swear an oath to the terms of the Act of Succession

-All clergy had to make a declaration that the Pope had no greater God-given authority in England than any other foreign bishop

-The printing press and the pulpit were used to reinforce these oaths

-Sermons preached in support of the Supremacy and the Boleyn marriage

-Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Shaxton were radicals who came to prominence as they were willing to preach the virtues of Henry’s Supremacy in the pulpit, as well as denounce papal power

-The Treason Act 1534

Question 29

Who was Elizabeth Barton and how did she oppose the reformation

Answer 29

-The ‘Holy Maid of Kent’.

-She had visions of the Virgin Mary and gave harmful prophecies to Henry.
-Her notoriety grew and she gained support from John Fisher and Archbishop Warham.

-She was sent to the TOL in Nov 1533, to be executed he same day that Londoners had to swear the Oath of Supremacy

Question 30

Who were the Carthusians

Answer 30

-A religious order based in London. They were n strongly effective as they were not united in their opposition, however Cromwell could not silence dissenting opinion

-This led to imprisonment and torture, and 6 leaders were executed May-July 1535

Question 31

Who were the Observant Friars and why were they more dangerous than Carthusians

Answer 31

-A group similar to Cathusians, whose friary was alongside the king’s most frequented palace at Greenwich.

-They were more dangerous because of this and because as preachers, they could spread the word of dissent quickly.

-All 7 observant houses were closed down, leading to friars imprisonment

Question 32

Who was John Fisher (Bishop of Rochester)

Answer 32

-He was the only bishop to be executed for opposition.

He did the following:

-Wrote and preached in defence of Catherine
-Was fined £300 over the Holy Maid of Kent issue
-Refused to swear to the Oath of Supremacy

-He was then imprisoned in TOL and executed June 1535. -This caused outrage across Europe and did little for Henry’s reputation.

Question 33

Who was Thomas More

Answer 33

-He was reluctantly willing to accept the change in succession, but refused to swear oath so was imprisoned in TOL alongside Fisher.

-He became Lord Chancellor in condition that he would not be involved in the Great Matter. But he resigned after the submission of the clergy in 1532

-Executed 6th July 1535

Question 34

Why was there so little opposition to the break with Rome and Royal Supremacy