Henry Viii 7 : The character & aims of Henry VIII

Question 1

how did Henry come to the throne?

Answer 1

• two months before his eighteenth birthday. Seven years had passed since the death of his elder brother- Arthur
• was prepared for his new role as the future king of England
• had been well educated for the task, including some acquaintance with the new learning of humanism - He was well read but according to John Guy his mind was able but second rate

Question 2

how was Henrys accession welcomed?

Answer 2

• as a breath of fresh air after the stultifying and rather sinister atmosphere associated with the influence of Empson and Dudley in the last years of his father’s reign
• very positive and new/hope for people
• time of continuity
• extrovert, affable and charming
• BUT Henry had had no experience of government or public affairs

Question 3

how did Henry VIII’s version of kingship differ markedly from that of his father?

Answer 3

• profound dislike for the business of government and found the writing and reading of State papers both tedious and painful
• but he could intervene suddenly in the business of government, in the process contradicting decisions or actions which had already been taken (still wanted to know he was in charge)
• an impetuous approach had considerable implications for the quality of decision-making within Henry’s administration (important given henrys nature)
• lacked the work ethic which many historians attributed to his father, instead preferring to pass the time with good company eg pageants, revelry, sports, hunting and tournaments

Question 4

how did the structure of government evolve differently compared with the reign of Henry VII?

Answer 4

• in the short term there was a renewed emphasis on governing through
  Council, which then made two comebacks at later stages of the reign
  (1529-32,1540-47)
• for two periods during his reign Henry relied upon the work
  of a chief minister who shaped the structures of government to meet his
  own needs, eg Woolsey then Cromwell

Question 5

craic with Wolsey?

Answer 5

• richly rewarded for his efforts
• quickly acquired an impressive range of Church offices which ensured a lucrative living
• achieved recognition from the papacy, being appointed cardinal by Pope Leo X in 1515, most importantly for symbolism than political influence
• but no politician who has attained the stature that Wolsey obtained can ever be free of enemies
• it was Wolsey’s enemies who brought him down in 1529 by exploiting the weakness in his relationship with the king, brought about by his failure to secure the annulment of Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon

Question 6

what did Henry VII leave for Henry VIII?

Answer 6

• Money - it is believed that Henry VII left around £300,000 upon his death - unpopular mechanisms for extracting money
• a peaceful foreign policy
• a counciliar form of government - decisions were made through a council
  but
• these disappeared during the first few years of Henry VIII’s reign
• ## the money Henry inherited from his father’s reign would vanish as a result of paying for the revival of a traditionally aggressive foreign policy towards France

Question 7

what were henrys early aims?

Answer 7

• to establish his status amongst European monarchs through marriage.
• to re-establish the role of the nobility.
• to establish himself as a warrior king through success in battle.

Question 8

significance on henrys marriage to Catherine of Aragon?

Answer 8

• a marriage between Henry and his brother Arthur’s widow, Catherine of Aragon, had been discussed since Arthur’s death, but had not been finally agreed while Henry VII was king
• wanted to conclude the marriage as quickly as possible
• suited Henry’s councillors, who took the view that marriage for Henry would deflect him from political matters and enable them to conduct conciliar business as usual, and Henry and Catherine married on 11th June 1509
• the marriage initially successful on a personal level, she was influential in looking over policy making in the first few years
• but by the mid-1520s Henry would repent of the rapidity of his marriage to a woman who was over five years older than he was, especially once it was clear that she could never present him with a healthy male heir

Question 9

how did Henry re-establish the nobility?

Answer 9

• the nobility had been largely frozen out of direct political influence by Henry VII
• this changed with the accession of Henry VIII, who shared the tastes and dominant military culture of the aristocracy
• it was largely the sons of the nobility, generally young men who were slightly older than the king himself, who partnered Henry in the sports and revels which took up so much of his time and energy at the start of the reign - they accompanied Henry to war in France
• but the nobles did not in the end achieve the political domination they had hoped for because Henry chose to promote the interests of Thomas Wolsey, the churchman who had organised the war in France on his behalf

Question 10

what is the significance of Henry’s treatment of the Duke of Buckingham?

Answer 10

• indicative of his ruthlessness towards the nobility early in his reign
• Buckingham, like Henry VIII, was a descendant of King Edward III, and the only English duke at the start of the reign (had better claim than Henry?)
• Buckingham was regarded with suspicion
• Buckingham was certainly prone to muttering about issues such as the succession, Wolsey had even warned him to be more cautious
• discusion about what would happen after the kings death counted as treason and was punishable by deaths he was found guilty and executed

Question 11

what changes did Henry VIII make to foreign policy?

Answer 11

• pursuit of military glory (fitted with rehabilitation of nobility) led to war with France
• often vast amounts of money were spent to achieve painfully small gains which had little or no strategic significance
• strangely mixed with occasional alliances with the French against Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, though Henry was never quite foolish enough to go to war with the powerful Charles V.

Question 12

what were Henrys later aims?

Answer 12

• the pursuit of glory and the need to secure the succession to the throne (always an aim)
• almost always gave priority to the pursuit of pleasure

Question 13

impact of Henrys reign?

Answer 13

• his reign left an enduring mark on English history: the broadening of the use of statute law {Acts of Parliament} to achieve his political ends, the resulting growing importance of Parliament, the destruction of much traditional religion and the plundering of much of the Church’s wealth
• The effects on the Church were almost completely a consequence of the break with Rome, a policy decision which would have seemed inconceivable in the first 20 years of the reign
• Henry certainly exhibited ruthlessness and cynicism Empson and Dudley and his resort to execution for treason and in his impusilvness in marrying Catherine