Henry VIII - Cromwell Flashcards
Finance - Cromwell’s reformations
In 1536, the ‘Court of Augmentations’ was established to deal with income from the dissolution of monasteries. Receivers in the regions dealt with dissolved estates and reported to a central staff.
- crown income rose from £150,000 to £300,000
An Act of 1540 abolished sanctuary (use of religious buildings to shield criminals).
The Kings Chamber - Cromwell’s Reformations
The Kings chamber was located in the Royal Household, meaning the king could keep a close eye on income and expenditure. But in the mid 1530’s, Cromwell recognised the system needed reformations for 3 reasons:
- Routine tasks such as monitoring expenditure and income bored Henry, so he was barely involved.
*There were no formal rules about how the chamber should be run, so accounts were not kept or checked properly.
*The dissolution of monasteries led to a dramatic rise in crown income - the Kings chamber wouldn’t cope.
Thus, Cromwell removed most of the Kings financial responsibilities.
Wales & the North - Cromwells reformations
In the Act of Union of 1536, Wales became incorporated into the English legal and administrative system.
An Act of 1543 divided Wales into 3 shires, with JPs appointed by the King - Wales was to send 24 MP’s to parliament in London with English law becoming the law of the land.
From 1536, the authority of the council of the north increased after the Pilgrimage of Grace, becoming responsible for law and order North of River Trent. They nominated JP’s who dealt with serious crimes eg treason
Why was Thomas Cromwell executed in 1540?
France & Spain signed a treaty in 1538, creating danger of a joint attack on England.Cromwell made a protestant alliance by arranging a marriage of Henry to Anne of Cleves in Germany, but Cromwell had been misinformed about Anne’s appearance, and Henry demanded the marriage was cancelled, weakening their relationship.
As Cromwell worked secure the king’s divorce from Anne, Catherine spread rumours he wasn’t doing the task quick enough , and Norfolk suggested Cromwell was protecting a group of protestants in Calais.
After introducing further protestant changes and failing to enforce the Act of Six Articles, Cromwell was executed in July 1540, the same Henry married Catherine Howard.
