Henry VIII - Key People Flashcards
Thomas Wolsey (c1471-1530)
-became the royal almoner (distributing money as charity to the needy on behalf of the king) upon Henry VIIl's accession -came to Henry's attention as a result of his organisational abilities -This apparently minor member of the Council became more like a chief minister, interposing himself between the king and the experienced councillors who were increasingly frozen out from serious influence -Wolsey was not, however, simply the king's mouthpiece, because his intelligence and articulacy meant that he was exceptionally skilful at presenting the king's case -became Archbishop of York and a cardinal in 1514, and Lord Chancellor in 1515.
Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey and second Duke of Norfolk (1443-1524)
-came from a distinguished Yorkist family and fought for Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth after which he was imprisoned and attainted for treason -restored to his title in 1489 when he suppressed the Yorkshire Rebellion and led the victorious English army at the Battle of Flodden with Scotland -after which he was promoted to the Duchy of Norfolk -served both Henry VII and Henry VIII as a soldier and administrator.
Thomas Cromwell (c1485-1540)
-rose from a humble background to become a lawyer and secretary to Wolsey and then principal secretary to Henry VIII -suggested Henry place himself as head of an English Church -masterminded the dissolution of the monasteries -later fell from favour and was executed at the Tower of London on 28 July 1540.
William Warham (c1450-1532)
-Archbishop of Canterbury from 1503 and a councillor under Henry VI -lost political influence under Henry VIII.
Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556)
-Cambridge academic
-came to
Henry VIII’s attention through the
Collectanea Satis Copiosa
-later
became Archbishop of Canterbury,
and always enjoyed Henry VIIl’s
personal confidence
-relationship with the Duke of
Northumberland in Edward VI’s
reign was uneasy
-burnt for heresy under the
Catholic Queen Mary I.
Jane Seymour (c1509-37)
-lady-in-waiting to both Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn -Jane's demure personality appealed to Henry, who had wearied of Anne's feisty sophistication -She and Henry married on 30 May 1536 -she gave birth to Prince Edward on 12 September 1537 -died on 24 October from complications after childbirth.
Stephen Gardiner (c1495-1555)
-having progressed initially in the service
of Wolsey, became principal secretary to Henry VIII and then Bishop of
Winchester
-supported the break with Rome, but retained conservative
Catholic views
-led to his imprisonment under Edward VI
-he
returned to favour under Mary I and was appointed Lord Chancellor.
Thomas Wriothesley (1505-50)
-owed his advancement to Cromwell’s
patronage
-appointed joint principal secretary in 1540
-survived
Cromwell’s downfall
-attached himself to the conservative Gardiner
-appointed Lord Chancellor in 1544
-A slippery figure, he again switched
sides when involved in the downfall of Norfolk in 1546.
Edward Seymour (c1500-52)
-Marquis of Hertford and later Duke of Somerset -brother of Henry VIIl's third wife, Jane Seymour, and therefore the uncle of Edward VI -A soldier, he became politically very influential towards the end of Henry's reign -Lord Protector to Edward before his own downfall in 1549.
Francis I (1494-1547)
-reigned France from 1515 to 1547 -He and Henry were intense personal rivals -at times they were willing to ally, because of their shared suspicion of Emperor Charles V.
Charles V (1500-58)
-successively Duke of Burgundy, King of Spain from 1516 to 1556 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1519 to 1556 -made him the dominant ruler in western Europe -nephew of Henry VIIl's first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
John, Baron Russell and Earl of Bedford (c1485-1555)
-long career as a courtier -served Henry VIII as a diplomat and soldier -became a councillor in 1536 -Following Exeter's fall, Russell was granted a huge amount of monastic land in Devon to bolster royal support in the southwest.
Henry Courtenay, Marquess of Exeter (c1498-1538)
-A grandson of Edward IV
-was dominant in the southwest
-close relationship with Henry
-his identification with
the Aragonese faction and his enmity towards Cromwell strained the
relationship.
Robert Aske (c1500-37)
-led the Pilgrimage of Grace and devised its name which gave it its distinctive religious flavour -A capable leader, he turned the varied movements of the rebels into a cohesive whole -tried to negotiate a settlement with the king but was executed after the outbreak of renewed rebellion in January 1537.
Martin Luther (1483-1546)
-a German monk who challenged the Catholic Church's teaching on salvation in 1517 -His challenge broadened into an attack on papal supremacy -gained the support of many secular rulers in Germany, who withdrew their territories from allegiance to Catholicism.
