Henry VIII society

Question 1

what happened to the size of the peerage

Answer 1

increased
though by the ed of the reign there were only 9 more peers than at the beginning

Question 2

how did most of the new peers achieve their rank

Answer 2

successful royal service as courtiers or soldiers

Question 3

How many non-royal ducal titles did Henry promote and how did they gain their positions

Answer 3

2
Norfolk and Suffolk
Norfolk - restored to the title enjoyed by his father
Suffolk - promoted on account of his closeness with the king

Question 4

How did Henry sometimes enable nobles to exert royal authority

Answer 4

bestowing property
e.g. Suffolk was endowed with property in Lincolnshire after the rebellion in 1536 and the king ordered him to move there to exert authority in person

Question 5

what did Henry do following the execution of the Marquess of Exeter

Answer 5

raised John Baron Russell to the peerage and endowed him with land in Devon to Bolster royal authority

Question 6

How were noble households critical

Answer 6

maintained local influence
recruitment of royal armies

Question 7

evidence of the nobility being brought under the control of the monarch

Answer 7

1541 Thomas Fiennes Baron Dacre of the South tried for the murder of a neighbours servant and convicted and hanged like a common criminal

Question 8

how many gentry families were there in 1540

Answer 8

5000

Question 9

what did knighthoods represent

Answer 9

a sign of royal favour
it was assumed that a knight would possess an income which reflected his status

Question 10

what did the royal heralds do

Answer 10

certified the status of esquires (gentlemen entitled to bear a coat of arms)

Question 11

what was the requirements for the royal heralds to confirm a title

Answer 11

wouldn’t confirm to anyone with lands worth less than £10 per annum or goods worth under £300

Question 12

why did the number of participants in local administration increase

Answer 12

the number of JPs increased
and many other members of the gentry were drawn into unpaid administration of behalf of the crown

Question 13

what class was increasingly likely to be the Crown’s local administrators

Answer 13

formerly likely to be clergymen
increasingly were laymen - office holding generated income which would bring about land holding and gentry status

Question 14

how did standard of living change for commoners

Answer 14

very little change at the beginning of the reign
rise in inflation lead to a drop in incomes - contributed to opposition to the amicable grant

Question 15

How was Wales controlled before 1536

Answer 15

separate territory to England though in practice under English control
comprised of Marcher lordships and the Principality of Wales
did not have a unified administration or formal political link with England

Question 16

What did the Laws in Wales act do and when was it

Answer 16

1536
divided Wales into shire counties which operated on the same basis a their English counterparts
gave the Welsh shirs direct representation in the House of commons for the first time
brought Wales into the same legal framework as England

Question 17

Who were the people exercising control over Wales on the crowns behalf

Answer 17

members of the aristocracy e.g. the earls of Pembroke
members of an anglicised Welsh gentry who controlled county politics were elected to parliament and became more prominent within the legal profession

Question 18

When was the act resuming liberties to the crown and what did it do

Answer 18

1536
reduced the level of independence enjoyed by the bishop of Durham but did not destroy it completely e.g. the palatinate court of chancery continued to operate

Question 19

what are palatinates

Answer 19

Lancashire, Cheshire and Durham separate jurisdictions from the rest of England
however in Lancashire and Cheshire jurisdiction had fallen into royal hands long ago

Question 20

what did the Council of Wales and the marches do

Answer 20

governed the lands of the principality of Wales and the 4 bordering English counties
offered relatively cheap and local access to the law as was based in Shropshire
benefitted the area

Question 21

why was the border with Scotland a problem

Answer 21

much of it was remote and inhospitable in the winter
both sides of the border had a reputation for lawlessness

Question 22

how was the Scottish border dealt with

Answer 22

border split into 3 marches each under the jurisdiction of a warden

Question 23

What changed to the council of the North after the pilgrimage of grace

Answer 23

it was re-established as a permanent body with a professional staff

Question 24

what was the role of the council of the North

Answer 24

both administrative and legal functions
kept the North at peace during the summer of rebellions in 1549

Question 25

How did the quality of the church improve under Wolsey

Answer 25

dissolved some redundant monasteries and used their endowments for educational purposes improvement in the quality of the clergy

Question 26

How did religious change increase the size and wealth of the landholding gentry

Answer 26

the land removed from the church was sold often at knock-down prices to pay for Henry's foreign policy so people could afford more land

Question 27

how much of the ex-monastic land was sold off or granted away

Answer 27

almost 2/3 by 1547

Question 28

How did religious change impact education

Answer 28

many monasteries had been noted for their educational provision most monastic schools were lost with the dissolution of the monasteries

Question 29

How were monks and nuns impact by the religious change

Answer 29

many were rendered unemployed some monks could secure employment as secular priest and many received pensions nuns did not have the same opportunities

Question 30

how did the dissolution of the monasteries impact society

Answer 30

their employment and business provisions disappeared some major monastic churches such as Durham were the cathedral of their dioceses many monasteries doubled up as their local parish church

Question 31

example of opposition to the dissolution of the monasteries

Answer 31

Hexham Northumberland royal commissioners were prevented from beginning the process of dissolution by a gathering of armed men

Question 32

what opposition was their to taxes for the 1513 war in France and what was the reaction to this

Answer 32

complaints in Yorkshire particularly upland areas taxation demands for some of the areas affected were eventually written off

Question 33

what opposition was there to the amicable grant

Answer 33

many refused to pay widespread opposition Essex - 1000 people gathered at the Essex-Suffolk border determined to resist payment Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk faced with around 4000 tax resisters

Question 34

what were the religious causes of the Pilgrimage of Grace

Answer 34

Dissolution of the monasteries - loss of charitable and education functions, parish churches that were monastic property fear that the North would be impoverished by monastic lands falling into the hands of southerners fear for the parish churches and traditional religious practices after the 1536 injunctions

Question 35

what were the secular causes of the Pilgrimage of Grace

Answer 35

economic grievances including taxation crowns attempts to impose the Duke of Suffolk upon Lincolnshire as a great magnate courtly conspiracy prompted by councillors who supported CoA who wanted a restoration of Mary as heir tenants grievances

Question 36

Why was the Pilgrimage of Grace significant

Answer 36

most geographically widespread and most popular in terms of participation rebels occupied York and Hull and captured Pontefract castles

Question 37

How was the Pilgrimage of Grace suppressed initially

Answer 37

Duke of Norfolk sent with an army- hugely outnumbered issued pardon and the promise that the dissolved monasteries would be restored and a free parliament established

Question 38

what happened when the Pilgrimage of Grace renewed in 1537

Answer 38

Henry had the excuse he needed to not deliver on the initial promises from Norfolk Norfolk supressed the renewed rebellion, declared martial law and hung 74 rebels