Henry VIII - Wolsey Flashcards
1
Q
Wolsey’s Use of the Star Chamber
A
- 1516 – Used the Star Chamber to root out corruption and challenge noble authority
- Genuinely interested in impartial justice and often ruled in favour of poorer litigants than richer ones
- Favoured Civil Law, which was based on common sense rather than tradition – developed the Court of Requests to hear the cases of people too poor to use the already-existing courts
- Created the Court of Requests (otherwise known as the Court of Poor Man’s Requests)
2
Q
Wolsey and Enclosures
A
- 1517 – Launched an enquiry into enclosed land – ensured many nobles who had abused shared land had to rebuild destroyed homes and return it to arable farming
- 1523 – Forced to accept all existing enclosures, proving that he was never able to entirely end them
- 200 landowners were taken to court for illegal enclosing. He created a lot of resentment amongst nobles who were targeted for abusing their power
3
Q
Wolsey and Domestic Finance
A
- Replaced the system of fifteenths and tenths (standard form of taxation at the time) with a more flexible subsidy, based on the ability to pay
- 1525 – Amicable Grant instigates tax rebellions and has to be abandoned by May
4
Q
Wolsey as the “Master”
A
- Held numerous governmental positions (see other card)
- 1521 – Accused of orchestrating the execution of the Duke of Buckingham – most of the “evidence” was found to be questionable and the Duke was similarly one of Wolsey’s most outspoken critics
- Parliament only met twice under Wolsey’s control
- Ten times wealthier than any noble
- Foreign ambassadors referred to him as the “Alter Rex” (“Little King”)
- Used bullying tactics to get his own way over Parliament – one such example included shutting it down halfway through a session in 1513
5
Q
Wolsey as the “Servant”
A
- Failure of the Amicable Grant became a turning point in his and Henry’s relationship
- Wolsey’s status relied entirely on Henry’s approval
- 1528 – Abbess of Wilton issue
- Didn’t control patronage – Henry could still reward and give gifts to whoever he wanted to
- Henry allowed him a large amount of control over the state but the final say was always his
6
Q
Wolsey as a Successful Advocate of the Church
A
- Accused of “praemanire” – putting the authority of the a foreign leader (in this case the Pope) above the authority of your own
- Appointed Papal Legate (second only to the Pope)
- Dissolved 30 monasteries that were corrupt – used the taken money to create schools and a college in Oxford devoted to theology
- Set up an ecclesiastical council to discuss church reform
- Appointed 13 new episcopal sees
7
Q
Wolsey as an Unsuccessful Advocate of the Church
A
- Practised absenteeism – rarely visited any places he was meant to as a bishop but still continued to take a wage from each one
- Had many illegitimate children and often practised nepotism
- Pluralism – held more than one job
- Deliberately left positions in the church open and vacant for as long as possible so as to take the money going into them
- Simony (buying offices) remained an issue
8
Q
Luck in Wolsey’s Rise to Power
A
- Talents spotted early by Richard Nanfan, who recommended him to Henry VII
- Rise to power coincided with Henry VII’s death – this meant he was not associated with the King’s unpopular reforms, which Henry VIII sought to reverse
- Rise to power also coincided with the retirement of important figures such as the Archbishop of Canterbury
9
Q
Skill in Wolsey’s Rise to Power
A
- Academically gifted – studied a Master’s degree at Oxford
- Ordained as a priest and was skilled in his role as a cardinal and as Papal Legate
- Impressed Henry with his success in foreign policy, such as his mission to France
-1522 - Proved his worth as an advisor via a comprehensive survey of England’s military resources
Gifted in understanding legal, financial and clerical matters – made himself indispensible
10
Q
Wolsey’s Roles in Religion
A
- 1514 – became Bishop of Tournai, Bishop of Lincoln and Archbishop of York
- Sep 1515 – became a Cardinal and is appointed Lord Chancellor (top position in government) a year later
- Appointed “Papal Legate” (second only to the Pope)
- 1518 – appointed “Legate a latere” (personal representative) by the Pope, giving him the authority to reform the church and appoint to benefices (make clerical appointments) – this effectively made him the most powerful man in England
11
Q
Main Reasons for Wolsey’s Downfall
A
- Failure to help Henry secure his divorce with Catherine resulted in him being stripped of his offices in 1529
- Noble enemies
- A faction of nobles grew close to Anne Boleyn and used their position of power to create a campaign of anti-Wolsey propaganda
- Disagreements with Henry over the divorce
- Possibly responsible for his own downfall – eventually charged under the Act of Praemunire, which forbade churchmen from appealing to Rome over the king
- His status as a member of the Court of Rome made him appear traitorous and untrustworthy
12
Q
Issues with the Star Chamber
A
- The Chamber had an enormous backlog of cases and by 1529 most of its administration was chaotic
- The Chamber also continued to rule in favour of nobles rather than peasants
13
Q
1513-29 - Taxes raised
A
- £325k in parliamentary subsidies
- £118k from fifteenths and tenths
- £250k from loans
14
Q
Wolsey’s Roles in Government
A
- Lord Chancellor – in charge of all secular (non-religious) life as well as leading the non-secular side of life as both a Cardinal and Papal Legate
- Controlled the Privy Seal
- Controlled appointments to the Royal Council (every other king had done this themselves)
15
Q
Abbess of Wilton issue
A
Wolsey refuses to appoint Henry’s choice of Abbess and Henry publically rebukes him in retaliation. Wolsey is made to publically grovel and beg in order to get his job back
