key terms Flashcards
Chancery
The main court of equity in the kingdom; in such courts justice was based on applying the principle of equity, i.e. fairness, rather than through a strict reading of the common law
Subsidy
Historically, this refers to a grant issued by Parliament to the sovereign for state needs; the 1523 subsidy imposed a tax of one shilling in the pound for land worth £50, and one shilling in the pound on personal savings and goods
Amicable Grant
In 1525 Wolsey ordered the implementation of ‘Amicable Grant’ to raise more money for war; in theory it was to be a freely given gift from his subjects to the King, but in reality it was a heavy tax, levied without Parliament’s approval
Groom of the Stool
The most intimate of an English monarch’s courtiers, who became a man in whom much confidence was placed and royal secrets were shared as a matter of course
The King’s Great Matter
Concerned the annulment of Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon and his desire to marry Anne Boleyn; this was a complex situation which would ultimately lead to England’s break from the Catholic Church
Annulment
Refers to declaring something, in this case a marriage, legally invalid; it was generally accepted that only the Pope could authorise such a measure
Praemunire
A parliamentary statute enacted in 1393 to prevent papal interference in the rights of the Crown to make appointments to Church office
Annates
Revenue paid to the Pope by a bishop or other cleric on his appointment; they were effectively church taxes collected in England and sent to Rome and were also know as the ‘First Fruits’ a concept which dates back to earlier Greek, Roman, and Hebrew religions
Supplication against the Ordinaries
A supplication was a form of petition; in this case it was addressed to the king by the House of Commons and directed against alleged abuses of ordinary jurisdiction, i.e. the jurisdiction exercised in church law by archbishops and bishops
Submission of the Clergy
This was the formal surrender of the Church’s independent law-making function
Imperial Jurisdiction
Official powers to make legal decisions and judgements belonged to the king and could not be challenged by the Church or any other power
Heir Presumptive
The person who is first in line of succession but whose position could be displaced by a new heir with a better claim; in this case, Albany would cease to be first in line for the throne once the infant James V of Scotland had a legitimate child as an heir
Papal Legate
The personal representative of the Pope; being appointed papal legate gave Wolsey control over the English Church and meant that he had superior status to the Archbishop of Canterbury
Bull
A letter or formal declaration issued by the Pope; it is named after the seal (bulla) that was added to the end to authenticate it
Affinity
Described all those who had relationships with a person of higher status based on landholding and/or holding a position within the household
