Key topic 2: Henry VIII and Cromwell

Question 1

What were the reasons for Cromwell’s rise to power?

Answer 1

Loyalty - Cromwell remained loyal to Wolsey defending him in parliament and even in audiences with the king.
Wit and charm - Cromwell’s wit and charm won him many supporters at court, including the king.
Ruthlessness - Cromwell’s ruthlessness meant that the king was prepared to rely on him to manage violent and controversial acts
Efficiency - As Henry began to involve himself more in day-to-day government after 1530, Cromwell was there to carry out his instructions quickly and efficiently as the king’s loyal servant

Question 2

What steps did Cromwell take to rise to power?

Answer 2

• Travelled and worked in Europe
• Returned to England and got married, then became a successful merchant and a lawyer in London
• Became a member of Wolsey’s council and became a trusted advicer
• Became an MP for Taunton
• Became a member of the Privy Council

Question 3

When did Cromwell become the king’s chief minister?

Answer 3

1534

Question 4

How did Cromwell manage the annulment of Henry’s marriage to Catherine?

Answer 4

Cromwell argued that the power to grant an annulment should be taken from the Pope and given to Henry instead.

Question 5

When did Parliament pass the Act in Restraint of Appeals and what was it?

Answer 5

It was passed in March 1533 and asserted that England was an empire and not subject to any form of foreign rule in order to make Henry head of the church.

Question 6

What were Cromwell’s roles and responsibilities after 1534?

Answer 6

• He was in charge of the church and became Vicar-General in 1535 with power to institute Church reform
• Had an influential role in law by becoming Master of the Rolls in 1533
• Became Lord Great Chamberlain in 1540 and was in charge of Henry’s household
• Had become Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1533 and was in charge of finances
• In charge of the king’s personal seal and became Lord Privy Seal in 1536 and had unlimited access to Henry’s documents

Question 7

What were some reasons for the fall of Anne Boleyn?

Answer 7

• In 1533 Anne gave birth to Elizabeth, which disappointed Henry because it was not the heir he wanted
• In 1536 Anne had a second miscarriage and the foetus was thought to be deformed, convincing many in the court that Anne was a witch
• In May 1536 Anne was charged with adultery and treason and was taken to the Tower of London following an investigation by Cromwell
• Accused of imagining Henry’s death

Question 8

Who were some of the men Anne was accused of having an affair with?

Answer 8

• Mark Smeaton
• Sir Francis Weston
• Sir William Brereton
• Her brother, George Boleyn

Question 9

What were Cromwell’s roles in the fall of Anne Boleyn?

Answer 9

• Cromwell was aware of Anne’s role in the downfall of Wolsey and did not want to share the same fate
• Anne and Cromwell had differences of opinion on foreign policy and how the income gained from the dissolution of the monasteries should be spent
• Cromwell built the case for adultery against Anne, interviewing and torturing witnesses and using spies in the queen’s bedchamber

Question 10

Who was Jane Seymour?

Answer 10

Jane Seymour married Henry and became queen on the 30th May 1536, 11 days after Anne Boleyn’s execution.

Question 11

Why was Henry keen to marry Jane as quickly as possible?

Answer 11

Because Henry needed a child (preferably a son) to become the legitimate heir to the throne. Without this, there was a risk that if Henry died, the succession would go to someone outside of the family.

Question 12

Why did Edward (Jane’s son) strengthen Henry’s authority?

Answer 12

He strengthened Henry’s authority because it suggested God had blessed Henry with a son, implying that his marriage to Jane, the execution of Anne and the annulment of his marriage to Catherine, was acceptable to God.

Question 13

Why did Henry not marry for another 2 years after 1537?

Answer 13

Because Henry went into a state of mourning and refused to marry for another two years.

Question 14

How did Jane’s marriage to Henry help the influence of the Seymour’s?

Answer 14

Jane’s marriage to Henry gave the Seymour family a higher status within the royal court. Jane’s brother, Edward was appointed to the privy council and after Jane’s death, Edward became an adviser to Henry, as well as first Earl of Hertford and later Duke of Somerset.

Question 15

What was the Reform of the Royal Council?

Answer 15

Cromwell argued that the Royal Council was too big as it contained up to 100 members.

• Cromwell replaced it with a new, simpler body known as the Privy Council made up of 20 permanent advisers
• The Privy Council was increasingly composed of lawyers and professional administrators, rather than noblemen

Question 16

What was the Reform of the Council of the North?

Answer 16

Cromwell made the Council of the North a permanent institution, which from 1537 was responsible for maintaining law and order in the North.

Question 17

What did Cromwell do to help organise the King’s Chamber?

Answer 17

Cromwell decided the chamber couldn’t cope with the increased work, so he split it into 6 departments.

Question 18

What is the King’s Chamber?

Answer 18

The King’s Chamber was used to record the income (taxes, rents, etc) and expenditure (money spent) of the king and his government.

Question 19

Which two departments in the King’s Chamber, dealt with the increased work created by dissolution?

Answer 19

• The court of Augmentations
  Dealt with property and income from the dissolution of the monasteries
• The Court of First Fruits and Tenths
  Collected taxes from the clergy previously sent to the pope in Rome

Question 20

What were the reasons for and the significance of Henry’s marriage to Anne of Cleves?

Answer 20

• By 1539 there seemed to be a real threat of a combined Catholic crusade against England launched by Charles V and Francis I, so a marriage to Anne of Cleves would provide Henry with a valuable European ally who might persuade other German states to help him if England was attacked
• Unlike many European rulers, the Duke of Cleves seemed happy to marry Anne off to Henry, as he and other reformist states needed allies against Charles V
• Henry still only had one male heir, and there was always the risk of Edward dying young.
• The Duke of Cleves had also broken from Rome

Question 21

What were reasons for Cromwell’s fall from power?

Answer 21

• Henry’s failed marriage with Anne of Cleves that was annulled after 4 months
• Cromwell had many enemies within the court and church, they resented his dissolution of monasteries and to them Cromwell was an ‘evil counsellor’ who had misled the king.
• The Duke of Norfolk’s influence
• Cromwell was hated by French Catholics and so removing Cromwell from power would lead to improved relations with France

Question 22

What year did Cromwell fall from power?

Answer 22

1540

Question 23

What influenced Henry’s decision to execute Cromwell?

Answer 23

• He was under pressure from the court
• ill-health made Henry bad tempered and led him to make hasty decisions
• He was under pressure from the Duke of Norfolk
• He was under pressure from the church