Question 1b Flashcards
1
Q
Explain why Wolsey rose to power and became known as the ‘alter rex’ by 1518.
- Wolsey’s appointment as Royal Almoner in 1509
- Rise of Wolsey
A
- His personality and hard work
- gained a degree from Oxford at 15 even though son of a butcher from Ipswich
- 1513 - skilfully organised war with France by organising the army, its equipment and transport -> Henry made him Bishop of Lincoln and Archbishop of York in 1514
- well-known for being charming, intelligent and a great negotiator - Role in the Church
- common way to climb to power in 16th century = what he did
- 1501 - appointed Chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury, used the role to get to know important men
- 1518 - became papal legate (outranked arch. of can.) - Opportunism
- 1509 - appointed Royal Almoner, automatically meant he was on the Royal Council, used this to get close to Henry VIII
- H didn’t like ministers he inherited from his father, getting rid of men like Empson and Dudley -> gave Wolsey the opportunity to fill in gaps and get promoted quick by doing tasks for King
2
Q
Explain why Wolsey fell from power by 1530.
- The King’s ‘Great Matter’
- The Amicable Grant, 1525
A
- High profile failures
- 1525 - introduced Amicable Grant - a tax levied on the King’s subjects to pay for invasion of France, EXTREMELY UNPOPULAR (wasn’t approved of by parliament + people were given 10 weeks to pay -> revolts)
- Suffolk - 10,000 men rebelled out of anger -> tax being abandoned
- meant Henry had to postpone his French campaign + began to doubt Wolsey (no longer able to collect taxes for the rest of his time)
- W had to take responsibility = humiliated him + damaged his rep - His failure in the King’s ‘Great Matter’
- 1529 - Pope became virtual prisoner to Charles V (had troops close to Rome) so he was reluctant to grant annulment
- W decided he + Cardinal Campeggio (Pope’s representative) would rule on the case BUT (under p’s instructions) c.c dragged out case until July when it was adjourned
- failure to get annulment to Catherine of Aragon angered H + made him increasingly impatient with W - Enemies in court
- W had low birth but high status = deeply resented by many inc. Duke of Norfolk
- SO W made attempt to control court through Eltham Ordinances BUT only led to more enemies
- e.g. one reform = King’s Privy Chamber was reduced from 12 to 6 men but some were Henry’s friends
- also: Boleyn Faction resented W for failure to get annulment and because H was infatuated with Anne, her + her brothers persuaded him to get rid of W
3
Q
Explain why the Amicable Grant was introduced in 1525.
- Battle of Pavia, 1525
- the 1513 Subsidy
A
- Success in the Battle of Pavia
- 1525 - Charles V successfully captured Francis I during battle
- H saw this as an opportunity to invade France and recover English land that was taken from the Crown in the 15th cent
- invasion needed to be funded so amicable grant introduced to raise money - Subsidy
- 1513 Subsidy - tax introduced by W, seen as fairer bc people;e were taxed on their wealth, unlike traditional Fifteenths and Tenths
- major success bc it raised 3x amount of fif+tenths between 1513-23
- BUT after 1523, W had trouble raising money through it bc it began to produce lesser amounts due to demands of war
- led to a.g. bc W needed a new way of generating income for King - To keep H happy + at centre of European politics
- during war with France, H = humiliared
- despite treaty of Bruges (Charles V would help H during invasion) support never came
- also, when Charles V captured Francis I, he refused to share the success with H and ignored suggestion to divide France between England and the Holy Roman Empire with h at throne
- led to a.g. bc invasion achieved very little + cost £430,000 which had to be recovered
4
Q
Explain why Henry VIII launched his campaign against the Pope and the Catholic Church, 1529-33.
- the new Protestant religion
- the failure of divorce proceedings
A
- To annul marriage with Catherine of Aragon
- Charles V = nephew to Catherine of Aragon + had troops close to Rome so Pope was reluctant to grant annulment
-so W decided that him, as Papal Legate, along with Cardinal Campeggio would rule on the case of the annulment
- so Campeggio was instructed to drag out the case until it was adjourned in June 1529
- H grew impatient with long process of the annulment + eager to marry A.B so launched campaign - Allegations of corruption within Catholic Church + popularity of Protestantism
- German priest (Martin Luther) spread new protestant religion throughout Europe -> many turned to it including H’s advisers who were sympathetic to the new religious ideas
- also: brought light to the corruption within the Catholic Church
- e.g. stated that indulgences and charities were unnecessary + the Bible should be recited in the language of the country so people can understand
- steered H to push for campaign bc Protestantism was becoming increasingly popular - Political and economic reasons
- Act in Restraint of Appeals 1533 - meant England would no longer be subjected to any foreign rule and that H would be named Supreme Head of the Church of England (an idea he liked)
- also: break from the Pope allowed for a new source of income bc taxes from clergy would go to him instead of the Pope
- led to H launching campaign bc the outcomes appealed to H
5
Q
Explain why there was opposition to Henry VIII’s break with Rome.
- Thomas More
- Cromwell’s commission of 1535
A
- Thomas More
- he was a devout Catholic who saw Protestants as criminals
- resigned from being Lord Chancellor in 1532 bc he doesn’t support Henry’s determination to divorce Catherine and renounce the authority of the pope
- H sees this as More being against hum so forces him to take Oath of Succession but M refuses
- found guilty of treason + executed but became a martyr for the Catholic cause, encouraging unrest and rebellion - Cromwell’s commission of 1535
- C visioned a survey into the workings of monasteries
- series of visitations of monasteries which showed that monks were not keeping their strict moral code as they kept mistresses, engaged in homosexual practices
- later proved that money go the more bizarre claims by inspectors were exaggerated or untrue - Elizabeth Barton
- nun who was regarded as a holy woman who possessed miraculous powers which ought to be taken seriously
- had sinister visions, criticising H for his divorce, said that God told her H would die a villain’s death
- posed a serious threat bc it could inspire people (superstitious age) to resist H’s reforms, creating the possibility of rebellion
6
Q
Explain how Cromwell used Parliament to achieve the break with Rome.
- The Treason Act, 1534
- the Oath of Succession, 1534
A
- The Treason Act 1534
- expanded the def of treason to include speaking out against royal supremacy
- created atmosphere of terror in England as people feared consequences
- prevented people speaking out against break with Rome - Oath of Succession 1534
- all individuals were required to take an oath recognising Anne Boleyn’s right to be queen
- failure to take oath meant treason
- dealt with anyone who spoke out against the break in Rome as it made people frightened - Act of Supremacy, 1534
- established that the King not the pope controlled the English church
- named Henry Supreme HOTCOE
- meant that Henry held by the pope so rejected pope’s right to decide whether someone could divorce or marry
7
Q
Explain why Wolsey made changes to the justice system in the years 1515-25.
- Star Chamber
- Enclosure
A
- It was slow
- Wolsey increased the courts work rate from 12 to 120 cases/yr
- strengthened star chamber - Enclosure
- practice of individual landowners fencing off land for profitable sheep rearing
- led to poverty in rural areas bc it forced farmers off their land
- 1517 -> Wolsey set up an inquiry to investigate where land had been enclosed without permission, opening 260 cases - It delivered unfair justice
- Wolsey encouraged the poor to bring cases to court
- Wolsey supported the cases of the rich against the poor
