Rise of Wolsey - him in Government & Parliament Flashcards
State the role of Parliament under Wolsey
- At beginning of Henrys reign he followed similar pattern to is father but it dramatically shifted after the fall of Wolsey from 1529.
- The main function of Parliament remained;
grant extraordinary revenue + pass laws.
Before 1529 Henry only summoned parliament in 1510, 1512, 1515 &1523 partly because Wolsey regarded it is distaste and only One was called during his period of dominance + influence.
Parliament was deeply disliked by Wolsey and in the early years of reign , Henry didn’t feel need to seek parliaments advice.
How did Wolsey change/influence the ‘conciliar’ approach to government?
The Conciliar approach to Gov (= decisions made by councils) was adopted from 1509-14 but ended due to several factors;
- Henry became disenchanted w reluctance of some of his councillors to support a war w France.
- As he became more attuned w government he became his own man and undoubted in his right to control decision making.
- He became particularly interested in the organisational skills emerged from the dominant political figure in Wolsey because he had the uncanny ability to give te king precisely what he wanted (even wen he didn’t know it himself) and convince him what ne needed.
Why was Wolsey particularly convenient / well suited for Role as Henrys Lord Chancellor?
During the early/ mid years of Henry’s reign (from around 1509-1525) Wolsey was perfectly suited to the role Henry need filling. His influence was derived from the closeness of his friendship w Henry than from formal position he held. He complimented Henrys ‘hands- off’ approach (such as boring time consuming) details of policy making and they governed as a ‘partnership’.
Significantly - the wars of the roses and history of noble families + there claims which were just as strong if not stronger meant Henry was always weary of them and perhaps reluctant to allow them too much influence , therefore the opportunity for low ranking men to rise up was more tan open. Wolsey’s humble background made him a huge advantage to Henry.
What was Wolsey’s main roles as Lord Chancellor?
Wolsey was intelligent and his main roles were the legal system, formulation of domestic policy(which he did abundance of + was very skilled at) + political decision making.
How was Government organised/divided into during Henrys reign?
Government could be divided into 3 parts;
- Judiciary (judging the laws)
- Legislative ( law-making)
- Executive (ensuring laws+ actions were carried out)
The style of H gov varied throughout reign as when his obsessive personal matter of producing a male heir presented itself there was major overhaul of relations between crown + parliament. Before 1530s not much evidence to suggest attitude toward parliament was any different form fathers but after the marriage to Anne Boleyn this changed.
What was the nature of Wolsey’s power?
- Wolsey could always be over-ruled by the king in secular matters(non-church)
-Position in church virtually untouchable once appointed cardinal , outranking even archbishop of Canterbury. - Once he received papal-legate nothing in practice limited his powers.
- He was very vindictive of any gaining even small power
- Created many enemies
- Low born + many nobility saw as enemy feeling he’d stolen there positions.
operated large network of spies - No one was safe from Wolsey’s displeasure.
How did Wolsey rise to power?
- The demise of conciliar government
- Henrys attitude toward kingship (succeeded young + un-interested in routine work of government, Wolsey prepared to shoulder the burden of boring work of ruling + simplified matters for Henry whilst carrying out his wishes)
- His abilities(organisational, intelligent, proved himself during expedition to France in 1513)
- His personality/character ( outstandingly gained degree at 15, confident in taking risks when needed, thrived on hard + intense work, ruthless in pursuit of his objectives)
Who really controlled government from 1514-29?
Its suggested when Henry was younger Wolsey was ideal + perfect fit for taking care/shouldering the burden of boring, time consuming and complicated matters such as Foreign policy, formulation of domestic policy etc and they governed in may ways like a partnership (unheard of at time)
- Its suggested they rarely disagreed and Wolsey was very successful in obtaining what Henry wanted , Wolsey didn’t require Henry to take responsibility when things went wrong and this made relationship very effective.
It was upon his failure to provide henry with the annulment from the pope to invalidate his marriage to Catherine of Aragon which was his downfall.
How did Wolsey become so wealthy + how wealthy was he?
By far - at end of career- he was richest person in country other than King.
- His nearest rivals had incomes at around 1/10th of his.
- He had far more disposable income than even the king + could spend it far more freely
- Able to persistently maintain a court of at least 500 courtiers similar to that of the king at Hampton court.
- Large amount came from fees charged by church courts.
- Received many gifts each year , usually bribes
- Less than half his wealth acc came from posts he held .
State Wolsey’s achievements in government.
- In 1519 Wolsey removed ‘The kings minions’(close young friends) who dominated H privy chamber, replacing them w his own men gaining + asserting control.
- Etham Ordinances in 1526 - introduced in order to reform the finances of the privy council + under the guise of streamlining royal household finances but was in an attempt to slim down the finances + reduce influences of others on the King by decreasing the amount of men in the privy council.
- Secured removal of Henrys ‘groom of the stool’ + replaced him w his own man.
State Wolsey’s actions in Parliament + attitude in parliment
- Insensitive in dealings with parliament + was accused of attempting to dispense parliament (only 2 summoned in his time) + made no attempts to disuse his dislike for parliament
- He only called parliament in 1523 purely for need of subsidy to finance the war but failed to secure all he wanted due to opposition.
- 1515 parliament caused problems over the case of Richard Hunne + Wolsey was forced to apologise for behaviour of church.
Suggested Wolsey did not handle parliament well at all, many describing him as arrogant + insensitive and this insensitivity is shown by many of his actions above^. Instead of broadly positive parliament in Henry7ts reign they were not supportive of Wolsey.
State Wolsey’s achievements in Law/Legal matters
Star of Chamber + Courts of chancery
- Wolseys most distinctive legal contribution came from increased the use of ‘ Court Star of Chamber’ (became centre of Gov + Justice under wolsey) as means of dispersing justice, especially to attack nobles + local officials who’d been abusing there powers. around 120 cases each year many of which he heard himself-Wolsey also encouraged the use of Star Chamber for private lawsuits.
- However could be used unprincipled in using law for personal reasons eg attacking enemies like when wolsey kept Paulet in daily attendance of him for 5 years threatening to confiscate his property.
- Courts of the Chancery used so Wolsey could ‘oversee the legal system’ and tried to use the court to uphold ‘fair’ ‘justice’ rather than based on precedent , increased justice +made more accessible to poor. but was too popular + became clogged up.
Explain Wolseys Financial policies/ failures in Finance
- The 1523 Subsidy - purely calling parliament cause needed to finance renewal of war against France, causing discontent and anger in parliament over Wolsey’s financial demands so much that he was unable to get all he wanted.
- Despite increasing revenue from subsidence’s , clerical taxes and forced loans he could not fund spending £1.7 million mainly on war.
- The Request for an Amicable Grant in 1525 to fund war led to uprisings
