Wolsey as chief minister - Church and State

Question 1

Give 2 detail on Wolsey’s early life?

Answer 1

1. His father was a butcher

2. He received a degree from oxford and became the treasurer of his college (helped him develop organisation skills)

Question 2

How did Wolsey find himself a place in Henry VIII’s court?

Answer 2

He received patronage at court under Bishop Fox

Question 3

How did Wolsey quickly gain power/prove himself worthy in the eyes of the king?

Answer 3

1. By Bishop Fox’s support, he was able to take the office of Royal Almoner
2. His organisation skills and ability to guess what the king wanted to hear
3. His outstanding achievements in France

Question 4

Were people at court happy with Wolsey’s influence at court?

Answer 4

No

Question 5

From what year did Wolsey take over at court?

Answer 5

1514

Question 6

Give a timeline, from 1513 - 1518, describing Wolsey’s rise to high offices

Answer 6

1. 1513: Dean of York and Bishop of Tournai
2. 1514: Bishop of Lincoln and then Archbishop of York
3. 1515: Cardinal by Pope
4. 1518: Papal legate by Pope (could exercise pope powers)

Question 7

What was Wolsey’s personality like?

Answer 7

• Arrogant and vindictive

- could flatter and manipulate Henry

Question 8

How did Wolsey intimidate anyone he saw as a rival?

Answer 8

He used his legal powers as Lord Chancellor and by using a network of informants

Question 9

What happened to the duke of Buckingham?

Answer 9

1. In 1520, he was investigated after rumours of ‘treason’ against the king
2. He was beheaded in 1521

Question 10

How was Wolsey involved in the plot with Duke of Buckingham?

Answer 10

1. Wolsey used henry’s insecurity to convince him to order the actions and had used
2. Believed to have used this as a warning against any potential rivals

Question 11

Was there much change during Wolseys period in power?

Answer 11

No

Question 12

What were people views towards the church in the early 1500’s

Answer 12

1. Most remained loyal to Catholic church
2. BUT, anti-clericalism started to appear due to corrupt clergy e.g. taxes were being given to an extravagant pope, and Wolsey had illegitimate children and mistress
   - People like John Wycliffe wanted a larger focus on scripture than the Pope
   - Martin Luther’s 95 theses, which stressed the bible, had been published, causing more dissent
   - English merchants were being exposed to Protestant literature through trade

Question 13

What provided a forum for criticism against the Catholic Church in the early 1500’s?

Answer 13

Henry’s attempt to gain a divorce provided a forum for criticism

Question 14

What could Wolsey do as Papal Legate?

Answer 14

1. He could accept/reject changes with the church
2. He was able to instruct bishops to carry duties more scrupulousy
3. He was able to order inspections of monasteries

Question 15

How many religious houses were dissolved under Wolsey?

Answer 15

Over 2 dozen

Question 16

How did Wolsey attempt to promote religious learning and improve the quality of the clergy?

Answer 16

In 1528, he held plans to close down more monasteries to gain money in order to promote education
-e.g planned to fund a school in his home town and to establish a Cardinal College in Oxford

Question 17

How did Wolsey react against the rise of Protestantism?

Answer 17

He encouraged Henry to take a stand against lutheranism and attended public burnings of protestant texts

Question 18

Were protestants seen as a threat under Wolsey’s rule

Answer 18

Not really (they were seen as well-meaning people who were just wrongly influenced)

Question 19

What two vices was Wolsey accused of?

Answer 19

1. Absenteeism (he wasn’t available to take care of all of his duties e.g. debuty acted for him in his post as Abbot of St Albans)
2. Pluralism (held more than one office at once)

Question 20

What were Wolseys reforms of government intended to do?

Answer 20

1. Undermine potential political opponents e.g. reorganised Privy Chamber to reduce others influence at court and increase his control over all aspects of gov
2. Bring about changes to aspects of royal policy, in order to please the king

Question 21

Why did Wolsey want to make legal reforms?

Answer 21

He found that the legal system was slow and often unjust, and wanted to promote civil war (law based on natural justice and evidence), rather than the precedent

Question 22

How did Wolsey reform the legal system?

Answer 22

1. Strengthened Star Chamber so that it heard around 120 cases a year, not a dozen each year (like Henry VII)
2. Stricter laws on enclosure of land for sheep
3. Used Court of Requests to hear cases from poor at a low cost and rapid service

Question 23

What was the outcome of Wolsey’s legal reforms?

Answer 23

He was seen as a ‘friend’ to the poor

Question 24

How successful was Wolsey’s legal reforms?

Answer 24

Not too successful
- his reforms were personal and didnt tackle the issues as a whole, making them unlikely to continue when he was not there

Question 25

What was the financial situation like in the early 1500’s and why?

Answer 25

Shortage of money due to:

• Henry;s expensive foreign policy
• Parliamentary grants already reached a fixed sum
• growing inflation so sums raised by Henry VII were worth less and less as time went on

Question 26

How did Wolsey attempt to deal with the financial situation in England?

Answer 26

1. In 1522, He organised a national survey to manage tax. Through this, he gained 200,000 pounds but this still wasnt enough
2. Subsidies were introduced and tax was levied on the church. (still wasnt enough)
3. In 1525, He proposed ‘amicable grant’ to collect revenue from church and taxpayers based on their valuations of their property

Question 27

Was the main consequence of the amicable grant?

Answer 27

It sparked a rebellion

Question 28

How did Wolsey try to tackle the issue of enclosures?

Answer 28

1517 - started inquiries on how much land was being enclosed and the effects they were having
1518- legal cases and investigations were followed up on landlords who enclosed lands

Question 29

What was Wolsey’s enclosure investigation limited by (till 1526)?

Answer 29

Opposition from landlords in 1523

Question 30

What were the consequences of the trade embargo with Spain in the 1920’s?

Answer 30

1. It affected Englands Cloth trade badly as Spain controlled Burgundy
2. Caused widespread unemployment
3. Caused inflation as Wolsey placed coins in ciculation to stimulate exports, but this made money worthless

Question 31

How often was parliament called during Wolsey’s rule?

Answer 31

2 times - 1515 and 1523