wolsey domestic policy + essay plan Flashcards
4 sections of wolsey’s reform
judiciary / finance/ social /admin
Wolsey’s main aims in domestic policy
- pleasing Henry (to remain in power)
- gaining personal wealth / prestige
- improving government
judiciary reform
-successful in short term then unsuccessful in long term
-court of chancery = accessible for poor + reviewed cases unfairly treated + transferred to own courts (star chamber + requests)
judiciary reform
-successful in short term then unsuccessful in long term
-how did it fail in long term
BUT CA.
–> BUT- large influx of cases
Wolsey’s little judiciary background = too many cases for courts to hear +as S.T.Bindoff states ‘Wolsey’s judiciary reform period of promise but little performance’ - although painted as champion of poor quick to disregard cases in commons against him
BUT not an overall fail -
Henry gained support of poor through fair trials + Mosley experienced personal gain through expressing hatred to nobility who treated w/ contempt
positives financial
subsidy
- subsidy 1512 income based tax - bought in more money for first time since 1334 crown bring money on accurate assessments
- both pleases Henry and gains personal power + prestige
positives financial
-eltham ordinances
-framed 1526 Waltham ordinances (removing henrys minions) as financial (restructuring of royal household) – became efficient + flexible
CA. against success of financial and why not
-historians accuse wolsey of wasting opportunity to overhaul tudor financial system → BUT tudor financial system too vast + complex to overhaul
unsuccess in financial
- lost Henry’s favour as failure of 1525 amicable grant (non parliamentary tax) - Henry had to intervene
- raised 820,000 in taxes but 1.7 million spent on war
- could not fulfill henry’s main desire
judiciary reform - wolsey using it for own personal gain / grudges
-used law for personal grudge - sir aymas paulet put him in stocks - couldn’t leave london w/o permission
social reform
-short term success
enclosure 1517 legal action against 264 landowners
social reform
-long term failure
1523 accepts all existing enclosures in return for parliament subsidy
thesis
overall judiciary - pos and neg to all but judiciary was only factor were negatives did not directly put wolsey out of henry’s favour - largely just depleting his reputation in nobility which although personal gain was an aim - subordinate to Henry’s support
-overall success in short term failure in long term - fell out of henry’s favour
judiciary - most successful
-achieved aim of social status through championing of the poor
-reveiwed cases + transferred to own courts -took out personal grudges
CA- too many cases for courts + failed to execute plans HOWEVER surface land short term success paints picture of Henry helping poor - improves government = ‘Godly King’
economic second-most
saw great successes and great losses
- losses such as failure to amass money for parliament pushed him out of henry’s favour an thus less successful than judiciary
- success in subsidy - realistic assessment = gain more money but not enough
- gains personal prestige but not henry’s favour
social - 3rd success in short term fail in long term
enclosure gains money in short terms and personal prestige by punishing nobles and exerting power over them
BUT disregarded for finances
what was court of star chamber ?
supervisory body - overseeing lower courts - Wolsey encouraged plaintiffs to bring requests to star chamber overseeing lower courts
