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