Wolsey's background/Reforms Flashcards
Where was Thomas Wolsey born?
He was the son of a butcher in Ipswich, Suffolk (Poor background)
What was Wolsey’s rise to power year by year?
1509 - Royal Almoner
1512 - Entrusted with military organisation
1513/4 - Bishop of Tournai + Lincoln
1515 - Made Cardinal and Lord Chancellor (2nd highest position in England + Church)
1518 - Papal Legate
1524 - Additional powers added to Papal Legate
How did Wolsey become Lord Chancellor?
1515 - William Warham was forced to surrender the role to Wolsey as he was easily outshined by the ambition of the younger man to Henry VIII
Who had made Wolsey Cardinal and Papal Legate?
Pope Leo X
Why did Wolsey have a reputation of taking revenge?
Case study of Amias Paulet
Paulet had previously embarrassed Wolsey in public, once he was in power - demanded his daily attendance to court + bundles of money
Also ordered by Wolsey to not leave London without his permission - virtually kept prisoner for 5/6 years
What did people begin viewing Wolsey as by 1518?
An ‘Alter Rex’ (the other King)
Which three areas did Wolsey reform during his dominance of Tudor politics?
The Judicial system
The Financial system
The Church
What were the three law courts Wolsey reformed?
Court of Star Chamber
Court of Chancery
Court of Requests
What did the Court of Star Chamber deal with?
Crimes such as disorder. riot, assault, fraud, corruption and trade disputes over the enclosure of land
What did the Court of Chancery deal with?
Disputes over inheritance and wills, lands, trusts, debts, marriage settlements and apprenticeships
What was the role of the Court of Requests?
The ‘Poor Man’s Court’ - intended to provide easy access for poor people to royal justice
What did Wolsey do that seems to be genuine towards the poor in these courts?
He would personally review cases that might’ve been unfairly treated and transfer them to his courts - where a new hearing would take place
What do court records reveal Wolsey wasn’t afraid to do?
He wasn’t afraid to prosecute members of the nobility, especially for breaches against maintenance and affrays
What and when were the four attempts by Wolsey to reform the financial system?
The Tudor Subsidy (1512)
National Survey (1522)
Amicable Grant (1523)
The Eltham Ordinances (1526)
What was the Tudor Subsidy?
1512 - Tax based on income, not property - Wolsey justified this by its efficiency to support the King
Why did Wolsey order a national survey?
To assess an individual’s ability to pay taxes
What was the outcome of this national survey?
Wolsey demanded forced loans from up to 200,000 people - mass controversy
What did the national survey controversy lead to Wolsey having to do?
1523 - He was forced to summon Parliament to enable extra funds to be granted (This became the Amicable Grant)
What was the Amicable Grant?
1523 - A disaster for Wolsey - asked Parliament for £800,000 for an army - yet by 1525, only £300,000 was raised
What did the failure of the Amicable Grant force Wolsey to do? How much were these people taxed?
He was forced to ask the church to grant extra taxes
The laity was taxed 1/6 of their goods + property
The clergy was taxed 1/3 of their goods + property
How many weeks did Wolsey give the laity/clergy to find the money for the taxes?
10 weeks
What was the ultimate outcome of the Amicable Grant disaster?
It provoked widespread opposition across the country - Henry VIII himself had to cancel the grant
Which modern interpretation actually supports Wolsey’s financial reforms?
John Guy - He argues that Wolsey introduced a more efficient system of taxation through the Tudor Subsidy because of the fact it’s still used to this day for tax
What were the Eltham Ordinances?
1526 - An attempt by Wolsey to reduce the costs of the Royal Household + consisted of a set of instructions that reformed/streamlined the expenditure of the household and Privy Chamber
What were Wolsey’s goals with the Eltham Ordinances? (3 examples)
He wanted to make the financial administration more flexible and efficient
It would mean less reliance on Parliament for funds
An opportunity to reduce the power/influence of the ‘minions’ in the Privy Chamber
What was the main complaint to the Catholic Church?
Anticlericalism
Which individuals openly complained against the Catholic Church? (3 examples)
Martin Luther - 95 Theses (1517)
William Tyndale - spread new ideas through printing press
John Wycliffe - leader of the Lollards - openly criticises
What did members of the church, Wolsey included, abuse?
Absenteeism (absence from one’s diocese yet claiming the money/tax) and pluralism (holding more than one title)
What did Wolsey instruct bishops to do after the anticlericalism complaints?
To carry out their duties more professionally
What did Wolsey plan to fund to reduce anticlericalism? Did it work?
He planned to fund a new school to train Cardinals in England - fell through due to his removal of power
How did Wolsey address the issue of the inefficient monasteries? What permission did he get for this?
He inspected some of the monasteries - around 20 were closed down on the basis they had less than 6 monks living in them
Papal permission was given to enact these closures - with the promise that Wolsey would use the saved money to fund education for priests and monks
In terms of foreign policy, who did Wolsey encourage Henry VIII to be more forceful on?
The Ottoman Turks - they were threatening Catholic Europe from the East
What did Wolsey encourage Henry VIII to write? What did this do for Henry VIII in foreign policy?
He encouraged Henry VIII to write ‘Assertio Septem Sacramentorum’
The Pope gave Henry VIII the title ‘Defender of the Faith’ and increased Tudor prestige across Europe
Which individuals in the nobility did Wolsey punish through his new power?
Henry Percy (Earl of Northumberland)
Thomas Lucas (Solicitor-General)
Edward Stafford (Duke of Buckingham)
What was Henry Percy’s significance to Wolsey’s control of nobility?
1516 - Summoned to the Star Chamber and sent to prison for contempt
What was Thomas Lucas’ significance to Wolsey’s control of nobility?
When he criticised Wolsey - sent to jail without a trial
What was Edward Stafford’s significance to Wolsey’s control of nobility?
1520 - Investigated by Wolsey under suspicion that he was questioning Henry VIII’s legitimacy
1521 - Imprisoned in the tower of London and executed
Serves as a warning to other nobility to not question Wolsey or Henry VIII
Which two modern historians have interpretations on Wolsey’s reforms?
Keith Randall
Stanley Bindoff
What interpretation does Stanley Bindoff give on Wolsey’s reforms/control of the government?
He argues that ‘‘Wolsey’s administration was a period of much promise but little performance’’
What interpretation does Keith Randall give on Wolsey’s motivation for these reforms?
He argues that ‘‘Wolsey was unscrupulous in using the system to further his own interests… [and used] the law to harry against those whom he had a grudge’’
