Wolsey's Domestic Reforms - Where did his fall from grace begin?

Question 1

What did Wolsey’s position as Lord Chancellor mean to him and to the country?

Answer 1

He was responsible for the entire legal system in England.

Question 2

Was the entire legal system in England Wolsey’s main focus?

Answer 2

No. His main focus was always foreign policy (peace and war with European powers) because Henry was obsessed with foreign policy.

Question 3

Was Wolsey always successful in terms of his reforms in DOMESTIC (to do with laws and changes in England) policy?

Answer 3

No. Perhaps the easiest answer you’ll get on my Brainscapes. Ever.

Question 4

What was the main problem with the legal system in England when Wolsey became Lord Chancellor?

Answer 4

It was fundamentally flawed: delivering slow, expensive and often unfair justice.

Question 5

What example can you give of how Wolsey started to tackle problems in the legal system?

Answer 5

In 1516, Henry Percy, who was the Earl of Northumberland and one of the heroes of the 1513 Battle of the Spurs, was sent to prison for breaking the law.

Question 6

What was Wolsey’s main method for getting fairer justice?

Answer 6

He strengthened the court of the Star Chamber, which was a royal court set up by Henry VII to give out justice on the King’s behalf.

Question 7

How was the Star Chamber staffed in the time of Henry VII, Henry VIII’s father?

Answer 7

It was staffed by members of the Royal Council. This meant that justice was often not served for members of the upper class.

Question 8

What 5 things did Wolsey do to secure a fairer justice system?

Answer 8

1. He increased the court’s work rate from 12 cases a year to 120 cases a year
2. He oversaw many cases in person
3. Wolsey made the reasons for decisions public
4. Wolsey encouraged poor people to bring cases to the Star Chamber
5. Wolsey supported the cases of the poor against the rich

Question 9

How did Wolsey’s reforms of the legal system contribute towards his downfall?

Answer 9

1. His critics claimed he was acting unfairly against the upper classes who had treated him badly because of his humble origins (he was the son of an Ipswich butcher).
2. He did give evidence that he could abuse his power. For example, he made Sir Amyas Paulet attend the Star Chamber every day for 5 years - or else Sir Paulet would lose all his property. This was because Sir Paulet
   had humiliated Wolsey by placing him in the stocks years earlier.

Question 10

Did Wolsey’s attempts to fix the legal system through the Star Chamber end in success?

Answer 10

No. Resentment built up against him from the upper classes and later, as Wolsey’s time became increasingly tied up with foreign affairs, a large backlog of cases built up in the Star Chamber, meaning very few were ever resolved.

Question 11

What was enclosure?

Answer 11

The practice of individual landowners fencing off land for profitable sheep rearing.

Question 12

Why was enclosure a problem?

Answer 12

Because it could lead to farmers being forced off their land and the removal of common areas where villagers could graze their animals. It was seen as a greedy and selfish thing to do by the rich and powerful.

Question 13

Why did Wolsey try and solve enclosure?

Answer 13

Partly out of genuine concern for the poor, but also as another way he could attack the wealthy.

Question 14

What did Wolsey actually do to tackle the problem of enclosure?

Answer 14

He set up an inquiry in 1517 to investigate where land had been unfairly enclosed.

Question 15

What results did Wolsey’s 1517 inquiry into unfair enclosure have?

Answer 15

It led to over 260 court cases being brought against landowners. In an age when very few people went to court, this was a huge number.

Question 16

How did Wolsey’s actions against enclosure contribute to his downfall?

Answer 16

Unsurprisingly, his actions increased his unpopularity among the wealthy landowners of England. In 1523, angry landowners in parliament forced Wolsey to stop any further investigations into enclosed land.

Question 17

Did Wolsey’s actions against enclosure end in success?

Answer 17

Not really. Enclosure continued to take place and rural poverty remained a problem.

Question 18

What was Wolsey’s greatest challenge?

Answer 18

Finance. Henry VIII wanted to follow an aggressive foreign policy to prove himself to be the greatest king in Europe - but this was expensive.

Question 19

What was Henry VIII’s normal income?

Answer 19

110,000 pounds per year - nowhere near enough to wage wars abroad.

Question 20

What was the existing system of direct taxation?

Answer 20

It was known as the fifteenths and tenths: when called upon by parliament, each community had to pay the Crown a percentage of their moveable goods - one fifteenth pf the value in rural areas and one tenth for urban areas.

Question 21

What were ‘moveable goods’?

Answer 21

Possessions that could be moved from one area to another, such as furniture, household items and livestock (animals).

Question 22

What was the problem with the direct system of taxation known as fifteenths and tenths?

Answer 22

It was based on estimates from the 14th century and so was very outdated. Also, it never raised enough money for foreign wars.

Question 23

What was the advantage of the direct system of taxation known as fifteenths and tenths?

Answer 23

It was reliable and predictable.

Question 24

What was Wolsey’s solution to raise more money?

Answer 24

He introduced the subsidy - this was an additional tax based on an up-to-date assessment of a person’s income.

Question 25

How did Wolsey ensure the assessments for the subsidy were accurate and up-to-date?

Answer 25

Commissioners were sent out across the country to ensure valuations were accurate.

Question 26

How did the subsidy work?

Answer 26

It was set up so that the greater a person’s income, the more they would pay.

Question 27

Did the new subsidy work?

Answer 27

Yes. Between 1513 and 1516, the subsidy raised 170,000 pounds. In the same period, the fifteenths and tenths raised only 90,000 pounds.

Question 28

How many subsidies did Wolsey collect?

Answer 28

During his time as Lord Chancellor, he raised four subsidies, each one helping to pay for the war against France.

Question 29

Between 1513 to 1529, how much did Wolsey raise out of subsidy?

Answer 29

322,000 pounds

Question 30

Between 1513 to 1529, how much did Wolsey raise out of forced loans?

Answer 30

260,000 pounds

Question 31

Between 1513 to 1529, how much did Wolsey raise out of clerical taxation (taxes from the church)?

Answer 31

240,000 pounds

Question 32

Between 1513 to 1529, how much did Wolsey raise out of fifteenths and tenths?

Answer 32

118,000 pounds

Question 33

Is there an easy way to remember how much Wolsey raised from different taxes?

Answer 33

Probably - why not figure one out? I can’t be expected to do ALL of the hard work for you!

Question 34

What was the rate of Henry VIII’s spending on wars from 1511 to 1521?

Answer 34

Henry spent around 1.4 million pounds on wars - and the heavy rates of Wolsey’s taxes were very unpopular.

Question 35

What were ‘forced loans’?

Answer 35

English monarchs could demand financial contributions from their subjects. These ‘loans’ were voluntary in theory, although refusal could mean imprisonment. The loans were often not repaid.

Question 36

How many forced loans did Wolsey demand?

Answer 36

Two - in 1522 and 1523.

Question 37

What was the 1525 Amicable Grant?

Answer 37

It was a new direct tax of one third of all priests’ income and one sixth of ordinary people’s incomes.

Question 38

Why was the Amicable Grant of 1525 demanded by Wolsey?

Answer 38

The king of France was spectacularly defeated and captured by the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, in 1525. So Henry wanted to seize the opportunity to invade France when it was at its most vulnerable but England had already used up most of its money in the failed invasion of France in 1523 - so a new revenue stream was needed.

Question 39

Why was the Amicable Grant a dangerous move by Wolsey?

Answer 39

1. It was yet another tax after all the various forced loans and taxes from 1522-24
2. It was demanded without permission from parliament.

Question 40

What was the reaction to the amicable Grant of 1525?

Answer 40

Anger and general refusal to pay.

Question 41

Give an example of the negative reaction to the Amicable Grant of 1525.

Answer 41

In May, 1525, a full-scale revolt broke out in Lavenham in Suffolk where 10,000 men gathered to express loyalty to the king but also their anger at the Amicable Grant.

Question 42

How did Henry deal with the protest against the Amicable Grant in Lavenham in May 1525?

Answer 42

He sent a small force under the Dukes of Norfolk (Thomas Howard IV) and Suffolk (Charles Brandon). The rebels surrendered.

Question 43

What impact did the protests have?

Answer 43

It was far reaching and signaled the start of Wolsey’s fall from grace.

Question 44

Why did the failure of the Amicable Grant signal the star of Wolsey’s fall from grace?

Answer 44

1. Wolsey had to accept full responsibility for the failure - Henry claimed he had been unaware of the taxation and ordered its collection to be stopped.
2. The protest against it was the first significant rebellion against Henry VIII - Henry started to doubt the talents of his chief minister.
3. Henry had to abandon his plan to attack France. Instead, he sought peace.

Question 45

What happened to the leaders of the May, 1525 Levenham rebellion?

Answer 45

They were pardoned.

Question 46

What direction did Wolsey take in 1526?

Answer 46

He started trying to reform the domestic and political aspects of the King’s household through the Eltham Ordinances.

Question 47

What were the main problems targeted by Wolsey’s Eltham Ordinances of 1526?

Answer 47

Hundreds of people attended court every day. The palaces were dirty, bad behaviour was common and money was spent too freely.

Question 48

What 4 examples of the Eltham Ordinances can you give that were clearly based on common sense?

Answer 48

1. Servants who were sick or not needed were laid off.
2. The number of people allowed expenses for things like food and drink was cut.
3. Meals were at set times rather than constant.
4. Dogs were banned to promote cleanliness (but women were allowed to keep their small spaniels).

Question 49

What clue is there that Wolsey was using the Eltham Ordinances for political gains?

Answer 49

The Ordinances included changes to the King’s Privy Chamber - membership of the Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber was reduced from 12 to 6. This was advertised as a money-saving measure but as soon as it was done, Wolsey lost interest in applying the other domestic measures in the Eltham Ordinances.