Wolsey's Rise To Power

Question 1

What were some of his roles?

Answer 1

1509: He was made Royal Almoner- made him a part of the Royal Council.
By 1515: he was Bishop of Lincoln, Archbishop of York, a cardinal and Lord Chancellor.
1518: He was made Papal Legate, he outranked all of the other clergy in the English Church

Question 2

What were the problems with the Justice system?

Answer 2

It was flawed, delivering slow, expensive and often unfair justice. Verdicts often favoured those with the most money and influence.

Question 3

How did he rise to power?

Answer 3

1. Intelligence: gained a degree when he was only 15, became college treasurer in Oxford and created a rebuilding programme.
2. The church: Papal Legate, bishop and Lincoln.
3. Opportunism: 1512 organised the army for the war with France, worked hard and delivered a well equipped army. Took up the roles of Empson and Dudley

Question 4

How did he make justice fairer? Add criticisms

Answer 4

1. Henry Percy one of the heroes of 1513 Battle of Spurs, was arrested, no one above the law.
2. Increased work rate 12 to 120.
3. Encouraged poor people to go to court.
4. Sir Amyas Paulet humiliated Wolsey and was summoned to the Star Chamber on a made up charge. He refused to see him had to go to court everyday for 5 years or risk losing properties
5. When Wolsey became tied up with foreign policies a large backlog cases built up, few cases were solved

Question 5

What were his reforms on enclosure? Add criticisms

Answer 5

Enclosure-individual landowners fence off land for profitable sheep rearing- was blamed for poverty.
1. In 1517, set up an inquiry enclosure 260 cases.
2. Very unpopular. In 1523, angry landowners forced him to halt further investigations. Achieved little and it remained a problem.

Question 6

What were the old ways of finance?

Answer 6

1. Henry’s average income was £110,000 not enough to fight wars abroad.
2. Paid one fifteenth of the value in rural areas.
3. One tenth for urban areas.

Question 7

What was the subsidy and evaluate its success?

Answer 7

1. Used up to a date estimations and sent commissioner to see the income.
2. Between 1513-16 fifteenth and tenths collected £90,000 but the subsidy collected £170,000.
3. Still couldn’t keep up with Henry’s spending 1511-25 £1.4million spent

Question 8

What was the Amicable Grant?

Answer 8

1. Priests pay a third of their income and everyone else a sixth, ten weeks to find the money
2. The king of France was defeated by Charles V and wanted to seize this opportunity.
3. His solution was to get a tax without going through parliament.

Question 9

What were the reactions to the Amicable Grant?

Answer 9

1. Revolt in Suffolk, May 1525 10,000 men met in the main market town of Lavenham, expressing their anger.
2. Henry claimed he was unaware of the tax and ordered it to be stopped.
3. Wolsey was humiliated and he accepted complete responsibility. Henry became doubtful of him.
4. Henry wished to attack but he now sought peace.

Question 10

What were the Eltham Ordinances and evaluate its success?

Answer 10

Reforms of the domestic and political forms of the king’s household he proposed that:
1. Servants who were sick or not needed were laid off.
2. Number of people who were allowed expenses were cut.
3. Meals were at set times, instead of constant.
4. Dogs were banned to promote cleanliness, although ladies were allowed small spaniels.
5. He reduced Privy Chambers from 12 to 6(only one to be applied)
6. He lost interest in applying the others