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Monarchy and Government: Henry VIII - Coggle Diagram
Monarchy and Government: Henry VIII
Personal and political qualities of Henry VIII:
Receival:
Received positively - people rejoiced and optimistic about the new king. 'Better' than Henry VII.
Good legacy - one years whole income.
Upbringing:
Brother died in 1502, his mother in 1503.
Spent his childhood in Eltham Palace - 100 servants.
Wasn't trained for kingship.
Personal qualities:
Positive - he was bright, a good musician, formidable, captivating, fascinating, accomplished and charming. Usually perceived at the start of his reign.
Negative - he rarely looked before he leaped, was angry, mentally instable, threatening and morbid. Usually perceived as his reign progressed.
Political qualities:
Although critical to government, he hated political tasks and delegated them to his key servants. Instead he contributed his time to leisure.
Attitude to Kingship:
Wanted to be a warrior king, like Henry V (his idol).
Changes to the structure of government:
Parliament in the 1530s:
Thomas Wolsey:
Background:
Born 1472, to an Ipswich butcher (humble origins) and died 1530.
Rises to prominence after war with France - good organiser.
Went to Oxford as a teenager.
Collects titles: Cardinal (1515), Archbishop of York (1514), Lord Chancellor (1515) and Papal Legate (1518).
Rules England for 15 years on behalf of Henry VIII.
Henry VIIIs Chief Minister.
Enclosure:
Fencing off common land for profitable, illegal sheep rearing.
1517 - Wolsey launched a national enquiry into the enclosed land.
Many brought to court - offered to rebuild houses and return land to arable farming.
1523 - Wolsey forced to accept enclosures - not always able to exert power over nobility. People claimed that closing enclosures caused rural poverty.
Developing law as Lord Chancellor and Chief Minister:
Brings greater justice to the system.
Presided over many cases in person - legal centre = Star Chamber.
Dealt with 120 cases per year; wanted to see impartial justice delivered - championed the cause of poorer litigants.
Civil Law = progressive and just.
Common Law = outdated and unjust.
Used the courts for own personal vendettas: Wolsey put in the stocks by Paulet - Wolsey made Paulet attend court everyday for 5 years in threat of confiscation of property if he left London; further resentment among nobility abusing privileges - Earl of Northumberland (1515) and Lord Burgavenny (1516).
Wolsey's achievements did not outlast him.
Changes to finance:
Introduced a fairer system - subsidy. Reflected taxpayer.
Subsidy and fifteenths tenths existed together. Wolsey favoured subsidy - raised more money. 1513 - 1516: Subsidy raised £170000; Fifteenths and Tenths raised £90000.
Wolsey raised between 1513 - 1529: £325000 (parliamentary subsidies), £118000 (Fifteenths and Tenths) and £250000 (loans).
Wolsey - accepted concessions on enclosure
Fiscal policies - resentment among ruling classes, which is conveyed through the late payments of 1523 - 1525.
Limiting the influence of political rivals:
Purge of the Privy Chamber (1519) - expelling rising stars - mundane jobs away from court.
Eltham Ordinances: Gentlemen of the Bedchamber reduced from 12 - 6.
Amicable Grant (1525):
Henry wanted to invade France - no money - Wolsey introduced Amicable Grant. Targets clergy and laity.
Rebellion across Suffolk and East Anglia. Ten thousand marched upon Levenham.
Wolsey abandoned it in May 1525; no further tax attempted. King denied knowledge of the grant.
Thomas Cromwell:
Background
:
From humble beginnings - born in Putney, son of a blacksmith - rough upbringing.
A soldier in the French Army, then a lawyer.
MP from 1523.
Rises to power as Wolsey's secretary and deputy.
Stays loyal to Wolsey after his fall.
Chief Minister - 1532.
Manages English Reformation.
Brilliant administrator.
Executed in 1540.
What changes did he make to government?:
Privy Council - smaller regular institution.
Four new financial courts (handled increased flow of money) - Court of Augmentation, First Fruits and Tenths, Wards and Liveries and General Surveyors.
King's secretary became more important.
Parliament meets more times - usually to enact religious changes.
Councils of Wales and North developed (centralisation) - more royal power.
How did Cromwell not strengthen government?:
Cromwell's policies encouraged faction in government. Unpopular - lots of enemies (nobility in government).
Although he was very influential, the King's view only mattered - so if the king didn't like it - his attempts to strengthen government had been wasted.
Parliaments before 1529:
Met four times between 1509 and 1529: 1510, 1512 - 14, 1515 and 1523.
Main purpose - grant taxations to fund the King's wars.
War going well (especially 1513) = grant taxation for defence of the realm.
1517 - foreign policy = costly and ineffective.
Taxation increased - parliament less keen to grant.
MPs feared too much taxation leads to rebellion.
1523 - Wolsey met Commons to extract amount he needed. By this time, £288814 = taxation and £260000 = loans.
Parliament of 1512 - 14 = anti-clerical (criticism of the church for it's corruption and wealth).
1512 - Act to limit 'benefit of the clergy' - churchmen charged with serious crimes to be charged in church courts rather than secular courts. Church courts gave more lenient sentences, clergymen could thus avoid the death penalty.
The Hunne Affair: Richard Hunne's (a London merchant) infant son died in 1511. He refused to pay for the mortuary fee and was sued in the church courts. Accused of heresy; sent to Bishop of London's prison. In December 1514 - found hung - church claimed suicide. Tried for heresy then ceremonially buried. Caused anger in London and anti-clericalism in Parliament.