Domestic Policies Under Wolsey

Court of Chancery

• Wolsey wasn’t a trained lawyer

• But as Lord Chancellor was responsible for overseeing the legal system

• Had the right to preside over the court of chancery, tried to use it to uphold ‘fair’ justice i.e enclosure and contracts

• However court of chancery was too popular with slow justice since it was clogged with too many cases

Court of Star Chamber

• Most distinctive legal contribution

• Became the centre of both government and justice under Wolsey

• His motive with the Chamber from 1516 was to increase cheap and fair justice

• Encouraged the use of the Star Chamber for private lawsuits

• Became too successful + had to set up overflow tribunals

Finance

• The ‘Tudor subsidy’

• The Eltham Ordinances

What are subsidies

• A grant issued by Parliament to the sovereign for State needs

The ‘Tudor subsidy’

• Wolsey changed the way the subsidies were collected

• Wolsey set up a national committee which he headed himself

• Resulted in realistic assessments of the wealth of taxpayers

• Meant Wolsey raised (although insufficient amount) extraordinary revenue for the war in France

• Wolsey then tried to raise unparliamentary taxation through 1525 Amicable Grant - but resulted in a widespread resistance - amounting to almost a rebellion

• Parliament often resisted Wolsey’s financial demands

The Eltham Ordinances

• Introduced in 1526 - in order to reform the finances of the Privy Council

• Introduced this under the guise of pushing forward proposals for reduction in royal household expentiture

• This meant Wolsey secured a reduction in the number of Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber

• Mainly, secured removal of Henry’s Groom of the Stool - Sir William Compton and replaced with more compliant Henry Norris

Groom of the Stool

• Most intimate of an English monarch’s courtiers

• Became a man in whom much confidence was placed and royal secrets were shared with