Wolsey- background, role, policy and fall

Where and when was Wolsey born

Ipswich, Suffolk around 1470

What were the professions of Wolsey's parents

Innkeeper and butcher

What did Wolsey do when he was 15

A get a degree from Magdalen College Oxford

When was Wolsey ordained as a priest

1498

When was Wolsey appointed as Henry VII's royal chaplain

1507

What was Henry's first role in Henry VIII's administration

almoner which gave him a seat on the privy council and allowed him to swiftly impress Henry who wasn't interested in day to day governing

An example of one of Wolsey's greatest achievements

Orchestrating the field of cloth of gold which showcased wolsey's diplomatic skills and henry viewed it as a great triumph

How did the nobility view wolsey

with jealousy and envy

Why did many of the nobles dislike wolsey (2 details)

his rapid rise to power from such a lowly position annoyed some of the nobility who could trace their lineage back centuries

His lavish lifestyle and haughty and ambitious demeanour marked by ostentatious displays of wealth made the nobles jealous

How did some nobles view Wolsey

As an upstart who didn't deserve the king's ear due to his low born status

Why did some of the nobility resent Wolsey's role in government

because they felt his tight control and utter dominance of domestic and foreign policy denied them of their birth right to hold a role in government

When was Wolsey made royal almoner?

1509, this gave him a position on the council

What role was Wolsey given in 1512-3

Quarter master general of war against france

When was Wolsey made Bishop of Tournai

1513

When was Wolsey made Bishop of Lincoln

1514

When was Wolsey made Archbishop of York

1514

When and which Pope made Wolsey a cardinal

Pope Leo X in 1515

When was Wolsey made lord chancellor of england

1515

When was Wolsey made Papal Legate and when was this confirmed for life

1518 and confirmed for life in 1524

What other offices gave Wolsey much more power than old Warham as Archbishop of Cantebury

Bishop of three other areas and also Abbot of St Albans

How long did it take for Wolsey to renovate and expand Hampton Court Palace

1515-21

By the 1530s when Hampton Court passed to Henry what was it like

A palace, a hotel, a theatre and vast leisure complex used to demonstrate Henry's magnificence and power in every way

what was the main reason for Wolsey's downfall

his failure to secure Henry VIII an annulment of his marriage to catherine of aragon

What were Wolsey's main domestic policy aims (5 aims)

1) Manage finances so Henry's policies were affordable

2)Keep the nobility under control and prevent any threats to Henry

3) Achieve justice for all in the legal system

4) Manage Parliament and the church so they supported the King

5) Ensure he had huge personal wealth and prestige

What were the two systems of law in Tudor England

Common Law and Civil Law

What was common law

operated since 1066 and was a system based on precedent

what was civil law

a legal system based on 'natural justice' which was the rule against bias and right to a fair hearing

What was the issue with common law

there was a growing concern that common law resulted in unjust verdicts and reform was needed

What was the court of chancery

Court of the lord chancellor (wolsey) which was designed to hear cases where common law had been deficient, civil court so didn't deal with criminal cases

What was the court of the star chamber

A legal court which tried cases affecting the crown such as rebellion, so named for its ceiling that had a star on it

How many cases heard in the star chamber under wolsey vs henry vii

120 a year vs just 12 under henry vii

How many cases heard a year in the court of chancery?

540

What court did Wolsey personally establish

court of requests which had no fee so more fair for poorer people

When and what type of enquiry did wolsey lead

a 1517 enquiry into enclosures and how they affected the poor

What was Wolsey's main success with his legal reforms

Ensuring the courts that he was directly responsible for dispensed cheap and impartial justice to the poor who couldn't afford to go to the costly common law courts

what were the 4 main areas of success in wolsey's legal reforms

-more cases heard in star chamber

-established free court of requests to help poor

-540 cases heard a year in chancery court

-enquiry into enclosures affecting the poor

what limited the success of wolsey's reforms to the court system supposedly to help the poor?

he took bribes especially in the court of chancery which undermined its supposed fairness

What did the nobility accuse wolsey of using his control of the legal system for?

to pursue personal vendettas against members of the nobility who treated him badly

What limited the long term success of wolsey's legal reforms

He made no provision for them to last beyond his tenure as lord chancellor

What ultimately came of the 1517 enquiry into enclosures

nothing, it was suspended in 1523 without any reforms due to opposition from landowners in parliament

What is an example of wolsey using control of the legal system for personal vendettas

Case of Sir Amias Paulet, Paulet had put wolsey in the stocks soon after he first became a priest so when wolsey became lord chancellor he forced Paulet to appear before him daily and grovel and threatened to confiscate all of his property if he ever left London without permission

What were the 5 main areas of failure in wolsey's reform of the legal system

- no provison for reforms to be maintained

-took bribes which undermined fairness for poor people

- used control to pursue personal vendettas

- inquiry into enclosure suspended with no reforms

-Amias Paulet case

Overall, how successful was Wolsey in achieving reforms to the legal system

Somewhat successful due to several reforms that extended justice to poorer people however, unsuccessful in the long term as no provision for reforms to stay and his successes in bettering access to justice undermined by his use of the system to pursue personal vendettas

What were fifteenths and tenths

A tax paid on property whereby a tenth of income was paid for crown or town lands but one fifteenth for over lands

why did the system of fifteenths and tenths need reform

by 1500 they had just become fixed sums so they brought in little revenue that didn't keep up with inflation

What was a subsidy

A tax based on an up to date assessment of property and income value to a local official who determined how much tax an individual should pay

Why was the introduction of the subsidy better than the old system of fifteenths and tenths

because it was a more realistic valuation of wealth but still didn't cover the costs of henry's wars

What was enclosure

when landowners fenced off their land which was often accompanied by changing farming from arable to sheep which required fewer labourers. Some landowners were also seizing common land used by the community for grazing

How many times was the subsidy collected

4 times

In 1523, how much money did the subsidy raise and what was its significance

200,000 pounds for war with france which was the largest ever sum raised with a single tax

which new tax became the standard parliamentary tax and what did it replace

the subsidy which replaced the old system of fifteenths and tenths

How did wolsey reduce expenditure and

the 1519 expulsion of minions and the 1526 eltham ordinances

what was the expulsion of minions

Henry VIII's favored young courtiers (the Minions) were removed from the Privy Chamber by Cardinal Wolsey to curb their influence over the king and consolidate his own power. This highlighted tensions between Wolsey and the nobility and marked a temporary shift in court politics, though some Minions later regained favor.

What did the Eltham Ordinances do

reduced the number of noblemen in the bed chamber from 12 to 6, cut costs of the bed chamber

Why did wolsey need to increase income from crown lands

income had dropped from a peak of £400,000 at the high point of henry vii's reign to just £25,000

How did wolsey go about increasing income from crown lands

An act of Resumption was passed in 1515 which did succeed in restoring some revenue

In which areas were wolsey's financial reforms successful (4 points)

Introduction of the subsidy replacing 15/10ths

Subsidy being largest single tax take ever

Reduction of crown's expenditure

Increase in revenue from crown lands

In 1523 how much did wolsey request of subsidy whereas how much did he actually get

requested £800,000 but parliament only granted 300,00

Why was the amicable grant a huge failure

10,000 rebels assembled at Lavenham in 1525 so henry forced to abandon it can pretend he knew nothing of it and totally blame wolsey making him personally unpopular

Why was the success of the Eltham Ordinances limited

it alienated the nobility who's sons had had or wanted positions in the bedchamber

What policy failure specifically was Wolsey made a scapegoat for

amicable grant

What other attempts to raise tax made it hard to raise the full requested subsidy in 1523

the forced loans in march and july 1522

In which areas were Wolsey's financial reforms a failure (3 details)

-Unable to collect over half of the requested 1523 subsidy due to prev forced loans

-Amicable grant failed which meant Henry couldn't invade France and become King and Wolsey made personal scapegoat

- Eltham Ordinances alienated nobles

How much money did Henry spend between 1509 and 1520 and what mostly did he spend it on

1.7 million pounds mostly on war

How much money did wolsey raise in total in subsidies

£322,000

how much money did Wolsey raise through clerical taxation

£240,000

how much money did wolsey raise through forced loans?

£260,000

Overall how successful were Wolsey's financial reforms?

Somewhat, he managed several successful reforms to increase income and decrease henry's excessive expenditure but the consequences were mixed with the failure of the amicable grant reducing henry's chance of becoming king of france and hugely damaging wolsey's position. Also, despite raising huge sums he was never able to cover henry's expenditure

Between 1518 and 1529, legal action was taken against how many landowners

264

of the 265 landowners who had legal action taken against them in 1518-29, how many cases came to court and how many verdicts were reached

222 made to court, 188 verdicts reached

what was the one small impact that came from wolsey's inqiry into enclosures?

some legal proceedings in the court of chancery against landowners who had ignored previous laws

what was wolsey viewed as due to some of his social reforms

a champion of the poor due to his attacks on enclosure

what were the 3 arguable successes of wolsey's social reforms

-some cases brought to court about enclosure

-legal action taken against lots of landowners

- seen as champion of the poor

Why was the inquiry into enclosures ultimately a failure

wolsey forced to abandon inquiry and accept existing enclosures in parliament of 1523 as part of the agreement for the subsidy

what might wolsey's real motive for the enclosures inquiry have been

not championing the rights of the poor, just another example of wolsey pursuing vendetta against the nobility who benefitted from enclosing land

Why was the inqury into enclosures damaging for wolsey

it added to the nobility and gentry's growing resentment of him

what was the main failure of wolsey's social reforms

his inquiry into enclosures abandoned for subsidy and just alienated nobles from him further, risking his position

overall how successful were wolsey's social reforms

little success both for championing rights of the poor and also for wolsey's own positon

What did the Eltham Ordinances do?

improved chaotic finances of the privy chamber

What were Wolsey's two aims for the administration of the privy council

1) keep control of the council

2) remain as henry's closest advisor

what did wolsey do for his supporters and give and example

promoted them, Sir william compton went from groom of the stool to treasurer of he exchequer

what was the issue with wolsey's control of who had access to the king

it made wolsey deeply unpopular as the nobility believed it was their birthright to advise the king

how did the eltham ordiances further alienate the nobility

reducing the nu,ber of gentlemen in the bedchamber from 12 to 6 removed some politically active members of court

Overall, how successful was wolsey's management of the privy chamber

a mix of success and failure, his centralisation of power and efficient administration brought about significant advancements in governance, including financial reforms and diplomatic initiatives. However, Wolsey's authoritarian style and occasional failure to consult with council members caused resentment and hindered full cooperation. Despite his accomplishments, Wolsey's management of the Privy Council ultimately fell short of sustaining long-term support and stability, contributing to his eventual downfall.

What were wolsey's 2 main aims with relations with parliament

1) maintain good relations with parliament

2) ensure that power remained with him/ the chamber and avoid it being diverted to parly

What was wolsey's main success with his relations with parliament

he didn't call on parliament unless he needed money so successfully kept them out of general political decision making

What shows wolsey's success at getting parliament to approve taxes

he was able to collect the subsidy 4 times

what shows that parliament still had some degree of control over both wolsey and thus henry

In order to gain parliamentary approval for the subsidy in 1523, Wolsey had to abandon some of his reforms to enclosure to appease the land-owning parliamentarians. This shows Parliament having some control over Wolsey and his policy ideas

Overall, how successful was wolsey in managing relations with parliament

fairly successful, was able to get approval for plenty of subsidies and avoid them meddling much but was still somewhat restricted by them in achieving some of his aims (enclosure inquiry shut down)

What were wolsey's conflicting aims with regards to reform to the church

he wanted to protect the church and his wealth and power within it from state reforms but he also wanted to make sure there was no institution that would ever rival power of the king, essentially wanted to protect the church but ensure it didn't diminish henry's power

How many monasteries did wolsey dissolve and why

30 which had fallen into disrepair and didn't have enough numbers to be financially viable

how was wolsey successful with reforms to education within the church (3 details)

founded cardinal college oxford (later Christ Church)

aimed to improve the quality of education within the church

promote humanist learning and scholorship

What aspect of the church was wolsey able to protect from parliament

wolsey protected the benefit of the clergy from royal and parliamentary attempts to end it

what was the benefit of the clergy

The claim to be tried in a church court. Intended only for priests but used by anyone loosely connected with the church.

what did wolsey actually personify within the church

Pluralism, absenteeism, non celibacy which made him unpopular and look corrupt

What did wolsey arguably use the church for

to fund his excessive lifestyle

was wolsey seen as a great church reformer

no, he was seen as protecting the abuses within the church by embodying most of them

what was simony

the buying and selling of church offices

Overall how successful was wolsey with reform to the church

struggled to effectively address widespread corruption and abuse in the clergy which persisted and was practiced by wolsey himself, undermining public trust and the moral authority of the church

What was wolsey's main aim with regards to the nobility

keep them under control to prevent further threats to henry