Regional Issues

Wales was historically a…

separate kingdom but was under the control of the English crown

The Welsh kept their…

own culture (i.e. language)

Wales was not separated by…

counties so do not have JPs/MPs

Wales was seen as a …

hostile land

The boarder of Wales were…

 heavily fortified by marcher lordships

what are marcher lordships

are the first line of defence, they were given power under the Normans, allowed to build casted and have special privileges such as paying less tax - they have their own private army through retainers.

what was the Government of Wales like before 1536

Separate territory from England, in practice under English control, even though the ruling dynasty was Welsh in origin. It had neither a single unified administration nor a formal political link with England

what did the Laws of Wales Act change?

Divided Wales into shire counties which operated on the same basis as their English counterparts. Gave the Welsh shires direct representation in the House of Commons at Westminster. Brough Wales into the same legal framework as England

when was the Laws of Wales Act

1536

what benefits did the Law of Wales act have for Wales

Control over Wales continued to be exercised on the crown’s behalf - increasingly became the responsibility of members of the aristocracy who became increasingly prominent in the legal profession

what bad impacts did the Law of Wales act have

Wales was incorporated into England with little of a separate identity.

what were the English Palatinates

Lancashire, Cheshire & Durham

what does being Palatinates mean

they were separate jurisdictions from the rest of the kingdom

what Palatinates were under the jurisdiction of H8

Lancashire & Cheshire

what was the act of resuming liberties

 reduced the level of independence enjoyed by the Bishop of Durham (exercised palatinate jurisdiction over Durham) but did not destroy it completely

when was the Act of Resuming Liberties

1536

what was the benefits of the areas on the Anglo-Welsh boarders

cheap & local access to the law as they came under the jurisdiction of the Council of Wales & the Marches

why was the boarder with Scotland a problem for H8

it was difficult to police as much of it was remote & often inhabitable in the winter months

the Anglo-Scottish boarder had a reputation for…

lawlessness

The border had a reputation for lawlessness, for example…

sheep rustling & violence

how did H8 deal with the Anglo-Scottish boarder

splitting the border with Scotland into 3 marches, each under the jurisdiction of a warden

what problems did H8s solution for the Anglo-Scottish boarder create

appointing a local noble ran the risk that the noble would exploit the office to enhance his own power at the king’s expense, however if H8 appointed local officers from the gentry class they had limited ability to influence locals

why was it hard to govern the north

based far from London

how did H8 deal with the north

re-establishing the council as a permanent body based in York with a professional staff

how was H8s solution for the north successful

it helped to keep the North quiet during the summer of rebellions in 1539.