Henry VIII & Wolsey Flashcards

from first lesson - that timeline of henry events

The Tudor Social Hierarchy

1. King

2. Nobility: bestowed titles from the monarch e.g. Earl

3. Gentry: large landowners & the clergy

4. Yeomen: smaller landowners

5. Labourers: worked for any of the classes above them, did not own or rent land.

6. Vagrants: homeless & unemployed

Society in Tudor England

• population of England was only around 2.2 million people

• only around 6% of population lived in towns or cities

• City of London largest and most important in the country, with 600,000 inhabitants.

• During the 16th century trade and industry grew rapidly and England became a more and more commercial country. Mining of coal, tin and lead flourished, as did the iron industry. During this period England became increasingly richer.

• life for the well-off became more and more comfortable as England grew more prosperous

• upper-class and middle-class people benefited from the growing wealth of the country

• However for the poor in Tudor England life did not improve. For them life was hard and rough.

government in 1509

Henry VII left England wealthy as he rebuilt the royal finances and avoided war and enforced royal taxes to the point of ruthlessness.

• Henry VII also set up new courts: The Royal Council was reborn as the Court of Star Chamber, which was set up to deal with judicial matters.

• There was a crackdown on law and order in Wales and the North through the creation of special councils and more powers were given to the justices of the peace

• The combined impact of Henry VII's reforms significantly increased the power of the King and opened the way for medieval rule to be replaced by a more centralised, authoritarian Tudor state.

religion in 1509 England

• Catholicism was the main religion

• Religion played a central part in daily life.

• went to Church every Sunday

• all the important rituals of their lives were linked to the Church, including baptisms and marriages

• the centre of community life and supported the people through hardship (poor relief)

• Religion also gave people hope, not only during this life, but by teaching that leading a good life would ensure eternal salvation

henry vii’s family tree

wife: Elizabeth of York

sons: Arthur (m. Catherine of Aragon), Henry VIII, Margaret, Mary

Why did Henry become king? and why did he not expect to?

He was born the second son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. While his elder brother Arthur, as Prince of Wales, went off to learn the art of government, Henry’s early childhood was spent in Eltham Palace, just outside of London

 He was brought up with his two sisters, Mary and Margaret, under the supervision of his mother.

Henry’s life changed dramatically in 1502 when his elder brother died of TB, and, aged 10, Henry became heir to the throne.

Henry did not have any role in governing the kingdom before he became king, despite being intelligent and well educated. Traditionally, the Prince of Wales (heir to the throne) was sent to Wales to learn how to govern. Following Arthur’s death, however, Henry VII had no wish to send another son off to a rough part of the country. As a result, Henry VIII was largely untrained in the skills needed to rule as a king. 

Royal Household  meaning

Mixture of nobles and servants who provided the king with food/clothing/guidance.  

Privy Chamber meaning

Part of the royal household, made up of the king’s closet friends (they looked after his personal needs).

Royal Council meaning

A group of advisors from the nobility and Church who advised the king on policy matters.

Court meaning

A body of people made up of servants, advisors and friends (known as courtiers). They lived in the palace with the king and were a symbol of his wealth/power.

Parliament meaning

Consisted of the House of Lords and the House of Commons – they passed laws requested by the king.

Justices of the Peace meaning

Judges who kept order in their local areas.

Henry VIII’s character:

•  powerful athlete and liked sports (e.g. hunting and wrestling). He jousted a lot as well.

• Those who met the young king found him friendly, affectionate and generous. 

• He was intelligent and spoke French, Spanish and Latin. 

• He composed music and could play well. 

• He loved to dress in fine clothes and cover himself in jewels.

Henry’s aims:

• decide on England’s policies and dictate this to his ministers.

• achieve glorious victories in battle: win back land located in France, wanted England to become respected in Europe

• create a magnificent royal court

• have great men in his court, like important artists

• perform the traditional duties of a monarch, such as keeping law and order, being a good servant to the Church, and having a son to avoid a civil war when he died

Henry VIII’s Personal style of monarchy:

He chose to rely on two groups for advice and guidance: the Royal Council and the Privy Chamber.  He also did a lot of work through his trusted chief minister.  The first was Thomas Wolsey.

His style of government did not include paperwork or administration.  Routine tasks bored Henry; he was content to let others look after the everyday process of government.

Henry VIII Views on sovereignty and monarchy:

He was very religious; he went to church and gave money to the poor.  But he had a big ego and thought his opinions were the only ones that mattered.  He believed in the divine right of kings which meant that he had been made king because God wanted him to be king.  Henry was stubborn and his advisors found it difficult to change his mind when he had made it. 

Henry VIII Strengths

• he inherited a rich & stable country from his father. There was little threat of a civil war and the country was not in debt

• Henry had a team of experienced advisors to help him govern England

• popular with the people of England. He looked the part of a great king, and he was young; people believed that he would have new ideas, including changing Henry VII's high taxes

• Henry's wife, Catherine of Aragon, gave England a strong alliance with Spain. Spain was growing in power

Henry VIII Weaknesses

• he had little experience of government, so he didn’t know how to rule a country

• his attitude to kingship was simplistic and partly based on unrealistic heroic legends

• he had little desire to get involved in the day-to-day business of governing England. Delegating tasks to his ministers allowed them to become too powerful

• he participated in dangerous sports such as jousting. This could threaten his health; he could die without an heir to the throne

• Henry was very stubborn. He would not listen to advice, which led to costly mistakes, and he had a large, difficult to manage ego.

Royal Almoner role

Someone in charge of giving charity to the poor.

Lord Chancellor role

The most important post in the government. They were responsible for advising the king.

Archbishop of York role

Second most important religious appointment in England, after the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Cardinal role

A senior leader in the Roman Catholic Church.

Papal legate meaning

A representative of the Pope in a foreign country.

Wolsey’s background

Cardinal Thomas Wolsey was Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor between 1515 and 1529

Wolsey had an unlikely rise to power

He was not born into nobility

It was very difficult in Tudor times to climb the social hierarchy; everyone had their place in society, and those at the bottom were expected to stay there.

Wolsey rose to power by: Gaining a degree at Oxford University. Becoming a priest, Entering the Royal Council as the Royal Almoner in 1509, which gave Wolsey access to the king.

He was the son of a butcher; his father was a relatively wealthy butcher and cattle dealer and provided his son with an excellent education, allowing him to enter Oxford University to study to become a priest.

Wolsey's personality

Many aspects of Wolsey's personality contributed to his climb to power:

• very ambitious. he was happy to carry out all of the king’s demands.

• gained the nickname ‘alter rex’ (second king)

• ruthless. would do anything to protect himself & the king, and was ruthless with anyone who stood in his way

• extremely intelligent. gained his degree when he was only 15 years old

• used his charm to persuade others. he was talented at building relationships with monarchs. His ability to navigate the complex political landscape of the Tudor era and his close association with Henry VIII allowed him to influence & control the king’s decisions.

Wolsey’s luck

• Henry VIII preferred pleasure over administration. Wolsey encouraged this, and carved out a role carrying out all the tedious task Henry wanted to avoid.

• Wolsey was also fortunate that Henry disliked many of the advisers inherited from his father. He saw them as old, boring and cautious, and in the first few years of his reign, many were arrested or retired so Wolsey was in the right place at the right time for rapid promotion.

• Wolsey’s big break in 1512: Henry needed someone to organise an army for war with France. This was a complex task with the potential for disaster, so few wanted the job, but Wolsey took it on. He worked hard, was ruthless with anyone who stood in his way, and successfully delivered a well-equipped and well-supplied army to France in 1513.

As a result of Wolsey delivering a well-equipped and well-supplied army to France in 1513:

Henry saw Wolsey as the man who could fulfil his will quickly & efficiently, and he was soon given much more power. Wolsey’s appointment as Lord Chancellor in 1515 was particularly important, as it gave him the top position in Henry’s government.

Wolsey’s Roles

• Lord Chancellor: appointed 1515: top position in Henry’s government, responsible for overseeing law courts & the appointment of key legal positions

• Cardinal: 1515: senior member of the clergy; Wolsey managed the English Church & implemented religious & educational reforms.

Wolsey’s appointment as Papal Legate

Wolsey’s wealth

• Wolsey gained a huge fortune

• He was ten times more wealthy than his nearest political rival

• built the palaces of York House and Hampton Court for himself, and used these to entertain the English and European elite on a grand scale

• In both lavish residences, Wolsey hosted elaborate parties

• funded artists and musicians

• his spending had an important political role; it inspired awe & envy, and showed that Wolsey was an important man.

• Wolsey enjoyed this magnificent lifestyle. He had a huge personality & enjoyed showing off his new riches. He was charming & entertaining, especially gifted in the skills of flattery.

Why did justice need reforming under Wolsey?

• As Lord Chancellor, Wolsey was responsible for the legal system in England. However, it was flawed, delivering slow, expensive and often unfair justice. Verdicts often favoured those with the most money and influence

How did Wolsey impact domestic policy? Justice

• As Lord Chancellor, Wolsey was responsible for the legal system in England.

• Wolsey wanted to tackle this problem, and soon after being appointed, he sent out a clear signal that no one was to be above the law. For example, in 1516, the Earl of Northumberland was sent to prison for breaking the law.

• Strengthened the Star Chamber: increased the court’s work from 12 cases a year to 120 cases and oversaw many of the legal cases himself

• Encouraged the poor to bring cases to court and supported them

Criticisms & successes of Wolsey’s changes to justice

• Poorer people liked Wolsey’s reforms & the system became fairer

• Landowners accused Wolsey of unfairly targeting them

• Some felt that his main motivation was to get revenge on the upper classes, who had often treated him badly because of his humble origins.

Wolsey’s domestic policies: Enclosures

Landowners were taking over villagers land; Enclosure refers to the practice of placing fences around all the fields surrounding the village, because landowners expected to make more money by keeping sheep on the land & selling the wool than from the rents paid by villagers

Common land was ‘enclosed’ which meant villagers’ animals could not graze on it.

• caused a lot of anger

• Subsistence farmers could no longer survive

• caused unemployment

Wolsey’s Actions:

• 1517, began 260 law cases against landowners for enclosing land illegally.

• made many enemies

• number of enclosures did not go down & unemployment increased.

• landowners were not just being greedy; they were struggling for money themselves

Wolsey’s domestic policies: Finance

The tax that came from Parliament to pay for war was unpopular. It was a fixed amount and not on how much people had. 

Wolsey replaced the fifteenth and tenth tax with a new tax called a subsidy, based on the real wealth of taxpayers

Wolsey forced landowners to lend money to the government. He did this in 1522 and 1523

Result:

The tax did increase the finances but the King was spending more money than they had coming in.

Wolsey raised over £800,000 for the King between 1509 & 1240 but government expenditure was £1,700,000. This forced the crown to sell more land & so its ordinary income from rents fell even further.

Wolsey’s domestic policies: Eltham Ordinances

1526

Wolsey’s actions:

• Plan to cut the number of courtiers. 

  Cutting the cost of meals and servants

  Firing sick or excess servants from court

• Reducing the expenses for courtiers on food, fuel and lodgings

  
  

Impact:

• No changes were actually ever made, partly because Wolsey had to spend his time trying to get the King’s marriage annulled.

• may have also decided he could find more effective ways to reduce the nobles’ influence with the King. As a result no money was saved.

Why did Henry want to invade France in 1525?

Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, defeats the King of France in war in 1525.

Henry wants to take advantage of the weakness of France.

Wolsey’s domestic policies: Amicable Grant

1525

Henry wanted to invade France, but when Wolsey tried to raise money for the war, Parliament did not want to approve of another tax on the people.

they refused because of the forced loans in 1522 as the money lent to the King had still not been repaid

Wolsey decided to collect another tax without first asking Parliament & claimed it was simply a friendly or amicable gift of money given out of the goodness of the people’s hearts & their love for King Henry.

The tax was deeply unpopular. Many people could not afford to pay it as there was high unemployment and rising prices.

There was widespread resistance to paying & protests from the Church about paying the tax.

Consequences of the Amicable Grant: on Wolsey & the Amicable Grant Rising

• was eventually abandoned so Henry could not go to war against France. 

• In East Anglia there was a rebellion (Amicable Grant Rising). The Duke of Suffolk was sent to end the protest but the rebels outnumbered his forces. Suffolk told Wolsey that his troops sympathised with the rebels and would not fight them As a result of so much hostility Wolsey had to abandon the grant & pardon the leaders of the rebellion.

• Wolsey took responsibility for the failure of the Amicable Grant. This damaged his reputation

• Wolsey could raise no more taxes. Henry began to doubt Wolsey's abilities as Lord Chancellor

The incident showed the limits of Henry's power. He had to have the consent of parliament to raise taxes

Who were Henry’s rivals in Europe?

• Scotland frequently fought with England over territory and influence

• France, under the rule of King Francis I, emerged as a rival to both England and the Habsburgs

• Spain, under Charles I, was becoming increasingly powerful. Charles I of Spain also then became the Holy Roman Emperor

• The Ottoman Empire was a rival of many European powers, the Holy Roman Empire. The Ottomans controlled key trade routes and posed a significant military threat to Christian Europe.

• France was a major rival of Henry VIII due to a combination of historical territorial disputes, dynastic claims, military conflicts, and personal rivalry with Francis I.

Wolsey's Foreign Policy Aims

• Create a good relationship between England and France and England and the Habsburg Empire: England would have a good diplomatic relationship with the two biggest powers in Europe

• To encourage tension between France and the Habsburg Empire: England to gain a political and territorial advantage in Europe

• To provide opportunities for Henry VIII to go to war: Henry would gain military glory and a strong reputation without spending too much money

• To present Henry VIII as a peacemaker: Henry would gain respect across Europe and avoid the cost of lengthy wars

Treaty of London

1518

a diplomatic victory for Wolsey

The treaty, signed by 20 countries and the Pope, proposed a non-aggression pact.

It showed Henry VIII as a peacemaker and England as important to European politics.

It took place in London & he had been at the centre of events. Henry looked like the man who had united the whole of Europe in peace.

• aimed to prevent military conflicts & promote peace, crucial during a time of rising tensions in Europe

• represented a significant step towards establishing peace & cooperate among European powers

The Field of the Cloth of Gold

1520

• lavish & expensive

• gold thread woven into the fabric of three hundred French tents

• lasted for over two weeks

• Henry challenged Francis to a wrestling match, which he quickly lost, public humiliation and made him seem weaker

Wolsey organised this diplomatic meeting between Henry VIII and Francis I.

• symbolised Wolsey’s success in keeping Henry at the centre of events. he made Henry look like one of the three great rules of Europe

• decisions made elsewhere ended this success as a major war was about to begin between France & the Holy Roman Empire

No decisions were made but it showed England's wealth and commitment to diplomacy

Cardinal Wolsey organised the event.
When it failed to produce results:

• Wolsey looked incompetent

• Henry blamed him

• It contributed to Wolsey’s later downfall

Lots of opportunities to show off wealth - wine fountain etc.

Foreign policies, 1521-29

Holy Roman Empire meaning

A group of states in Europe that each had its own ruler, but had elected a Holy Roman Emperor to rule over them. 

Treaty of Bruges (1521)

Alliance signed between England and Spain in 1521. 

Habsburgs meaning

Spanish royal family. 

Treaty of More (1525)

The alliance between England and France. Henry agreed to give up his claim to the French throne in return for a yearly payment. 

Treaty of Westminster (1527)

Alliance signed by England and France. They threatened to invade Spain if Charles did not seek better relations. 

League of Cognac (1526)

An alliance between France, the pope, Venice and Florence against Spain. England did not join. 

Treaty of Cambrai (1529)

When Francis made peace with Charles, isolating England.