WOLSEYS DOMESTIC POLICY

How long did Wolsey remain in office for after the amicable grant?

four years

Who of Wolsey’s political rivals undermined him to the king after the amicable grant?

Suffolk and Norfolk

How much money did the amicable grant need to raise?

£800,000

When was the amicable grant?

1525

What did Henry later claim about the amicable grant?

he had no knowledge of it

How did Wolsey backtrack the amicable grant?

simply requested a ‘benevolence’ from selected tax payers to the crown but by this point it was too late and rebellion had broken out

What did Parliament claim in regards to the amicable grant in a 1484 statute?

that all benevolences had been banned

Why did Wolsey deserve some of the blame for the amicable grant, why not?

failed to get enough money from the 1523 subsidy, but the council had all agreed to this money, yet it was Wolsey’s fault when the rebellions broke outt

What happened to the Lavenham rebels?

King publicly pardoned them and paid the leading rebels’ prison expenses

What taxation was attempted after the amicable grant?

none

How did Taxpayers respond to the amicable grant?

they revolted

How much was demanded from the clergy in the amicable grant?

pay a third of their goods and incomes worth over £10, and a quarter of those under this figure

How much were the lay people charged for the amicable grant?

an a sliding scale (between a sixth and a tenth) according to their worth

Why did Wolsey call it the amicable grant?

to appeal to patriotic sentiments

Where was the most serious resistance to the amicable grant, what happened?

Lavenham, Suffolk, on the 4th May 1525, 10,000 protested with church bells ringing the alarm, they pleaded poverty as the reason to opposition

Why was the amicable grant needed?

For Henry’s invasion into France, which he felt able to take as Charles V had taken Francis prisoner at the battle of Pavia

What courts were civil law courts?

Prerogative courts, star chamber, chancery and court of requests

What courts were common law courts?

common law courts, the court of the kings bench, the court of common pleas, assize courts and commissioner of Oyer et Terminer

What is Elton’s view on Wolsey?

hugely crticial

What does Elton say abut Wolsey’s legal reforms?

‘Wolsey gloried in the majesty of a judge, even though he had no legal training, he possessed a remarkable natural ability for the task

What are the 3 types of law?

civil, common and canon

What is civil law?

based on equity, introduced by the romans, preferred by the people as it looks at each case individually

What is common law?

from the Normans, based off a legal precedent, authorities prefer this as it is black and white

What is the issue with having both common and civil law courts?

as the people prefer civil law, if they don’t get the verdict they want from a common law court they will simply take it to the other court

What is Wolsey made in 1515, what does this mean?

Lord Chancellor, put in charge of the legal system

What court was at the centre of Wolsey’s legal work?

court of the star chamber

What legal principle did Wolsey put forward in 1516?

that all crimes should be punished regardless of social standing with Wolsey asking to deal with high profile cases himself (fair)

Which famous cases did Wolsey personally supervise, what issue did this cause?

Earl of Northumberland (1516) and Robert Sheffield (1517) who were both imprisoned, created enemies

How often did Wolsey sit as judge?

several times a week

What did the case load to, from?

rose from 12 cases per year under Henry VII to 120 under Wolsey

What is a criticism towards personal vendetta that many use against Wolsey’s legal reforms?

he used the legal system to punish people who had wronged him, e.g. Amyas Paulet who had put Wolsey in the stocks as a child, Wolsey called him to court but didn’t hear his case for 5 years, causing financial ruin for Paulet

What did the court of star chamber often prosecute?

enclosurement

Who did Wolsey continue the local government policies of?

Henry VII

Where did Wolsey place men he trusted in the legal system?

as positions of authorities and JPs (to keep an eye on the nobles)

Why were JPs often viewed as loyal?

they were dependent on the crown for their position

What were Wolsey’s 3 main aspects of legal control?

Jps, star chamber and local councils

What is an example of wolsey appointing his own men to legal positions?

ralph pexsall served Wolsey as a clerk and was then appointed to a local government in surrey, Berkshire and later Devon

What is an example of Wolsey using the star chamber to minimise corruption?

Sir Robert Sheffield was brought before the star chamber as he was accused of aiding homicide in his county

What part of the legal sector did Wolsey reform, how?

local councils of the marches and the north, changed the heads of the marches (Princess Mary) and the North (Duke of Richmond, Henry FitzRoy) to his own men

What was the court of requests used for?

an overflow of stand chamber, often heard grievances over land, enclosurement, wills, inheritance, poor could take nobility to court

Why was the court of requests popular?

free and a civil law court

What does John Guy say that Wolsey created?

an impartial justice

How does Lotherington describe Wolsey’s legal reforms?

‘radical idea’

Why was Wosley being a judge in the court of Chancery important?

as this court could overrule the decisions of the ordinary law courts, civil law court

What did the court of chancery deal with?

issues over land inheritance and enclosurement

Why was Wosley’s impact on the legal system limited?

the courts became clogged up, slow and overworked

How many cases were there against enclosurement?

264

Why did Wolsey’s legal reforms slow after 1526?

his main focus was on the divorce

Why was Wolsey sometimes quick to abandon the poor(example)?

1523, forced parliament to sit over the summer as he needed money, they promised to give him half on the condition that he will drop his anti-enclosure campaigns and will pay in installments

Why did Wolsey take interest in the poor?

he was base-born

What is the relationship between Parliament and Wolsey like?

terrible

What does Elton say about Wolsey and his financial reforms?

‘Wolseys greatest weakness lay in the realm of finance… he had little understanding of economic facts’

What new tax did Wolsey introuce in 1513, why?

subsidy, was based on accurate valuations of taxpayers wealth, property and ability to pay, to fund henry’s third campaign to France and Flodden

What did the Subsidy replace, what was it like?

the fifteenths and tenths which was also based on wealth but was from the 1300s meaning that over time the yield became less

What does lotherington say about the subsidy?

‘proved more effective in it’s predecessors’

What was the amount paid in the subsidy?

one shilling to every pound

what remained the main tax under the tudors?

the subsidy

How many times was the subsidy collected between 1513 and 23, what did this maount to?

4 times, £300,000

Between 1516 and 1517, the subsidy collected how much, in comparison to the fifteenths and tenths?

£170,000 compared with £90,000

Why was the subsidy resented by the propertied class?

they had to pay more

Why did Wolsey raise a benevolence in 1522, how much did it cost the nobles?

For Henry’s invasion to France (a year early), nobles paid begrudgingly £25,000

Why did henry need more Money in 1523, how much did he ask for?

three pronged attack, asked for £800,000

What is Henry VII’s central government system called?

the Conciliar system

What is the age difference between Wolsey and Henry?

20 years

What in Latin, is Wolsey called, what does it mean?

Alta Rex, ‘second king’

Does any minister ever wield as much power as Wolsey?

No, closest are More/Cromwell

When were the Eltham ordinances?

1526

What do the Eltham ordinances entail, who convinces henry that it is needed?

shrinking Henry’s privy chamber from 12 to 6, Wolsey

What does Wolsey claim as his motive for the Eltham Ordinances, what is the real reason?

financial strife, but really it’s to reduce their influence over henry (they hate base born Wolsey)

In the Eltham ordinances, who is the new groom of the stool?

William Compton is replaced by Henry Norris

How did Wolsey build links between the country and the court?

CARROT - receive a position in court and advance further, STICK - Kings servants could be taken to the star chamber (William Bulmer)

What was Wolsey’s household a notably training ground for?

local government, EG Cromwell

Why do some see the amicable grant as illegal?

Edward IV passed a law banning taxes being raised without parliament’s consent

Who has to pay the amicable grant?

the laity and the clergy (clergy don’t usually have to pay)

Who was sent to put down the rebellion, what happened?

Norfolk and Suffolk, they sided with the rebels as they wanted to get rid of Wolsey, they were also subject to the taxes

What did Wolsey have to do after the failure of the Amicable grant?

get down on his knees before the people of Lavenham

Where was the Rebellion?

Specifically Lavenham, but also east Anglia as far as Kent

When was the act of resumption passed, what was it like?

1515, only raised £5-10,000

What was Debasement like under Wolsey?

small scale, didn’t casue much inflation

When was Henry’s first parliament, what did it agree to?

1510, tonnage and poundage, abolishes Council learned in Law (executes Empson and Dudley)

When was Henry’s second parliament called, what did it achieve?

1512, need money to invade France, acts restricting the benefit of the clergy

When does parliament meet?

When the King calls it

WHy does henry call the 1515 parliament?

needs to replenish the coffers after 1513 campaign, also preps for rivalry with Francis

Why were no paliamnets called in the 1520’s?

Wolseys dominance in court and control over Henry

Who was Richard Hunne?

a merchant, with friends in high places whose newborn son died, but he refused to pay the mortuary payments as the curch had increased the payment o make up for the taxes that the son never paid

What was Hunne’s argument against morturay payments?

that to pay the tax would be to follow the laws of another country (which Praemunorie dictates you shouldn’t do)

Why was Hunne’s argument catastrophic for the church?

as if he didn’t listen to this law, why should anyone listen to any laws of the church

How did the church deal with Hunne?

accused him of heresy (by finding lollard papers in his rooms), arresting him and then murdering him but making it look like suicide

Who kills Hunne?

Horsey who worked for the Bishop of London

How did people react to Hunne’s death?

wanted Horsey and the Bishop of London punished, in uproar

Why did Horsey and the Bishop of London get away with the crime?

they were subject to canon law not common/civil

Why did Wolsey recieve no money in the 1515 parliament?

people up in arms abput Hunne so didn’t wan to give nay moeny or cooperate with a clergyman

What did Wolsey ask Henry for in 1515, what did Parliament want?

Wolsey asked for an extension on the benefit of the clergy, parliament wanted it abolished so Wolsey begged Henry on his knees for it to stay

What happened to Wolsey’s relationship with parliament after the 1515 summoning?

it worsened

What was Wolsey during the 151 parliament?

NOT LORD CHANCELLOR

When was the one parliament that Wolsey called?

1523

Why during the 1523 parliament where they already unwiling to give Wolsey the money?

He had forced them to give money in the 1522 parliament (the same nobles sit in the house of lords)

How much did Wolsey ask for in the 1523 parliament, how much did they pay?

£800,000, paid £400,000 in installments

Why did the 1523 parliament despise Wolsey?

He kept them sitting all summer (usually break over the summer) and the Thames smelt terrible, a concern in regards to miasma and the sweating sickness

What did the 1523 parliament make Wolsey do?

drop his anti-enclosure policies