7-The Character and aims of Henry VIII

Character of Henry VIII

  • Accession to the Throne: Henry VIII came to the throne 2 months before his 18th birthday, seven years after his brother Arthur's death.

  • Education: Well-educated, with some acquaintance with humanism. He was well-read but described as having "a mind...able but second-rate" (John Guy).

  • Personality:

    • Early impressions were positive.

    • Described as "extrovert, affable, and charming" (Eric Ives).

    • His ascension was welcomed as a breath of fresh air after the unpopular reigns of Empson and Dudley.

    • Lacked experience in government or public affairs.

    • Had a profound dislike for the business of government.

    • Found reading and writing state papers tedious and painful.

    • Lacked his father’s strong work ethic.

Structure of Government Under Henry VIII

  • Personal Preferences:

    • Preferred spending time with good company, engaged in courtly activities, pageants, revelry, sports, hunting, and tournaments.

  • Short-Term Governance:

    • Initially governed through a council.

    • This council would make two comebacks later in Henry's reign (1529-1532, 1540-1547).

  • Long-Term Governance:

    • Relied heavily on Thomas Wolsey (adept at the Star Chamber) and Thomas Cromwell (principal secretary).

Legacy of Henry VII

  • Fourfold Legacy of Henry VII:

    • Money: Left approximately £300,000.

    • Unpopular Taxation Methods: Employed unpopular mechanisms for extracting money.

    • Foreign Policy: Maintained a peaceful foreign policy.

    • Government Structure: Relied on a conciliar form of government (decisions made through a council).

  • Changes Under Henry VIII:

    • Henry quickly distanced himself from his father’s legacy.

    • Money: Vanished due to the revival of an aggressive foreign policy towards France.

    • Conciliar Government: Disappeared in the short term, replaced by Thomas Wolsey’s dominance in government.

  • Fox’s Role in Transition:

    • Richard Fox, along with Sir Thomas Lovell and Richard Weston, played key roles in securing the arrest of Empson and Dudley.

    • These executions did not occur until over a year after Henry’s ascension.

  • Abolition of the Council Learned:

    • January 1510: The Council Learned in the Law was abolished by Act of Parliament.

    • Impact: This ended Henry VII’s methods of extracting money (e.g., bonds and recognizances), securing Henry VIII’s popularity among the nobility and propertied classes.

Characteristics of Henry VIII

  • Ruthlessness and Cynicism:

    • Henry demonstrated ruthlessness, especially in his treatment of Empson and Dudley. He resorted to executions for treason on flimsy charges.

    • This tendency to execute enemies highlighted his insecurity and sometimes overshadowed the positive qualities early in his reign.

  • Impulsiveness:

    • Henry’s impulsiveness was evident in his early marriage to Catherine of Aragon, which he later regretted. This trait also influenced his decisions later in life, such as with his marriages to Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard.

  • Regret and Naivety:

    • Henry’s impulsiveness often led to regret (e.g., his quick marriage decisions and the execution of Thomas Cromwell).

    • His naïve approach to foreign policy compounded the instability in his reign, making the consequences for governance potentially devastating.

Aims of Henry VIII

First Years of Reign

In the early years of his reign, Henry VIII had several key objectives:

  1. Establishing His Status Among European Monarchs

    • Henry sought to assert his position among European rulers, notably through marriage.

  2. Re-establishing the Role of the Nobility

    • He aimed to restore the political influence of the nobility, which had been limited under his father, Henry VII.

  3. Establishing Himself as a Warrior King

    • Henry wished to prove himself as a warrior king through military success, following in the footsteps of earlier monarchs.

Marriage to Catherine of Aragon

  • Early Aim:

    • Pre-Marriage Context: The marriage to Catherine, his brother Arthur's widow, was one of Henry’s early priorities. He was eager to marry her quickly, both to solidify his political position and because he believed she had been treated unfairly by his father.

    • Marriage Details: Henry and Catherine married on 11 June 1509, early in Henry’s reign. Initially, the marriage was successful and Catherine had influence over political decisions.

    • Later Regrets: By the mid-1520s, Henry regretted this early decision, particularly because Catherine was unable to produce a male heir, which led to his eventual desire for an annulment. This regret marks a shift in his later approach to marriage.

Re-establishing the Nobility

  • Early Aim:

    • Henry VIII’s early aim was to give the nobility more influence in politics, especially after they had been excluded during Henry VII’s reign. He sought to involve them in court activities, military campaigns, and governance.

    • Limited Success: However, despite these efforts, Henry eventually favored Thomas Wolsey, a commoner, over the nobility for important roles in governance, thus limiting the political power of the traditional noble families.

Foreign Policy Under Henry VIII

  • Early Aim:

    • Henry quickly sought to break from his father’s peaceful foreign policy. He wanted to make a bold mark on the international stage through military glory. His early foreign policy aimed at establishing England as a prominent power, particularly through war with France.

    • Wars in France: Henry’s early foreign policy involved wars in France, seeking glory and military victory. However, these wars often led to minimal gains, despite significant expenditure.

    • Shifting Alliances: His foreign policy was also marked by inconsistencies, such as temporary alliances with France against Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, though he never engaged in full-scale war with Charles V.

  1. Inconsistent Aims

    • Over the course of his reign, Henry’s aims were often inconsistent. While he desired glory and worked to secure the succession to the throne, he remained largely uninterested in the day-to-day affairs of government, except on impulsive occasions.

  2. Priority of Pleasure

    • Henry consistently prioritized his personal pleasure, including his lavish lifestyle and personal indulgences, over the concerns of governance.

  3. Enduring Legacy

    • Despite his general disinterest in the mechanics of government, Henry VIII’s reign left a lasting mark on English history, including:

      • Broadening the use of statute law (Acts of Parliament).

      • Increasing the importance of Parliament in English governance.

      • The destruction of traditional religion and the plundering of the Church’s wealth, particularly due to the break with Rome.