Lecture 3 : The First Tudors (1485-1558)

Henry VII (1485-1509)
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Henry VII and his government
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Henry VII was able to secure his position by a firm and effective government. He was also supported by adequate finances and a strong legal system. At this time, the government was a Council.

The Comity of the Privy Council played a major role in the government. He created this Council as an executive advisory reboard. It was made up of the King and his closest advisors (40 people) that represented the different interests in the society. It played a major role because it was situated at the center of the government.

However, the Parliament was to play a minor role, neither unimportant or a regular part of the machine. It was a place of dialogue for the King and his councillors. It was at the Parliament that the King learned about the different conditions of the different localities, where the Magnets gave their consent to the King's policy.

Two main functions of the Parliament:

To grant money especially for wars
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To make statute Law
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The Law
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When Henry was King, the Parliament was called 7 times, 5 times during the first 10 years. It was more important during the first 10 years because Henry was still not secure on the throne.

For those who disrespected the King were sanctioned. Henry restored the authority of the law that was almost destroyed during the War of the Roses because of the nobles, many of whom had private armies.

Henry used “the Court of the Star Chamber” , which was the King's Council Chamber. He used this to deal to lawless nobles. They were punished (lands taken away…). During his reign, “the Justices of the Peace System” were revised. The justices of the peace strictly controlled the towns and the Parishes to insure the respect of the crown.

Henry greatly strengthened the monarchy by using many political innovations to outmanoeuvre the nobility.

His reign: Peace and Prosperity
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During Henry's reign, there was a tone of peace and prosperity. Henry's aim was to make the crown financially independent. The land was taken from the noble and made him more prosperous (more land and wealth).

Henry has been described as greedy/avaricious. But others found that he was a great businessman. He didn't want to spend money on war but he did spend money to build merchant ships. He understood that the future wealth of the country depended on commercial trade. To make trade and not war. Trade agreements with the Netherlands were made.

Legacy of Henry VII

The first TUDOR monarch should be remembered as a King that instead of introducing a new revolutionary system, made the older one more efficient as it worked better. His strong reign put an end to the instabilities caused by the War of the Roses. When he died, he left a secure throne and a solvent government and a prosperous kingdom.

All of Henry's work had one underlying factor: his determination to secure his throne and make it this way for his heir to follow. He built a strong government based on financial solvencies and popular support. Abroad, he thought recognition and prestige of his position for fellow monarchs. This would impress his subjects at home.

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Henry VIII 1509-1547: The King with six wives
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Henry VIII was not supposed to be King. It was his brother that had been educated to be King. Unfortunately, his older brother Arthur died in 1502 (the one that was supposed to be King).

Henry VIII became king at the age of 17. For political reasons, he married his elder brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon, to keep peace with Spain.

Henry needed a special dispensation from the Pope before the marriage could take place. They married in june 1509. He was 17 and she was 23. At that time, it was seen as wrong. So later Henry VIII will use it to divorce her.

In his first year of years of reign, Henry reversed many of his father's unpopular policies. He wasn't interested in the administration, so he left that to his counselors. The revenue declined. He relaxed the control of aristocracy, nobility. He allowed revenue to neglect. He was very interested in sports and music. He had found his vocation at the church. He was very religious, a catholic.

During those years, he relied on Thomas WOLSEY to rule for him. He became his chancellor for him as a King.
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The rise of religious problem in England
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In the 1520's, some historians had exaggerated this problem of anticlericalism and the European mood of reform reaching England before the break of Rome. There are two points of view, the Traditionalists and the Revisionists.

The “Traditionalists” were increasing hostility toward the christian Church.

Many complained because the Church was very wealthy. The Church owned 1/5 of England's wealth and land.

Some people thought that this wealth could be used more efficiently. Others said that there was also a problem of widespread corruption. They complained about the abuses of the Church.

The Clergy were too numerous and unproductive (they didn't produce any economic service for the population). In addition, the Clergy was also unpopular with lawyers who criticised the Church's court especially in cases of heresy. They were also denied pillory. Furthermore, many of the lay people were better educated than the members of the Clergy that was taking people's money while preaching.

The “Revisionists” were more moderate and had a modern point of view. Apart from some merited criticism. There was still some corruption but no more than in any European country.

At this time, in England, most people were content with the structure of the Catholic Church.

There was a reasonable relationship between the Church, the state King, the Pope and the people. The monastic lands and the Abbeys were important as the employed peasants worked and were paid for their work as they didn't have any economic service.

Those places where the poors would go to receive food and comfort. They were the center of employment for lay people. Only a minority were anti-Church. They had a better management of their wealth that was needed for education, social needs…

Despite the European mood of reform reaching England, people were slow to question the established Church. Henry himself was a strong Catholic, so against Luther and his Protestantism. There was no real evidence of hostility towards the Catholic Church.

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The King's divorce
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Henry would be led to take drastic actions to be able to divorce Catherine as she failed to give him a male heir and instead gave hime a daughter and had also many miscarriages. It put the crown in danger as according to them, Queens were a sign of instability. So he was ready to divorce his wife to get a son.

By the mid 1520's, Henry was unhappy with his marriage as it had deteriorated because of personal and diplomatic reasons, he had no male heir plus, Catherine was an obstacle to better Anglo-French relations because she was spanish and France and Spain were enemies. She also added that her marriage was never consummated. By mid 1527, he fell completely in love with Anne BOLEYN who wanted to become the next Queen.

In order to annul his marriage with Cathrine, the Pope Clement VII needed to say so but he refused because he considered that his divorce with Catherine was illegal and not religious.

In 1527, the King asked his leading minister Thomas WOLSEY (cardinal WOLSEY) to appeal to the Pope for an annulment.

The King tried to use the Bible saying his marriage was cursed. Moreover, Pope Clement VII refused because Catherine was Spanish and her nephew, who was Charles V, was very important to her. In addition, Charles V had just invaded Rome taking the Pope ”hostage”, he was at Charles V mercy.

When WOLSEY failed to obtain the annulment for his marriage, Henry wanted to get rid of him. Moreover, WOLSEY died of natural circonstances on his way to go back to the King.

Thomas WOLSEY was then replaced by Thomas MORE in 1529.
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{{Henry VIII had to find another way to divorce Catherine. He called the Parliament which passed an act that put pressure on Rome for the annulment between 1529 and 1532. At that time there were plenty of lawyers in the parliament so it was easy for the king to pass his law in the Parliament.{{

The break with Rome :

During the next three years (1529-1532), Henry and his councillors continued to apply pressure on the Pope in order to have the divorce but at the same time, he was open to more radical suggestions. In 1530, Henry's intellectual CROMWELL and CRAMMER who became important figures as they could offer Henry a solution, carried out multiple research and they found evidence that supported the concept of the King as head of state for the Church. If that was the case, then Henry didn't need the Pope to divorce.

Consequences of the break with Rome
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In 1532, the King decided that he and England would no longer be subjected to a Spiritual authority open to manipulation from foreign rivals and enemies like Charles V.

From 1532-1536 a series of Acts passed to restrict the influence of Papacy in England. ==In 1532, we had the submission of the Clergy with the Act in Conditional Restraint of Annates==. ==In 1533, Act in Restraint of Appeals:== the realm of England is an Empire (sovereign state) subject only to its own government. In 1534, Act of Dispensation. In 1534, the Act of Annates, a type of taxe that went to the king to make him wealthier instead of the King. In 1534, The Treason Act.

In 1==534, Act of supremacy, the King was the supreme head of the English church== and was also the head of temple affairs (everything concerning administration).

Henry no longer sent money to Rome. Bishops (évêques) were now appointed by the King. The 25th january of 1533, we discovered that Anne BOLEYN was pregnant with a clergyman named CRAMMER, the Archbishop of Canterbury and that she married him in secret.

The law established England as an independent state (idea of a King working with the Parliament). Henry VIII used the English Parliament to make this legal. It was the first step to royal supremacy. He used Parliament to pass his laws and it also helped to establish the authority of the Parliament.

Despite his country becoming protestant, Henry VIII remained religiously conservative. He didn't believe in the Protestantism exposed by Martin LUTHER. In 1521, Henry previously wrote a book criticising Luther's teaching called “Defender of the Faith” and to reward him, the Pope gave him a title with the same name. In consequence of the break with Rome, England was protestant but Catholicism was still popular among people.

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In order to secure his throne, Henry began prosecuting his opponents.

Bishop FISHER or Thomas MORE, his chancellor refused to swear allegiance to the King so they were killed. It was a way to gain the support of the aristocracy (the fact that he broke free from the Pope and passed laws against the church).

Henry was a spender, unlike his father. In 1536, they decided to take the reformation further and that he would dissolve the monasteries.

The break with Rome was a revolutionary step to take and it required the strong support from the Parliament and severe methods of enforcement by the government to secure and make it a reality.

CROWNELL set out his men to inspect different monasteries. The lands, the buildings and the belongings were sold to the gentry. Many beautiful Cathedrals were destroyed. For many it was a cultural crime, precious manuscripts were destroyed. Many of the Monks (moines) received pensions. At this periode, we had a rise in the gentry because the King was selling those lands cheaply.

The gentry wanted to keep the lands for it not to return to the Church. There were a lot of social implications, monasteries, places where poor people would go. But now they don't have anything left. So there was an increase of poor people and ordinary people suffering.

Pilgrimage of Grace (1535):

Henry VIII accepted certain changes to the old religion. The most important were that in 1539, an official English Bible was published.

In 1536, a rebellion took place in the North of England. They were true Catholics. The monasteries were in a good state. They didn't want them to be destroyed. Plus they didn't like the people around the King and there were some social problems. They had to pay new taxes.

Between 1536 and 1540**,** Thomas CROMWELL became the new Chancellor.

Henry wanted to control the Church and its wealth. So he decided to destroy all the monasteries (lands, buildings and belongings were sold).

This act had social implications: monks and nuns turned out homeless. So the population of the North was angry because they wanted CROMWELL out and to restore all the monasteries. The Pilgrim carried a big banner showing the wounds of la piste. Henry was outnumbered and had to negotiate with them. He said that the King would pardon them. But a year later, another rebellion broke and Henry used this to get rid of them.

In 1540, Thomas CROMWELL died because he showed a picture of Anne of Cleve to the King, this later thought she was attractive, and when he saw her face to face he thought she was ugly. So the King decided to punish CROMWELL for that.

During his reign, Henry accepted moderate changes.

In 1539, he got the Parliament to pass the act of the 6 articles. The Church would still use certain wrists.

The other wives :
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Henry had been married 6 times:

Catherine of Aragon: divorced in 1533, mother of Mary I (1553-1558).
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Anne BOLEYN: executed for adultery and treason (1536), mother of Elizabeth The First.
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Jane SEYMOUR: died after giving birth of the future Edward VI (1547-1553).
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Anne of CLEVES: divorced in 1540, political marriage, secured an alliance with germany. CROMWELL set up the marriage but because Henry thought that she wasn't pretty, he sentenced CROMWELL to death in 1540.
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Catherine HOWARD: executed for adultery in 1542.
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Catherine PARR: survived, married in 1543 and outlived Henry VIII.
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Legacy of Henry VIII
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Henry created an independent Anglican Church with the monarch at its Supreme Head. He planted the seeds for Protestantism in England but there were further attacks to the Church's doctrine after his death. England really became a protestant country under his son's rule.

The Parliament was in permanent session, the role of the state was a more intrusive role. It discussed the King's personal matters such as marriage. The members of the Parliament, especially the House of the Commons enjoyed a new privileged position within the Constitution.

Henry VIII was considered to be the father of the modern English Nation. A few Kings tried to glorify the style and the splendour of the monarchy.

Henry is the first King to be addressed as “his Majesty” so he became known as his Majesty. He was also the Defender of the Faith and the Supreme Head of Church. Henry was the father of the Royal Court Navy, he built more warships. King Henry VIII also built out a spectacular Court.

However, he was always too keen to dispose of certain ministers and wives. Although he was a charismatic King, he had a very bad temper and could be very dangerous. After the reformation, Henry changed his personality, he became a tyrant. His impact was great but most of his league was reinvented by his successors.

Edward VI (1547-1553): The young King
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Edward VI was protestant. He became King at the age of 9 but was too young to actually rule the country. His reign was dominated by his two Protectors, the Duke of Somerset who was a good man and later the Duke of Northumberland who was ruthless and ambitious.

They were both protestants so King Edward was deeply influenced by Protestantism. This led to protestant reforms and moved England further toward Protestantism. Catholics bishops were replaced by protestant reformers, the persecution of protestant also stopped. It encouraged the European protestant Hugernots to come to England.

In 1549, the publication of a new Prayer Book was made. In 1549, an Act of Uniformity was issued to enforce it. In 1553, CRAMMER's 42 articles moved the Church towards Calvinism.

The King's health was delicate and worsened as he was suffering from tuberculosis. The question of his succession was raised. At first they thought of the Queen in Scotland but said no because she was catholic and scottish.

The Duke of Northumberland tried to secure the succession for his niece. He thought of his niece Lady Jane Grey who finally became Queen of England but only for 9 days, before being forced out to give way to Mary TUDOR, catholic daughter of Catherin of Aragon and Henry VIII.

England is now a Protestant country ruled by a Catholic Queen. England is going to become a Catholic country under Mary TUDOR.

Mary I (1553-1558): The restoration of Catholicism, The Bloody Mary
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Edward VI was protestant. He became King at the age of 9 but was too young to actually rule the country. His reign was dominated by his two Protectors, the Duke of Somerset who was a good man and later the Duke of Northumberland who was ruthless and ambitious.

In 1549, the publication of a new Prayer Book was made. In 1549, an Act of Uniformity was issued to enforce it. In 1553, CRAMMER's 42 articles moved the Church towards Calvinism.

The Duke of Northumberland tried to secure the succession for his niece. He thought of his niece Lady Jane Grey who finally became Queen of England but only for 9 days, before being forced out to give way to Mary TUDOR, catholic daughter of Catherin of Aragon and Henry VIII.

England is now a Protestant country ruled by a Catholic Queen. England is going to become a Catholic country under Mary TUDOR.

Mary the first reigned for 5 years. She restored the Catholic doctrine. When she became Queen, the country was very happy but her popularity was short-lived.

She was a devoted catholic and married Philip II of Spain. She undid everything her father had done to the Church. The restored the Authority of Rome and cancelled the Act of Supremacy of 1534 and returned the English Church to Rome. Roman Catholicism was imposed on England. Restoring the Catholic Church was very popular but restoring the authority of Rome wasn't. Mary burnt the heretics between 1555 and 1558, almost 300. It is why she was nicknamed Bloody Mary.

Her disastrous foreign policy made her even more unpopular, she supported Spain's war with France where England lost Calais and provoked a crisis in the TUDOR dynasty. Mary also feared that Philip, King of Spain would seize the throne.

Mary I had no heir as she never got pregnant. Elizabeth had been imprisoned under her half- sister’s reign but managed not to displease her and retained her place in the succession. Mary didn’t want Elizabeth to have the throne but she didn't have the choice.

Before dying, Mary made Elizabeth promise that she will follow her ruling. Moreover, Elizabeth just replied that she will follow God's will. Mary died in 1558 suffering from a malignant tumor.