Henry VIII + Wolsey

• Henry VIII came to power in 1509.
• England was a hierarchical society and strongly Catholic during the time of Henry VIII.
• Tudor England was hierarchical, meaning that you were ranked based on wealth and social status.
• The Boleyn family, including Anne, her father Thomas, and her brother George, claimed that Wolsey was secretly sabotaging the annulment as he favoured Catherine.
• Other nobles who felt they had been treated unfairly, such as in the Eltham Ordinances, sided with the Boleyns to persuade Henry to remove Wolsey from power.
• God was at the top of the “Great Chain of Being”, and everyone was expected to know their place and respect those above them.
• Most people accepted the hierarchy and only a few talented individuals, such as Wolsey and Cromwell, moved up the social ladder.
• Most people in England shared the same Roman Catholic religion and lived in the countryside during the time of Henry VIII.
• Henry VIII became king in 1509 at 17, ruling 2.5 million people.
• Henry quickly married his brother Arthur’s widow, Catherine of Aragon, to keep the alliance with Spain.
• Henry was athletic, generous, educated, stubborn and a show-off.
• Henry believed in the Divine Right of Kings, the idea that God had put him on the throne, so he was only answerable to God.
• Henry was also a strict Catholic.
• Henry’s aims were to decide England’s policy for himself, achieve victories in foreign wars (against France), create a magnificent royal court through art, architecture, dress and entertainment and by attracting great scholars and artists to court, maintain law and order, be a good servant to the Church, and produce a son to continue the Tudor dynasty.
• Henry VIII was popular with the public, inherited a rich and stable country with an established system of government, loved his wife Catherine and had a strong alliance with Spain.
• Henry VIII surrounded himself with experienced advisors and had ambitions to be a great king.
• Henry VIII’s weaknesses included having little experience of government, not wanting to be involved in the day to day business of England, and his attitude to kingship was based on heroic legends rather than reality.
• Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII’s first chief minister, was the son of an Ipswich butcher but was educated at Oxford University and then studied to be a priest.
• In 1509, Thomas Wolsey became the Royal Almoner, giving charity to the poor on Henry’s behalf, making him a member of the royal court.
• Wolsey warned Henry against expensive wards but knew his job depended on keeping Henry happy.
• The Treaty of Cambrai in 1529 saw Charles V and Francis I agree to end the war.
• The War Against France in 1522-1525 was declared by Henry, and he agreed to attack Paris with Charles and the Duke of Bourbon in 1523 with 11,000 troops.
• The Field of Cloth of Gold in 1520 was a diplomatic meeting between Henry and Francis, a fortnight of feasting and jousting with no expense spared as both kings wanted to show off.
• The Second Campaign in France in 1513 captured two French towns (Therouanne and Tornai) and defeated the French in the Battle of the Spurs.
• The League of Cognac in 1526 was organised by Wolsey but he didn’t join, an alliance against Charles expansion into Italy, along with France, the Pope, Venice and Florence.
• The Treaty of More in 1525 saw Henry ally with France as Charles didn’t value or respect him.
• The Treaty of London in 1518 was a universal peace between France, England and Spain, promising not to attack each other.
• Wolsey tried to have Henry perceives as the peacemaker, not trouble maker, in Europe.
• The Treaty of Bruges in 1521 was an alliance between Henry and Charles V.
• Seeking an annulment from his wife, Catherine (aunt of Charles V), Henry wanted to get an annulment from the Pope, who was the only person who could grant it.
• The Treaty of Westminster in 1527 threatened Charles V with war if he didn’t improve relationships with neighbouring countries.
• The capture of the Pope in 1527 saw Charles’ troops attack Rome and imprison the Pope during their campaign in Italy.
• The War Against Charles V in 1528 saw France and England declare war on Charles in Italy, but no English troops were sent to fight.
• The Battle of Pavia in 1525 saw Charles V fight Francis I in northern Italy, with the French army destroyed and Francis captured.
• Henry saw the Second Campaign in France as a success, but the two towns were of little value, the battle was only small and the cost was high.
• The 1512 Invasion of France ended in humiliation as Henry’s army was too drunk and diseased to achieve anything.
• In 1512, Thomas Wolsey organized Henry’s army for the war with France.
• Henry VIII was impressed by Thomas Wolsey’s work and promoted him to Lord Chancellor in 1515, making him his chief minister.
• Wolsey improved the tax system by basing it on income and sent commissioners to reassess valuations.
• In 1523, wealthy landowners in parliament protested and Wolsey was force to stop the enquiry.