Henry VIII+Cromwell

• The catholics became more powerful in court and his death was celebrated, as he was blamed for the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
• Henry soon began to regret Cromwell’s execution when he realised how good he had been at his job.
• Cromwell was the son of a London Blacksmith, and didn’t go to school.
• Cromwell joined the French army in 1503, moved to Italy to work for a merchant banker, and then a cloth merchant in Belgium.
• In 1514, Cromwell returned to England to be a merchant and set up a legal firm.
• Cromwell began to work for Wolsey and was a member of his council by 1519.
• By 1529, Cromwell was Wolsey’s main advisor, taking on high profile cases in the star chamber and delivering news to Henry.
• In 1523, Cromwell became an MP and used his position to defend Wolsey in parliament and court in 1529.
• Cromwell must have known that his future was at risk, as he had no job in court without Wolsey, and risked also being targeted by the anti-wolsey faction.
• Cromwell’s talents and loyalty to Wolsey impressed Henry, who appointed him to the royal council in 1531.
• Cromwell realised the Pope would never agree to the annulment, so proposed that parliament should pass a law transferring the power from the Pope to Henry.
• This was shocking at the time, and parliament’s power were increased highly.
• By January 1533, Anne was pregnant, so had to be married for the child to be legitimate.
• Thomas Cranmer (the archbishop of Canterbury) secretly married them, but the catholic church said Henry was still married to Catherine.
• In March 1533, parliament passed the Act in Restraint of Appeals, saying that England was not subject to foreign rule-Henry was the Supreme Head of England and could now grant his own annulment.
• Jane's older brother Edward was made Earl of Hertford 3 days after Prince Edward was born.
• The 1536 Act of Union made Wales part of England, replacing Welsh laws with English ones and dividing Wales into counties, each with a JP.
• Cromwell realised people preferred decisions if they were involved in making them.
• The Court of First Fruits and Tenths was created in 1540 to collect tax from the clergy.
• In October 1537, Jane Seymour gave birth to Edward, but died 2 weeks later from infection.
• Edward Seymour became one of Henry's leading advisors, and helped Edward rule after Henry's earth in 1547.
• Cromwell took the first steps towards making England a modern bureaucracy, with each court receiving money from a specific source of income, and could only pay out money for specific reasons.
• Jane Seymour was not involved in politics, but helped to improve Henry's relationship with Mary.
• Cromwell’s financial reforms included the King’s Chamber, which was in charge of keeping track of Henry’s spending and income, and the Court of Augmentations, created to deal with the income and property from the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
• Cromwell set up the Privy Council, which was simpler and staffed by professionals, not nobles or clergymen.
• When gaining the annulment, Cromwell realised that parliament could make radical changes, and in the next 8 years (up to 1540), 333 acts were passed.
• Anne Boleyn was executed the day after her marriage to Henry VIII, and he married Jane Seymour three days later.
• For most of Henry’s reign, parliament did not have a big role, with Henry making all the decisions and announcing laws.
• The Council of the North was strengthened under the 1536 Franchises and Liberties Act, making it permanent and giving it responsibility for law and order.
• Cranmer led the annulment case and announced that the original Papal Dispensation for Henry and Catherine’s marriage was not valid, so they had never been legally married, so the marriage to Anne was the legal one.
• Anne was crowned queen a week later during huge celebrations.
• Securing the annulment made Cromwell chief minister, taking on legal, religious and financial issues.
• Cromwell was never richer or as powerful as Wolsey.
• Henry had now grown up and took more of a role in government, so wanted Cromwell to carry out his wishes, not make decisions on his behalf (he was never Lord Chancellor).
• Anne gave birth to Elizabeth in September 1533, Henry was disappointed.
• She was pregnant again by 1536, but miscarried after Henry's shocking jousting accident, but he was unsympathetic.
• She potentially has another miscarriage before in 1534.
• Henry was now 45, and he feared he would not have a son and heir.
• The Pope had written the Papal Bull, saying that anyone could invade and take over england, making Henry more desperate for a son.
• Cromwell was asked to investigate the rumour that Anne was having an affair.