Henry the eighth

• Henry’s foreign policy in the 1520s was based on the idea that England should be a ‘great power’
• Thomas Cromwell, born in 1485, rose from a poor background to become a key figure in Henry VIII's government
• Government under Henry VIII

  1. Analysis of governance from 1509-1529, focusing on the Woolsey period and the question of how effectively England was governed during this time

  2. Analysis of governance from 1529-1547, focusing on Thomas Cromwell and other notable figures like Thomas More, Thomas Cranmer, and Thomas Wolsey
• Thomas More was appointed Lord Chancellor in 1529 following the removal of Woolsey, but resigned in 1532 over the submission of the clergy and was later convicted of treason and executed
• Thomas More was a man of rigid principle and an important humanist writer who wrote Utopia in 1516
• Thomas Cromwell facilitated the removal of Anne Boleyn and the marriage to Jane Seymour


  Henry VIII was pleased with Cromwell's actions
• Cromwell played a key role in justifying England's independence from Rome and declaring Henry's first marriage to be null and void
• Thomas Cromwell's rise in government positions from lawyer to Lord Privy Seal, culminating in his execution in 1540
• Acts related to the split from Rome

  • First Act of NH to stop payments to Rome
  • Acts of restraints on appeals to Rome in 1533
• The main focus of government during this period was the divorce and the split from Rome
• Henry marries while Anne Boleyn is heavily pregnant in 1534
• Archbishop declares Henry's first marriage to be not null and void


  Katherine cannot appeal to Rome, leading to the marriage being finalized
• Cromwell plays a key role in justifying England's independence
• First Act of Succession declares Henry's marriage invalid and confirms Elizabeth as heir while declaring Mary as illegitimate
• Bishops are appointed by the king, not the pope
• The submission of clergy leads to the downfall of Thomas More
• Act to stop Peter's Pence abolishes payments of taxation to the Roman Church, redirecting them to the crown
• Act of Supremacy in 1534 consolidates Henry's control over the Church, making him the supreme head of the Church in England
• Treason is defined as questioning the Act of Supremacy


  It is considered treason and punishable by death
• Acts of First Fruits and Tents ensure all clerical taxes go to the king, not the pope
• Reform in government with a smaller, more streamlined council composed mainly of professionally trained lawyers and bureaucrats
• Privy Chamber remains important for the finances, but there is a shift towards a more professional form of government with specialization into different areas
• Establishment of new financial departments under Cromwell, including the Court of Augmentations, General Surveyor, and Court of Wards
• Wolsey’s reforms were not popular with the clergy and he was forced to resign in 1529
• Members of parliament gaining experience

  Parliament sitting all the time during this period
• Parliament running from 1529 to 1536


  Looks very different from earlier parliaments in terms of length and legislation passed
• Historians, notably Jeffrey Elton, argue that there was a revolution in government at this point in time
• Parliament during the period

  • Parliament sitting solidly for seven years, unprecedented legislation passed, passing legislation on new areas, Cromwell using parliament in a new way, MPs and Lords developing new experience in law
• Cromwell still uses an important area for finances
• There is a more professional form of government with specialization into different areas
• Procedures and things being established during this time period, such as three readings in both the House of Lords and House of Commons for statute law
• King in parliament

  Law making carried out in parliament rather than by the king alone, statute law passing through both the House of Commons and the House of Lords and then signed by the king
• Parliament legislating in areas it has never been involved in before, notably the church and monastic lands
• Parliament gaining strong political power during this time period
• Elton argues there was a political revolution during this time period
• Constitutionally, there have been revolutionary changes with the king having power over new areas
• Critics argue that the crown already had significant influence over church appointments and emergency taxation, suggesting the revolution may not be as significant as claimed
• Henry VIII and the Tudors that followed him returned to the previous way of using parliament sporadically
• The privy council was seen as the engine of government
• There is a debate about the power of parliament in Elizabeth's reign compared to Henry VIII's reign