henry

• When did Henry VIII become king?

  1509
• Who was appointed as one of Henry's advisers in 1510?

  Thomas Wolsey
• What happened in 1512 - 1514?

  War with France. Very expensive, Wolsey impressed Henry with his organisation.
• When did Wolsey become Chancellor and chief minister?

  1515
• The Field of Cloth of Gold

  1520 - where Henry met Francis near Calais to show off his power.
• Controversy of the Amicable Grant

  Not passed by Parliament.

  Had only ten weeks to pay it and many could not afford it.
• Consequences of the Amicable Grant

  People refused to pay.

  Large rebellion.

  Tax abandoned.

  War postponed.

  Wolsey humiliated and could not raise taxes which limited him and the King's power.

  Henry began to doubt Wolsey's judgement.

  Wolsey's enemies had more influence.
• How was Tudor society organised?

  God

  King

  Nobles (greater land owners)

  Gentry (lesser landowners)

  Wealthy merchants

  Yeoman (land owning farmers)

  Tenant farmers (land renting farmer)

  Craftspeople, labourers, servants, unemployed.
• Trade


  wool and cloth exported to the Netherlands.
• London


  biggest city and centre of trade
• Henry VIII strengths


  Young and good figure head.

  Good experienced advisers.

  England was stable.

  Marriage gave good connection with Spain.

  Rich
• Henry VIII weaknesses


  Simplistic - wanted power by any cost

  Not willing to do day to day tasks.

  Egotistical.
• Wolsey background


  father butcher and cattle dealer.

  humble roots upset entitled ability.
• Wolsey's rise to power

  1498 - degree at Oxford.

  1509 - became member of Royal council

  1514 - Archbishop of York

  1515 - Becomes Lord chancellor, chief minister and a cardinal.

  1518 - becomes Papal legate the representative of England to the Pope.
• Wolsey's Reforms - Enclosure

  Introduced fenced divisions to give landowners land to graze sheep for the wool trade.

  Left tenant farmers with little land.
• Wolsey's Reforms - Justice

  Strengthened the star chamber - a royal court that issued justice for King

  Gave poor more power in court leading to many court cases being brought against landowners.
• Wolsey's Reforms - Eltham Ordinances

  Spending cuts in palaces to allow money elsewhere
• Wolsey's Reforms - finance

  fifteenths and tenths taxes

  landowners lent money to government

  Crown lands - took some land from nobility to the King to increase income

  Subsidy - tax on income in a fraction of what you were paid.
• Wolsey's foreign policy aims

  Create better relationships with France and the Holy Roman empire

  To give Henry opportunity for military glory

  Allow Henry to be peace maker.
• Wolsey's Foreign Policy Successes

  1514 - Battle of Spurs gave victory to Henry in France

  1518 - the treaty of London organised by Wolsey agreed peace between 20 European leaders and put England centre of European politics

  1520 - Field of Cloth and gold
• Wolsey's foreign policy failures

  1522 - 1525 - Treaty of Bruges failed as Charles V did not give Henry military support to gain the French throne and was forced to retreat. Expensive and unpopular.

  1529 - treaty of Cambrai peace deal took place without Henry and Wolsey greatly damaging their influence.
• Factors influencing Henry VIII's annulment

  No male heir

  Love for Anne Boleyn

  Henry found support in the Bible for God punishing him for marrying his brothers wife by giving him no son.
• How Wolsey attempted to gain an annulment

  Tried to use his influence of Pope to gain annulment.

  Said that Henry's marriage was not valid as the dispensation the pope had given (because Henry was marrying his brothers wife) was incorrectly worded. Pope refused this proposal as he could not be wrong.

  Cardinal Campeggio came to England and Wolsey believed he could influence him, but Campeggio just delayed proceedings until they gave up.

  There was a lot of opposition from strong Catholics e.g. Thomas more and the commoners who liked Catherine for fighting scots in North and charity.
• Wolsey's Fall From Power - factors

  Amicable grant

  Annulment failure

  foreign policy failure

  the Boleyn faction - disliked Wolsey due to his failed Annulment and spread rumours about his lack of loyalty to the King and tried to influence the King to axe him.
• Thomas Cromwell (1485-1540)


  English lawyer and statesman who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII of England from 1532 to 1540 after Wolsey. He was one of the strongest and most powerful advocates of the English Reformation. He helped engineer an annulment of the king's marriage to Queen Catherine so that Henry could lawfully marry Anne Boleyn. He was later executed for treason and heresy.
• How did Cromwell gain the King his annulment?

  Act of succession 1534 - Stated that only the children from Henry's second marriage could inherit the throne.

  Act of supremacy 1534 - The king not the pope controlled the English church. Increased king's wealth and power.
• Why did Henry break away from the Church in Rome?

  Pope's failure to grant annulment.

  Protestant influence from Cromwell.

  Allegations of corruption in the church.
• Fall of Anne Boleyn


  1536 - was executed for adultery and treason.

  reasons:

  miscarriage not giving male heir

  Opinionated and loud personality annoyed Henry

  Many enemies in court spread rumours (e.g. the Seymours)

  Cromwell investigation
• Cromwell's reforms, royal council

  changed it to a smaller privy council that was composed of professional administrators and lawyers stopping rich nobles dominating and a clerk was appointed to record decisions.
• Cromwell's reforms, council of the North

  made it permanent institution and increased it's power in 1537 to prevent rebellion and enforce law. After pilgrimage of grace.
• Cromwell's reforms, financial reforms.

  Set up court of Augmentation to deal with money from dissolution of monasteries.

  Set up court of First fruits and tenths to deal with taxes previously sent to the Pope.
• Cromwell's reforms, Wales


  Wales was put under English control and law, split into counties controlled by JPs. To tackle disorder in Wales and gain support of Welsh gentry by giving them equal power to English gentry.
• Cromwell's use of parliament

  used parliament to gain support of Nobility.

  controlled parliament to pass laws the king wanted by being an mp and intimidation of opposition.
• Marriage to Anne of Cleves

  organised by Cromwell to gain protestant ally.

  Henry met her and thought she was ugly and hated her.

  Cromwell encouraged Henry to marry.

  Ended in divorce.

  Henry was upset with Cromwell for it and led to distrust.
• Cromwell's fall from power


  Many enemies that opposed him due to his protestant ideas.

  Duke of Norfolk had influence over Henry as the uncle of Catherine Howard. Was a fierce rival of Cromwell.

  The marriage to Anne of Cleves led to Henry distrusting Cromwell.
• Dissolution of the Monasteries

  Henry VIII began confiscating the property of the monasteries in 1538. By doing this he gained power over the church and financial income from valuable confiscations.
• Pilgrimage of Grace


  An uprising led by Robert Aske in the North of England in 1536 posed a serious threat to the English crown. Both gentry and peasants were angry over:

  the dissolution of monasteries led to homeless,

  the many increasing taxes

  feared that their spiritual needs would no longer be met.

  Henry VIII was able to suppress this as a result of his political power.
• Why did the pilgrimage of grace fail?

  Due to Robert Aske's misplaced faith in the King who had to be ruthless to assert his control.
• Social hierarchy of the countryside

  - Nobility

  - Gentry

  - Yeomen

  - Tenant farmers

  - Landless of labouring poor

  - Vagrants, homeless
• Social hierarchy of towns

  - Merchants

  - Professionals

  - Business Owners

  - Craftsmen

  - Unemployed