government

• structure:

  1509-1514: conciliar gov.

  1514-1529: wolsey

  1529-1532: conciliar gov.

  1532-1540: cromwell

  1540-1547: conciliar gov
• council

  • advised
  • senior councillors against war with France
  • reliant on them
• privy chamber

  • closest quarters
  • personal monarchy
  • 'minions' - young courtiers became more powerful than councillors
• parliament

  • helped pass laws and grant extraordinary revenue
  • called 9times
  • grew in importance - reformation laws 1530s
• chancery

  • main court of equity in the kingdom; administer justice
  • oversaw the legal system
  • upheld 'fair' justice
  • Wolsey developed court of star chamber
  • became too popular - clogged with too many cases
• chief ministers?

  • Wolsey 1514-1529
  • Cromwell 1532-1540
  • Moore, conciliar gov 1529-32
• why did the first council come to an end? 1509-1514

  • didn't agree with H8 foreign policy = disenchanted
  • impressed by walleyes admistrative skills
  • more attuned to governing
• reasons for break with Rome:

  • succession
  • religion
  • power
  • love
• succession

  • Catherine had several miscarriages - little chance for heir
  • considered legitimising bastard son but advised otherwise
  • Boleyn had fallen pregnant 1532, CofAs last pregnancy 1518
  • enquires by the French about legitimacy of Mary
• religion:

  • marriage was in contravention of Leviticus = punishment
  • church was weakening
  • challenge to the legal supremacy
  • much critiscm of the church; humanist and anti-clericalist
  • cambridge theologians used historical documents to justify divorce
  • head of church = legislative force to royal supremacy - influnece
• final council 1540-47

  • conciliar gov restored
  • privy council with fixed membership, supported by a secretary who kept a formal record of proceedings
  • gov more professional after cromwell
• individuals:

  • conservatives, Norfolk, Stephen gardiner, Thomas wriothesley
  • problems with marital issues helped shift balance of power as at this time they dominated England
• marriage to Catherine howard:

  • set up by Norfolk, eager to benefit politically between his family and the king
  • H8 found she was sexually experienced - adultery with distant cousin Thomas Culpepper
  • executed as where Catherine and Jane Boleyn (lady of bed chamber)
  • relatives implicated and disgraced
  • Norfolk wounded politically
• henrys death

  • whoever was most influential at the end would be in a position to dominate under his successor
  • norfolk vs Edward Seymour (janes brother, Edward VIs uncle)
  • council dominated by faction, many political rivalries
• conciliar gov. 1509-1514 - successes


  relied on parliament

  council had majority control

  Richard fox and earl of Oxford helped establish H8 reign
• conciliar gov. 1509-1514 - failures


  didn't agree with H8 foreign policy

  disenchanted

  only summoned in 1510 and 1512
• conciliar gov. 1509-1514 - reasons for end


  impressed with Wolseys administrative skills
• Thomas Wolsey 1514-1529 - successes


  effectively administered law and order

  gained king extraordinary revenue

  1527convened a 'fake court'

  ran gov. efficiently

  • court of star chamber
  • national committee
  • enclosure and profiteering
• Thomas Wolsey 1514-1529 - failures


  poor relationship with parliament

  amicable grant caused resistance 1525

  couldn't control privy chamber

  failed to solve great matter

  unpopular with nobles
• Thomas Wolsey 1514-1529 - reasons for end


  didn't resolve kings great matter
• conciliar gov (Thomas Moore) 1529-1532 - successes


  Moore was obliged to ask the kings forgiveness for the boisterousness

  beginning of reformation of parliament 1529-1536

  bigger influence on humanist beliefs
• conciliar gov (Thomas Moore) 1529-1532 - failures


  pariament - gambling about Wolseys financial demands

  subsidy needed to finance renewal of war against france

  didn't resolve the kings great matter

  Moore defended the right to express critical opinions
• conciliar gov (Thomas Moore)1529-1532 - reasons for end


  emergence of Thomas Cromwell and his promise of annulment
• Thomas Cromwell 1532-1540 - successes


  caused break with Rome and royal supremacy act - marriage to Anne Boleyn

  'reformed parliament' = increased influence

  made crown financially independent from parliament

  modernised and restored exchequer
• Thomas Cromwell 1532-1540 - failures


  religious changes caused rebellions

  league of schmalkalden - marriage to Anne of cleeves = annulled immediately

  returned to previous practices

  revolutionary?

  foreign policy
• Thomas Cromwell 1532-1540 - reasons for end


  failure to manage the kings marital affairs satisfactorily
• conciliar gov. 1540-1547 - successes

  privy council = fixed membership, supported by a secretary who kept a formal record of proceedings

  passed more religious legislation - extraordinary revenue
• conciliar gov. 1540-1547 - failures


  council didn't want to inaugurate the reign with bloodshed

  question of the kings control and power?

  political rivalries

  Norfolk overlooked Catherine Howards previous relations - adultry
• conciliar gov. 1540-1547 - reasons for end

  Henry VIII died