Government

• court, privvy council,privvy chamber

  • court- anyone who attended king apart of upper society
  • privvy council- apppointed by ing changed from kings council and privvy council
  • privvy chamber- part of household and become the minons
• privy council

  • 20 men who advice the council
  • mebers of the council varied as me fellout of favour
  • charles brandon-duke of suffolk
  • thomas wolsey - infulential
  • thomal cromwell
• privy chamber

  • more important than in henry 7th reign
  • presiege and honour -henry closets companions
• parliment

  • extraordinary revenue - other of taxation
  • legislation
• concilliar government

  • 1509- 1514
  • retired on henry 7th councillers
  • started to break down over foreign policy
• wolsey

  • son of ipswitch baker
  • intelligence and politicaly savvy
  • used church for vehicle for advancment presit - 1498
  • king almoner 1509- distribute charity
  • learnt from bishop fox- got him a seat on the council
  • expedition 1513 efficent and organised
  • 1514- Archbishop of York
  • 1515- cardina
  • 1515- chancellor
  • 1518- papal legate
  • 1524-legitimatr power for life
  • henry cieft minister for 14 years
• wolsey legal reforms

  • chancery
  • inheritance,wills,land trust
  • judge-others often deputisded for him
  • star chamber- 12 to 120 cases per year
• wosley image

  • friend to poor
  • determind to gain justice
  • too popular
• wolsey finances change

  • fifteenths and tenths couldnt be exploited
  • tudor subsidy
  • rid of local commisions
  • created national commitee
  • 1522 survey £200,000
  • 1523problems with parliment
• amicable grant

  • 1525
  • henry wanted to defete france so needed money but caused unhapiness
  • unparlimentry tax
  • in theory: gifted money in reality: tax without parliment approval
  • earl of essex reported 1000 met on the boarders
  • duke of norfolk and suffolk faced 4000 resisters
  • wolsey begged the king for a pardon
• futher wolsey financial changes

  • 1526 - recoinage take the expensive part off coin
  • 1526- eltham ordinances
  • disguise of reducing household expenditurees so reduced number of privvy chamber
  • replacing groom of the stool
• wolsey nobility change

  • created network of informants to intimidate enemies
  • 1519 and 1529 usucessfully tried to remove minons from privvy chamber
  • interfered in marriage arragments
• buckingham downfall

  • wolsey neutralises other influence
  • questioning succession
  • executed 17 may 1521
• Tomas moore

  Lawyer and scholar
• Tomas moore's roles

  • Diplomatic events
  • Advisor
  • Chancellor -1529
  • Strict moral code
  • Attacked wolsey - 1529 parliament
  • Protestant heretic- 1531-1532
  • Resigned 1532
  • 1534 refused to take oath of supremacy
  • 1535 executed
• Great men of tudor government

  • Wolsey-15 years
  • Cromwell - 8 years
  • Cecil - 40 years
• Thomas cromwell

  Shaped the system of government
• Thomas cromwell's achievements

  • Administration
  • Worship
  • How taxes were paid and counted made wales conform o english idea
  • Brake down traditional independence of the north
  • Crown financially independent from parliament - separate stream not parliament
• Thomas cromwell

  • Came from a humble background
  • Became a lawyer
  • Noticed by walsey
  • Became trusted
  • 1531- council
  • 1534- in charge of different sections
  • Transform due to the greater matter
• Parliament

  • Blue print for success
  • Huge change
  • Parliament was raley used and not significant for the first 20ys
  • Ensure representatives fom land would be involved
  • Financial and legal power increased
• Parliament of 1529

  • Unlike any previous parliament
  • Remained in session for 7 years
  • Used extensively by cromwell to secue break with rome
  • Used to increase royal supremacy by strengthaning statuelaw
• Impact of Parliament

  • More experienced mps
  • Developed regular proceders eg for a bill to pass it needed 3 readings in house of commons and lords
  • Legislating in new areas it didnt come previously
• Composition of house of lords

  • 51 peers
  • 21 bishops
  • 29 abbots
• Composition of house of lords after dissolution

  • 51 peers
  • No abbots
  • 29 bishops
• Composition of house of commons

  • 310 members of the house
  • 74 english counties
  • 236 representing towns and boroughs
• Composition of house of commons after dissolution

  • 310 members of the house
  • 74 representing the english counties
  • 14 boroughs given the right to elect mps
• Financial management institutions

  • Court of augmentations - controlled lands and finances formerly under the control of catholic church
  • The court of general surveyors - initaly handed ex monastic lands, eventually got amalgamated into cour of augmentations
  • The court of first fruits and tenths- collected money previously sent to rome
  • The court of wards- old fuedal right of kingto collect money from an estate a minor anyone under 21 who inherited it
• Faction

  A small organised dissenting group within a larger one, especially in politics
• Groom of the stool 1 - Sir William Crompton

  • 1509-1526
  • Wolsey got rid of the minions, therefore removal of him
  • Eltham ordinances
  • Died in 1528 due to sweating sickness
• Groom of the stool 2 - Sir Henry Norris


  • 1526-1536
  • Wolsey helped him gain power
  • He was close to the Boleyn faction which ultimately caused his downfall
• Groom of the stool 4 - Sir Anthony Denny

  • 1536-1547
  • He was close with Edward Seymour, Jane Seymour
  • Tried to influence the will near Henry's death
• Factions and grooms of the stool

  The factions influenced the promotions into power
• Anne Boleyn

  • Argued she was pregnant in 1532
  • Married Henry in 1533
  • Used influence to promote Protestant, but Protestants couldn't say it as it was heresy, therefore known as religious reformers
  • Gave birth to Elizabeth 7 September 1533
  • Miscarriage/stillbirth in 1534
  • Catherine of Aragon died 1536, solidified Anne's dying power as Henry could get rid of her and start fresh
  • Anne found Jane Seymour with a locket given to her by Henry
  • Anne had another miscarriage and it turned out to be a boy
  • People speculated she was sortilege (witchcraft)
  • Rumours of Anne Boleyn's affairs with Mark Smeaton, Henry Norris, Sir Francis Weston, William Breton, Thomas Wyatt, George Boleyn
• Anne's trial

  • On 2 May 1536, Anne was arrested and taken to the Tower of London
  • 1 May - trial overseen by her uncle Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk
  • Charged with adultery, incest, high treason - she was guilty according to the court
  • On 17 May 1536 Cranmer declared Anne's marriage to Henry null and void
  • Executed 19 May 1536
  • Elizabeth was 2 years and 8 months old
• Jane Seymour

  • Henry married Jane Seymour 11 days later
  • Tried to reconcile Henry and Mary
  • She didn't play a major role
  • Tried to intervene for religion
  • 12 October 1537 - Prince Edward born
  • 24 October she died
• Factions

  • Conservatives (Thomas Howard, Gardiner)
  • Religious reformers (Cranner, Edward Seymour)
• Conservatives

  Want to keep Catholicism and do minimal reforms
• Religious reformers (Protestants)

  Want religious changes
• Thomas Cromwell

  Wanted religious changes, accused Norfolk of disloyalty
• Thomas Howard

  Opposed religious reforms, called Cromwell a liar