Cromwells Government

• The reformation parliament lasted from 1529 to 1536
• Cromwell was chief minister from 1532 to 1540
• Cromwell didn't have the range of influence that Wolsey had but still dominated government
• Cromwell diminished the role of household government and increased his role in the state bureaucracy
• The importance of parliament increased
• In 1528 Cristopher St. Germain asserted dominance of English law over Canon law, the Collectanea Satis Copiosa provided intellectual justification and Henry gained expert opinions from the continental universities to weaken the church.
• In 1531 the clergy were collectively accused of praemunire and forced to acknowledge Henry as supreme head of the church
• 1532 Act in Conditional Restain Annates withheld income from Bishop office usually given to Pope
• 1532 Saw the formal submission of the clergy which caused Thomas More to resign
• 1534 saw the first act of Supremacy where Henry was declared Supreme Head of Church of England
• Archbishop of Canterbury Warham died and was replaced with Cranmer who married Anne and Henry in secret and annulled the marriage to Catherine in January 1533
• 1533 Act in restraint of appeals stated that monarchs had imperial power and couldn't be influenced by foreign powers such as the papacy. The evidence was taken from the collectanea satis copiosa
• 1534 Succession act made marriage to Anne legitimate and named future children as heirs. It also forced people to take an oath to affirm the legitimacy of the marriage and refusal meant treason
• 1534 treason act made it illegal to describe Henry as infidel, usurper of the crown, tyrant or heretic
• 1536 - 1542 Dissolution of monasteries
• Anne Boleyn died in 1536 and so did Catherine meaning that if Henry had married Jane in a Catholic Service, it would have been legitimate in the eyes of the Catholic Church
• Cromwell organised the marriage between Henry and Anne of Cleeves to reconcile Henry with the League of Schmalkalden
• The failure of Henry's marriage to Cleeves made Cromwell weak enough to allow his enemies to organise his downfall.
• Henry VIII married Norfolk's niece Katherine Howard in 1540 on the day of Cromwells execution
• The protestant reformation was in tatters by 1540 as Henry burned three protestants at the stake for heresy. He did however also burn 3 Catholic priests at the same t for denying royal supremacy
• Conciliar government returned and Norfolk was in power until the affair between Howard and Culpepper came to light. Although he evaded punishment, his power was gone
• Catherine Parr convinced Henry to return Mary and Elizabeth to the line of succession, and Norfol unsuccessfully tried to accuse her of heresy.
• Political rivalries intensified as Henry's health deteriorated e.g. Seymour vs. Norfolk
• Norfolk was compromised by his son the Earl of Surrey who threatened the throne and was executed
• Henry consented to Norfolks death but died before it could happen. Instead he remained in the tower kf London through Edwards reign