Henry & His Ministers

• How many people lived in England and Wales in 1509?

  Around 2.25 million
• Where did most people live?

  -In either villages -in timber framed houses- or in towns
• What percentage of people lived in the countryside, and towns, in 1509?

  Towns- 6% Countryside- 94%
• What did everyones health and prosperity usually depend on?

  The quality of each years harvest
• Why were there few opportunities for people to improve their positions?

  -Society was structured hierarchically, therefore people were expected to know there place in society: respecting those above them and caring for those below.
• Why was the standard of living high?

  -The population was small and so there was plenty of work
• What was the role of the King?

  -Made all the key decisions, such as whether to go to war, when Parliament should meet, whom at appoint his councillors. -Expected to listen to advice from his leading councillors -Appointed by God
• Who were the gentry?

  -Important landowners in each county, some of whom were very wealthy
• What was the role of the gentry?

  -They were needed by the King to keep government running locally an to act as judges and sheriffs in each county -Many were trained as lawyers and all were trained as soldiers
• What was The Royal Household?


  -Consisted of Henry and his family, and the servants needed to care for the Royal family
• Who were nobles?


  -The wealthiest landowners, who had huge local influence -They were the monarch's leading advisors
• What was The Court?

  -Consisted of the Household, the King's friends and advisors -Not a physical building, but instead groups of people -They were wherever the King chose to be
• Who were the Chief Ministers?

  -King Henry's leading advisors, who took on huge amounts of work, tried to solve the King's various problems and made the government work to achieve his aims -There was no official title for this role, but is often used by historians
• What was The Council?

  -Consisted of men chosen by Henry to be his advisors, typically nobleman, senior members of Church, and lawyers. -Also included the heads of government departments, such as Lord Treasurer -They had frequent meetings and were responsible for administration
• What was the role of Parliament?

  -To raise taxes for special occasions, such as war -Met when summoned by King -Members of the House of Commons were all wealthy men
• What were the advantages of wool trade?

  -It was a source of wealth for gentry and nobility who owned large flocks of sheep. -Wool was exported, in particular to the Netherlands. This increased the wealth of merchants in port cities like London and Bristol. -Exports increased the wealth of the king and the crown as they levied a tax on each sack of wool exported
• What were the disadvantages of wool trade?

  - Landowners enclosed land to graze their flocks, reducing the common land available to ordinary people.
• What were the advantages of cloth trade?

  -The industry brought wealth to many areas, particularly areas that could also benefit from closeness to the London markets -The cloth trade was run by merchants who organised themselves into guilds. This enabled them to control the quality of fabrics produced and keep prices high -The cloth was exported to Europe, especially the Netherlands and Belgium, and England became the major European cloth producer
• What percent of cloth in Europe came from England by 1540?

  83%
• Where was most cloth woven?

  -Yorkshire, the southwest and the south-east of England.
• Why was London so important?

  -London was a growing centre of trade, especially weaving and the wool trade. -Also where the king and the royal court were frequently based
• What was England's biggest city in 1509?

  -London, other big towns included Norwich, Exeter, York and Coventry
• How many people lived in London?

  60,000
• Who did merchants from London frequently trade with?

  -Netherlands, Spain and Russia
• How important was religion in peoples day-to-day lives?

  -VERY: Most went to Church every Sunday ad all the important rituals of their lives were linked to Church. Church was the centre of community life and supported people through hardship
• When did Henry VIII gain the throne?

  In 1509, aged 18
• What beliefs did Henry have?

  -That he had been appointed by God – this was known as the divine right of kings -People had a duty to obey him -The monarchy and the court were at the centre of life in England -In what he thought and said, and it was difficult to convince him otherwise – he was very stubborn.
• Why was Henry unpopular with the nobility?

  -Had taxed them heavily
• Why was Henry's throne secure?

  -There were no rival contenders
• What skills and talents did young Henry have?

  -He was a strong athlete -He hunted and practised archery, wrestling and jousting -He was a musician. He sang, played many instruments and composed -He spoke French, Spanish and Latin -He was a good dancer
• How did Henry use his government?

  -He used the Royal Council and Privy Chamber to help him make decisions -He would make use of one personal advisor (Wolsey, Cromwell) -He delegated power as routine tasks bored him - such as to Wolsey and Cromwell
• What were Henry's strengths?

  -Popular: he was young and different from his father, who was disliked by noblemen and merchants for imposing high taxes -Popular: he was handsome and looked like a king -Strong: he had a team of experienced advisers around him who helped him to rule the country -Strong: England was stable – there was an established system of government and little threat of rebellion or civil war -Strong: his wife, Catherine of Aragon, gave Henry strong connections to Spain – a growing European power -Rich: England was rich and the Crown was not in debt
• What were Henry's weaknesses?

  -Naïve: aged only 18, he had little experience of government -Naïve: his vision of kingship, based on heroic legends, was simplistic and required him to spend large amounts of money on expensive wars and on his court -Disinterested: he had little interest in day-to-day government and was happy to delegate power to others. This allowed his ministers to accumulate large amounts of power -Risk taker: he took part in dangerous sports, such as jousting, which were risky when there was no male successor to the throne -Egotistical and overconfident: he would not heed advice, leading to costly mistakes.
• What were Henry's aims? (6)

  -To create a government where the king decided policy and his ministers carried it out -To achieve victory in battles abroad and to become a major force in European affairs -To win back lands from France -To create a dazzling royal court through dress, architecture and entertainment, comparable with the courts in France and Spain -To enhance his prestige by attracting great men to his court, including scholars and artists -To be an effective monarch, governing well, maintaining law and order, being committed to the Church and producing a (male) heir who would reduce the risk of civil war on his death.
• What was Wolsey's personality like? (7)

  He was: -not a member of the nobility -extremely intelligent -very ambitious -charming and persuasive, which enabled him to build working relationships with the king and rulers of other countries -willing to carry out the king’s wishes -ruthless with anyone who threatened him or the king’s government -known as Alter Rex (second king) because of his great power and influence.
• When was Thomas Wolsey born?

  1473, in Ipswich
• When did Wolsey gain a degree from Oxford University?


  1498
• When did Wolsey become a member of the Royal Council?

  1509, as Royal Almoner
• What titles did Wolsey gain in 1515?

  -Lord Chancellor, Henry's chief minister, and a cardinal
• When did Wolsey become Papal Legate?

  1518, becoming the most powerful and senior churchman in the country