Government

• Henry VIII, Gov't + Parliament - [ content of flashcards ]


  1)- Gov't under H.VIII

  2)- Domestic policies under Wolsey [1515 - 29]

  3)- the establishment of royal supremacy

  - The 'King's Great Matter'

  - Acts of Parliament [1533 - 41]

  4)- Domestic policies under Cromwell [1532 - 40]

  5)-Gov't in H.VIII's last years [1540 - 47]
• Who were Henry's wives? - [in order]

  1)- Catharine Of Aragon.

  2)- Anne Boleyn.

  3)- Jane Seymour.

  4)- Anne Of Cleves.

  5)- Catherine Howard.

  6)- Katharine Parr.

  
• Why had the conciliar government broken down by 1514?

  this was due to disagreements between Henry + his councillors

  (e.g) War with France, or, Henry's preference to surround himself with younger courtiers
• What change in Government took place between 1514 - 29?

  Henry relied heavily on Wolsey to manage Gov effectively.

  - Wolsey's influence was derived more from his close relationship with the King than from formal positions.

  
• Why was the Conciliar Gov't restored in the years 1529 - 32?

  Wolsey's downfall Brought the return to conciliar Gov't
• What change did Gov't experience in the years 1532 - 40?

  Cromwell rose to power as chief minister + dominated royal Gov't for the rest of the 1530's

  
• Why was the Conciliar Gov't restored In 1540 - 47?

  Cromwell's downfall
• How was the new Conciliar Gov't presented in a 'new form' in the years 1540 - 47?

  a new privy council emerged with fixed membership + recorded proceedings.

  
• which political ideology held the power in the privy council of 1540 -47?

  conservatives
• Why did Parliament hold particular importance in the years 1529 - 36?

  'Reformed Parliament' (1529 - 36) dealt with Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon + reformed the church.
• what did Henry use Parliament for in particular?

  to grant extraordinary revenue to finance his wars.

  
• Who were the King's 'minions'?

  young courtiers who enjoyed Henry's favour

  
• Why was the role of the Privy Council extended in the early years of Henry's reign?

  the king's 'minions' became Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber.
• What 3 titles did Wolsey achieve in the years 1514, 1515, + 1518?

  1514 = Archbishop of York

  1515 = a Cardinal

  1518 = papal legate (the pope's personal representative

  
• in what year was Wolsey appointed Lord Chancellor by Henry?

  1515
• What power did the title of Lord Chancellor give Wolsey?

  1)- put him in control of royal Gov't

  2)- gave him immense power bc. all other courtiers had to go through him to speak to the king.

  
• what years was Wolsey Lord Chancellor?

  1515 - 29
• what were the focal points for domestic policy under Wolsey?

  1)- strengthening royal authority

  2)- raising finance - [particularly to support Henry's wars with France + Scotland.
• What did Wolsey use the court of chancery for?

  uphold 'fair' justice in problems relating to enclosure of open fields for sheep farming, contracts, + land left to others in wills.

  
• Why did Wolsey extend the use of the court of Star Chamber to the centre of both Gov't + the legal system in 1516?

  in order to use it to increase cheap + fair justice + heard cases of alleged misconduct + private lawsuits.

  
• who were appointed to enforce royal law?


  local law officers
• How did Wolsey organise the tax system for the raising of subsidies?

  Wolsey set up a new network of royal commissioners appointed by himself

  (instead of using local commissioners tosses taxpayers wealth)

  
• What did Wolsey introduce in order to help pay for Henry's war with France?

  the Amicable Grant of 1525.

  
• Why did the Amicable Grant fail?

  - it was a heavy tax to the King's subjects

  - it was levied without Parliament's approval

  - led to widespread resistance + had to be abandoned.
• What did the Eltham Ordinances of 1526 aim to achieve?

  reduce royal household expenditure

  - by reforming the Privy Chamber's finances

  
• What did Wolsey additionally achieve by reforming the Privy Chamber's finances?

  succeeded in reducing the influence of the Privy Chamber.
• What was the King's Great Matter?

  It concerned the annulment of Henry from Catherine of Aragon and his desire to marry Anne Boleyn.

  - It lead to the break away from Rome.

  
• Why was the Pope a key figure in the King's Great Matter?

  the Pope was the only person who could grant a royal annulment or divorce

  the Pope refused to grant Henry a divorce

  
• What is an annulment?


  An annulled marriage is erased from a legal perspective, and it declares that the marriage never technically existed and was never valid

  
• What role did Wolsey play in the King's Great Matter?

  1)- Henry asked Wolsey to secure papal dispensation for the annulment of his marriage to Catherine

  2)- Wolsey called a special court to 'try' Henry for living in sin with his supposed wife (Henry agreed)

  3)- Pope sent a representative to hear the case, along with Wolsey, in a legatine court.

  
• What did Henry claim about his marriage to Catherine of Aragon in order for the Pope to allow the annulment?

  - Henry claimed that his marriage to Catherine (his brother's widow) had been illegal in the sight of God.

  - He used biblical evidence in order to prove that his marriage to a widow was illegal in the view of the Vatican.

  
• Who was the representative that the Pope sent to hear the trials?

  Cardinal Campeggio

  
• What was Wolsey charged with in October 1529?

  praemunire - (using papal authority against the Crown)
• Who did Henry use to continue the annulment dispute in 1530 after Wolsey's arrest?

  Thomas Cranmer - (who was rewarded Archbishop of Canterbury in 1532)

  
• Who emerged as the King's Chief Minister in 1532?

  Thomas Cromwell

  
• What did Cromwell do to release the King from Papal control?

  passed a series of laws through parliament.

  
• What did these laws allow Henry to do?

  enabled him to remarry with a clear conscience, without the control of the Pope.

  
• What act was passed by Cromwell which withheld payment to the papacy by the clergy?

  the Act of withholding the payment of annates
• What document released by Cromwell accused bishops of over-stating their power?

  The Supplication against the Ordinaries.
• What was the Submission of the Clergy?

  the surrender of the Church's law-making function to the King - [rather than to the Pope]