Wolsey Domestic Policy

• Government Reform

  SK1 = Expelling Henry’s minions from the Privy Council in 1519

  SK2 = 1526 Eltham Ordinances reduced Privy Council membership from 12 to 6 - Wolsey removed all the most politically active people so he could have most control over Henry

  CSK = The minions came back the same year
• Courts

  SK1 = In 1519 set up a committee at Westminster to hear the cases of the poor specifically - made justice more accessible

  SK2 = When Wolsey became Lord Chancellor in 1515, he presided over the Star Chamber and Court of Chancery and oversaw 9,000 cases - 120 a year in Star Court alone

  CSK = He failed to reform court bureaucratically which meant there was no guarantee his changes to help the poor’s access to justice would continue once he was gone
• Economic

  SK1 = Wolsey raised over £322,000 in subsidies, £240,000 in clerical taxation and

  £260,000 in forced loans

  SK2 = 1515 Act of Resumption returned some lands to the crown which increased the revenue the crown could make

  CSK = Not enough to counteract the £1.7mil spent between 1509-1520 - mostly on war
• Furthering his position

  SK1 = Expelling Henry’s minions from the Privy Council in 1519

  SK2 = 1526 Eltham Ordinances reduced Privy Council membership from 12 to 6 - Wolsey removed all the most politically active people so he could have most control over Henry

  CSK = The minions came back the same year
• Helping the poor

  SK1 = 1517-18 Enclosure Commission took action against 264 people - mostly nobility - and was seen as defending the poor as they suffered the most from enclosure as former public lands became privately owned which prevented them from using it 

  SK2 = In 1519 set up a committee at Westminster to hear the cases of the poor specifically - made justice more accessible

  CSK = He failed to reform court bureaucratically which meant there was no guarantee his changes to help the poor’s access to justice would continue once he was gone
• Increasing finances

  SK1 = Wolsey raised over £322,000 in subsidies, £240,000 in clerical taxation and

  £260,000 in forced loans

  SK2 = 1515 Act of Resumption returned some lands to the crown which increased the revenue the crown could make

  CSK = Not enough to counteract the £1.7mil spent between 1509-1520 - mostly on war