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Flashcards in Henry VIII Deck (52)
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1
Q

why was Henry’s way of ruling different from his father’s?

A
  • he lacked a strong work ethic, enjoying courtly activities such as pageants, sports, hunting etc
  • he could act decisively when chosen to despite showing little interest in the business of the govt
  • he relied heavily on others- his chief minister and council
2
Q

what were Henry’s characteristic traits?

A
  • ruthlessness and cynicism (eg. execution of Empson and Dudley)
  • insecurity
  • impulsiveness (speed he married CoA)
3
Q

what was the legacy of H7?

A
  • 300K
  • a peaceful kingdom
  • stability and a welcome respite after the War of the Roses
4
Q

what were the aims of H8?

A
  • eager to pursue glory and secure succession
  • little interest in policy making unless it affected him personally
  • increase his reputation as a renaissance king domestically and internationally
  • establish himself as a warrior king through success in battle
5
Q

why did counciliar govt break down by 1514?

A

disagreement between Henry and councillors like over the war with France. Relied on Wolsey after this

6
Q

when did Wolsey act as chief minister?

A

1514-29

7
Q

when did Cromwell act as chief minister?

A

1532-40

8
Q

why did parliament grow in importance during Henry’s reign?

A
  • particularly from 1529 to deal with his divorce from CoA

- he used parliament to grant extraordinary revenue to finance his wars

9
Q

why was Wolsey originally popular amongst people?

A

because of his humble origins and organisational abilities

10
Q

what roles did Wolsey have?

A
  • archbishop of York in 1514
  • cardinal in 1515 and papal legate in 1519
  • had immense power
11
Q

what key domestic policies were introduced under Wolsey?

A
  • he presided over the court of Chancery, which he used to uphold ‘fair’ justice in problems relating to enclosure, contracts, land etc
  • from 1516 he extended the use of the Court of Star Chamber, making it the centre of both govt and the legal system. Used to increase cheap and fair justice
  • local law officers were appointed to enforce royal law
  • authority of the crown over regional councils was extended
12
Q

how did Wolsey raise the finance for the king?

A
  • he set up a network of royal commissioners to assess taxpayers wealth to raise finances
  • introduced the Amicable Grant in 1525- a heavy tax with Parliaments approval which led to widespread resistance and had to be abandoned
  • 1526 eltham ordinances aimed to reduce royal household expenditure by reforming the privy chamber’s finances
13
Q

what was the ‘King’s Great Matter’?

A

concerned the annulment of Henry’s marriage to CoA; something which could only be granted by the Pope. By mid 1520s he had no heir and Catherine was past child-bearing age. In love with Anne Boleyn

14
Q

how did Henry secure an annulment from CoA?

A
  • 1525- Henry asked Wolsey to secure an annulment, providing biblical justification that the marriage was illegal as it was his brother’s widow
  • Pope was reluctant to cooperate as Catherine’s nephew, Charles V HRE and King of Spain opposed- took pope prisoner
  • 1529 Wolsey charged with praemunire (using papal authority against the crown)
  • 1530- Wolsey arrested
  • 1532- Cromwell as chief minister released the king from papal control and enabled him to remarry
15
Q

what acts of parliament did Cromwell pass to establish royal supremacy?

A
  • 1533 Act in Restraint of Appeals- no appeals could be made to Rome against decisions of Church courts in England
  • 1534 Act of Succession- annulled Henry’s marriage to Catherine- Princess Mary became illegitimate; hopes for male heir rested with Anne
  • 1534 Act of Supremacy- King declared supreme head of the church- Pope authority no longer recognised
  • 1543 Treason Act- became treasonable to call Henry a heretic
  • 1534 Act in Restraint of Annates- annates transferred from pope to king- strengthened henry position
  • 1536 and 39- first and second suppression acts- dissolved the monasteries
16
Q

what were domestic policies like under Cromwell?

A
  • cromwell developed a more modern form of government taking a more bureaucratic approach that involved creating departments eg. the court of augmentations and first fruits and tenths
  • he changed the composition of the privy council reducing it to 20 men increasing efficiency and status
  • negotiated further marriages for henry
17
Q

why did cromwell fall?

A

following the failure of henry’s fourth marriage to protestant German Anne of Cleeves a marriage that suited his foreign policy. Cromwell was tried for treason and executed in 1540, the same day Henry married Catherine Howard

18
Q

what were the aims of Henry’s foreign policy?

A
  • enthusiasm to win military glory and make England a major player in intl affairs
19
Q

what was Henry’s foreign policy from 1509-1514?

A
  • 1510- Henry entered an alliance (Holy league) with Spain, HRE and papacy against France
  • 1512- Henry sent 10k soldiers to SW France but Ferdinand
  • 1513- Henry led a force to NE France winning the battle of spurs and captured therouanne and tournai
  • James IV of scotland invaded england and was defeated and killed at the battle of flodden
20
Q

what were the results of Henry’s military campaigns of 1512/13?

A
  • a huge drain on English finance
  • trouble in Yorkshire, where resentment of taxation nearly led to another rebellion
  • the loss of the French pension which Henry VII had won
  • insignificant gains in France, Tournai sold back to France in 1519
  • peace with Scotland
21
Q

what was Henry’s foreign policy from 1514-26?

A
  • 1517- Charles and HRE agree treaty of cambrai with French isolating England
  • 1518- treaty of london- non-aggression pact
  • 1520- Henry and Francis field of the cloth of gold= positive relations
  • 1522- english armies invaded N France but gained little; parliament reluctant to grant extraordinary revenue to support campaign
  • 1525- Charles V defeated French at battle of Pavia but refused joint invasion with Henry. Henry supported league of Cognac
22
Q

what was Henry’s foreign policy from 1527-40?

A
  • 1527- Henry allied with the French in the treaty of Amiens
    1538 Henry’s position was weakened:
  • Charles and Francis signed with the Treaty of Nice agreeing to sever connections with England
  • Pope deposed Henry and absolved English catholics
23
Q

what was Henry’s foreign policy from 1540-47?

A
  • 1542- invasion of Scotland brought heavy defeat for Scots at Solway Moss- death of James V but Henry failed to mount full scale invasion
  • 1544- Henry, allied with Charles V, invaded France and captured Boulogne but Charles made separate peace with Francis
  • 1546- peace agreed between England and France as neither side could afford conflict
24
Q

what was the 1534 succession act?

A
  • declared Mary illegitimate

- succession would rest with Anne’s children

25
Q

what was the 1536 succession act?

A
  • declared elizabeth illegitimate

- stated that in the absence of an heir Henry could determine succession by will

26
Q

what was the 1544 succession act?

A
  • re-legitimated Mary and Elizabeth

- affirmed Henry’s right to determine succession by will

27
Q

how did Henry rely on the land elites (nobles and gentry)?

A
  • he gave property and/or titles to nobles so they could exert royal authority in particular areas
  • ensured full support by executing nobles when there was any doubt of loyalty
  • conferred knighthoods as a sign of royal favour
28
Q

who were the JP’s?

A

the gentry provided them as they undertook unpaid administration to the crown. They ensured law was enforced in the localities

29
Q

what were the palatinates?

A

in 1536, three English counties, Lancashire, Cheshire, Durham were brought back under English control

30
Q

what were the consequences of the religious upheaval in the 1530s?

A
  • in short term, resentment at the dissolution of the monasteries and attacks on traditional Catholic practices was exacerbated by fears of an attack on parish churches. Led to a major rebellion, PoG in 1536
  • huge amount of land transferred to crown increasing wealth
  • education suffered with the loss of monastery schools
  • many monks and nuns became unemployed
  • monasteries had played a key role in their communities eg. hospital, education- all lost
31
Q

what was the valor ecclesiasticus?

A

a survey of the finances of the church in 1535

32
Q

when were the dissolutions of the monasteries?

A

1536 (lesser) and 1539 (greater)

33
Q

what was the Lincolnshire rising and PoG?

A
  • together comprised the largest single rebellion in the history of the Tudor England, with about 40k people
  • began as a rising in Lincolnshire in early October 1536 and spread
  • a second and more militant rising pog started in the Yorkshire Dales and spread west. The rebels were more hostile towards the gentry because of the strength of their grievances against their landlords
34
Q

what were the causes of the pog rebellion?

A

causes of the rebellion varied from place to place. There were secular motives but the main factor was resentment at Henry’s religious changes, and particularly the dissolution of the monasteries

35
Q

what were the secular motives of the pog?

A
  • economic grievances- resentment of taxation
  • imposition of the Duke of Suffolk in Lincolnshire
  • a courtly conspiracy by former supporters of CoA who wanted to restore Princes Mary as heir
36
Q

what was trade like under Henry8?

A
  • increased during the first half of the 16th century with the encouragement of the crown
  • most important export was woollen cloth and exports almost doubled during Henry VIII’s reign
  • Merchant adventurers flourished as most cloth was sent to Antwerp
37
Q

what was exploration like under H8?

A

Henry made no attempt to build on the achievements of Cabot and others by the end of the 15th century

38
Q

what was prosperity and depression like under H8?

A
  • tudor england was relatively prosperous due to woollen industry growing with increasing trade and demand
  • growth of population around 1525 aided prosperity as surplus labour could work in industry
  • continued debasement of the coinage became frequently used as from 1526 created an artificial boom in 1544-46 by putting more coinage into circulation
  • agricultural prices rose form 1520s increasing farmers’ incomes. Enclosure (increased farm size) and new techniques benefited agriculture
39
Q

what were the issues with industrial and agricultural growth?

A
  • bad harvests eg. 1520-21 and 1527-29 raised food prices which almost doubled in H8 reign bringing urban poverty
  • debasement brought inflation and for many there had been a fall in real wages by the end of the reign as prices and rents rose
  • some homeless in the countryside on account of enclosure and engrossing
40
Q

what was humanism and education during H8 reign?

A
  • humanism gradually took root in schools promoting a more secular education. A humanist was appointed head of St Paul’s
  • similar concepts influenced the foundation of colleges at Oxbridge unis. By the end of Henry’s reign, humanist influences had gained a lasting hold on university curricula. University education or legal training thus came to replace the church as the way to rise to prominence in politics
  • Henry saw himself as a promoter of new ideas and of humanism
41
Q

who was the most important humanist writer?

A

Thomas More (lord chancellor 1530-32)

42
Q

who was Erasmus?

A

Erasmus visited England four times between 1509 and 1514 and influenced younger english humanists

43
Q

what were the weaknesses of the church?

A
  • corruption- including pluralism (receiving profits of more than one post)
  • the corruption of the legal privileges of the clergy and clerical misconduct
  • worldly monasteries that no longer fulfilled their spiritual functions
44
Q

what evidence was there of early English protestantism?

A
  • Martin Luther’s attack on the church in Germany from 1517 have rise to protestantism
  • German protestants came to London and eastern England in the 1520s
45
Q

what changes were there to doctrine and religious practices?

A

some protestant beliefs introduced:

  • justification by faith
  • consubstantiation (bread and wine are body and blood)- different to transubstantiation
46
Q

what was the Wales Act of 1536?

A
  • brought wales into english legal framework

- divided wales into counties

47
Q

what was the border administration with Wales and Scotland?

A
  • Wales- the lands were governed along with neighbouring counties, mutually beneficial
  • Scotland- difficult to police as both sides of border had a reputation for lawlessness
48
Q

how did Wolsey impact finance?

A
  • greatly changed the way subsidies were collected- based on income
  • eltham ordinances- rearranged household to gain control over privy chamber
49
Q

how did Cromwell exploit weaknesses of the church?

A
  • catholic church weakened by humanism

- intellectual justifications on historical and legal principles

50
Q

what was government like in Henry’s last years?

A
  • major change was revert to councillor government

- fall of Cromwell saw emergence of privy council

51
Q

who were the Hanseatic league?

A

a commercial trade group in Central Europe who dominated Baltic trade- limited influence of Merchant adventurers

52
Q

what was the act of first fruits and tenths?

A
  • 1534 form of tax on the clergy
  • first year of clergy income paid to crown
  • 1/10 of income paid subsequent years after that