1 Paper 2 – Henry VIII and His Ministers
Henry VIII – The Renaissance Prince
• Ascended to throne 1509
• No rival contenders – elder brother died 1502
• Catholic England – acknowledged the authority of the
Pope – Church extremely powerful
• Strong athlete – enjoyed dangerous sports e.g.
jousting
• Musician – sang, played instruments, composed
• Educated – spoke French, Spanish and Latin
• Social – good dancer and enjoyed entertainment
• Very stubborn – difficult to get him to change mind
, 2 Paper 2 – Henry VIII and His Ministers
Views on monarchy and government
• Believed in Divine Right of Kings – had been chosen
by God to be king
• People had a duty to obey him
• Used the Privy Chamber and Royal Council to help
him make decisions
• Increasingly made use of advisers and chief ministers
– Wolsey up to 1529; Cromwell 1529-40
• Delegated his power as routine tasks bored him – this
increased the power of his advisers
, 3 Paper 2 – Henry VIII and His Ministers
Henry VIII
Strengths Weaknesses
• Popular – young and unlike his • Naïve – only 18 and little
father who was disliked due to experience of government,
heavy taxing spent a lot of money on wars
• Handsome – looked like a king and his court as thought this
• Stable – England had an was the king’s right
established system of • Disinterested – little interest
government and little threats in government and happy to
of rebellion delegate jobs to ministers
• Wife – Catherine of Aragon – giving them a lot of power
strong connections with Spain • Risk taker – dangerous sports
• Rich – Country was rich and • Overconfident – not take
Crown had no debt advice which led to costly
mistakes
, 4 Paper 2 – Henry VIII and His Ministers
Henry VIII Aims
• Create a government where king decided policy and
the ministers carried it out
• Achieve victory in battles and look good in Europe
• Win back lands from France
• Create an amazing royal court – best dress,
entertainment and buildings
• Govern well and maintain law and order
• Committed to the Church
• Produce a male heir to continue his line
Henry VIII – The Renaissance Prince
• Ascended to throne 1509
• No rival contenders – elder brother died 1502
• Catholic England – acknowledged the authority of the
Pope – Church extremely powerful
• Strong athlete – enjoyed dangerous sports e.g.
jousting
• Musician – sang, played instruments, composed
• Educated – spoke French, Spanish and Latin
• Social – good dancer and enjoyed entertainment
• Very stubborn – difficult to get him to change mind
, 2 Paper 2 – Henry VIII and His Ministers
Views on monarchy and government
• Believed in Divine Right of Kings – had been chosen
by God to be king
• People had a duty to obey him
• Used the Privy Chamber and Royal Council to help
him make decisions
• Increasingly made use of advisers and chief ministers
– Wolsey up to 1529; Cromwell 1529-40
• Delegated his power as routine tasks bored him – this
increased the power of his advisers
, 3 Paper 2 – Henry VIII and His Ministers
Henry VIII
Strengths Weaknesses
• Popular – young and unlike his • Naïve – only 18 and little
father who was disliked due to experience of government,
heavy taxing spent a lot of money on wars
• Handsome – looked like a king and his court as thought this
• Stable – England had an was the king’s right
established system of • Disinterested – little interest
government and little threats in government and happy to
of rebellion delegate jobs to ministers
• Wife – Catherine of Aragon – giving them a lot of power
strong connections with Spain • Risk taker – dangerous sports
• Rich – Country was rich and • Overconfident – not take
Crown had no debt advice which led to costly
mistakes
, 4 Paper 2 – Henry VIII and His Ministers
Henry VIII Aims
• Create a government where king decided policy and
the ministers carried it out
• Achieve victory in battles and look good in Europe
• Win back lands from France
• Create an amazing royal court – best dress,
entertainment and buildings
• Govern well and maintain law and order
• Committed to the Church
• Produce a male heir to continue his line
