How did the relationship between the state and the
church change?
Church- state relations
monarchs were able to summon and dismiss the parliament at their will and had
the right to veto any laws they didn’t like
Long periods when parliament barely met up
Not involved in day to day government
Most monarchs would call the parliament periodically - important opportunity to
test the mood of the country and to communicate their policies to MPs and thus
to the localities
How was parliament organised?
2 chambers - House of Lords and House of Commons (elected MPs)
Two MP’s selected to represent a county and some boroughs. Also had the right
to send MP’s to parliament
To vote in a county it was essential to own property which generated income
worth 40 shillings per year
This meant that voting was restricted to those wealthy enough to own property
Common for members of the nobility to exercise patronage to ensure their
clients were elected
Parliament tended to represent the interests of the landed gentry and nobility
To pass an Act of Parliament, a bill had to be heard in both the Commons and
Lords before being given royal assent by the monarch
Although the parliament was usually in line with the demands of the monarch,
As the century progressed, the Commons became more confident and needed
more careful managing
In particular, tension arose over taxation and finance, religion and the royal
succession.
Role of parliament under Henry VII
Henry VII had to summon parliament in order for them to grant him taxation
when he needed it
Henry was a cautious ruler and so would call upon parliament very rarely as he
preferred to not pursue an ambitious foreign policy. Overall, in Henry’s 24 year-
long reign, he summoned parliament only seven times.
The country was relatively peaceful, taxation wasn’t needed and long periods of
time between parliament meetings were common.
When Henry did request taxation to parliament, on every occasion they agreed
without hesitation except in 1504 when Henry was forced to accept a smaller
amount of taxation than he wanted
They were reluctant to grant him taxation, these tensions between the two had
happened before. Since the early 14th Century, the Commons had the right to
challenge the monarch about taxation and could threaten to hold back taxation
until their grievances had been addressed
The first parliament Henry used was in order to enhance his claim to be king
after winning the Battle of Bosworth. Parliament acknowledged his claim and
passed a series of Acts of Attainder, convicting Henry’s enemies.
, However, Henry knew that parliament didn’t possess the power to grant him his
claim to the throne, so he only simply used parliament to further secure his
claim.
The early parliaments of Henry VIII 1509-23
Between 1509 and 1523, parliament met only 4 times.
The parliament’s role during Henry VIII’s reign was largely to grant taxation to
fund the monarch’s wars, because unlike his father, he was keen to prove
himself on the international stage with wars against England’s enemies such as
Scotland and France.
When these wars were successful, it was easier to persuade parliament to fund
others, however by 1517, most of the initial gains made by Henry had been lost,
when the burden of taxation grew and Henry had little to show for it, parliament
were less willing to grant more.
This was partly because most MPs were landowners and they knew that rebellion
brought too much taxation. They were aware of the anger and resistance to this
among the local society.
As a result of this, in 1523, the Commons opposed the taxation that Wolsey was
asking for.
It is therefore not surprising that when Wolsey attempted to persuade parliament
by addressing them personally, it was met with a stubborn silence.
Despite this, relations did overall remain harmonious between the king and
parliament and there was little change from Henry VII’s reign.
However, this was about to change dramatically in 1529 when the beginning of
Henry’s attempt to use parliament to get an annulment of his marriage to
Catherine of Aragon.
The role of the church before 1529
Before 1529, the Roman Catholic Church in England was very powerful. Since the
early middle ages, the church had grown in wealth and influence.
The church had its own complex structure and hierarchy.
At the head of the Church was the pope, who it was believed was placed in this
position by God. The pope had the power to appoint senior churchmen
Church festivals celebrating important dates in the church calendar, such as all
saints day, lent, Easter and Christmas, were key events in most people’s lives
The church taught that Heaven, Hell and Purgatory were real places; how people
lived their lives on earth could affect what happened to their souls after death.
The church preached that people could help their souls by performing good
works, confessing their sins to a priest, praying and going on pilgrimages.
The church was the main source of education and learning.
The papacy guarded the Church’s right to monitor and censor ideas and would
prosecute those who seemed to challenge its teaching as heretics.
Church services and the bible were in Latin
The church was the route to power and increased status in society. Churches and
monasteries offered boys the opportunity to learn to read and write and a
chance to go to one of the two English universities, oxford or Cambridge.
Thomas Wolsey is a good example of this route into power
Church men and its clergymen were wealthy and powerful.
church change?
Church- state relations
monarchs were able to summon and dismiss the parliament at their will and had
the right to veto any laws they didn’t like
Long periods when parliament barely met up
Not involved in day to day government
Most monarchs would call the parliament periodically - important opportunity to
test the mood of the country and to communicate their policies to MPs and thus
to the localities
How was parliament organised?
2 chambers - House of Lords and House of Commons (elected MPs)
Two MP’s selected to represent a county and some boroughs. Also had the right
to send MP’s to parliament
To vote in a county it was essential to own property which generated income
worth 40 shillings per year
This meant that voting was restricted to those wealthy enough to own property
Common for members of the nobility to exercise patronage to ensure their
clients were elected
Parliament tended to represent the interests of the landed gentry and nobility
To pass an Act of Parliament, a bill had to be heard in both the Commons and
Lords before being given royal assent by the monarch
Although the parliament was usually in line with the demands of the monarch,
As the century progressed, the Commons became more confident and needed
more careful managing
In particular, tension arose over taxation and finance, religion and the royal
succession.
Role of parliament under Henry VII
Henry VII had to summon parliament in order for them to grant him taxation
when he needed it
Henry was a cautious ruler and so would call upon parliament very rarely as he
preferred to not pursue an ambitious foreign policy. Overall, in Henry’s 24 year-
long reign, he summoned parliament only seven times.
The country was relatively peaceful, taxation wasn’t needed and long periods of
time between parliament meetings were common.
When Henry did request taxation to parliament, on every occasion they agreed
without hesitation except in 1504 when Henry was forced to accept a smaller
amount of taxation than he wanted
They were reluctant to grant him taxation, these tensions between the two had
happened before. Since the early 14th Century, the Commons had the right to
challenge the monarch about taxation and could threaten to hold back taxation
until their grievances had been addressed
The first parliament Henry used was in order to enhance his claim to be king
after winning the Battle of Bosworth. Parliament acknowledged his claim and
passed a series of Acts of Attainder, convicting Henry’s enemies.
, However, Henry knew that parliament didn’t possess the power to grant him his
claim to the throne, so he only simply used parliament to further secure his
claim.
The early parliaments of Henry VIII 1509-23
Between 1509 and 1523, parliament met only 4 times.
The parliament’s role during Henry VIII’s reign was largely to grant taxation to
fund the monarch’s wars, because unlike his father, he was keen to prove
himself on the international stage with wars against England’s enemies such as
Scotland and France.
When these wars were successful, it was easier to persuade parliament to fund
others, however by 1517, most of the initial gains made by Henry had been lost,
when the burden of taxation grew and Henry had little to show for it, parliament
were less willing to grant more.
This was partly because most MPs were landowners and they knew that rebellion
brought too much taxation. They were aware of the anger and resistance to this
among the local society.
As a result of this, in 1523, the Commons opposed the taxation that Wolsey was
asking for.
It is therefore not surprising that when Wolsey attempted to persuade parliament
by addressing them personally, it was met with a stubborn silence.
Despite this, relations did overall remain harmonious between the king and
parliament and there was little change from Henry VII’s reign.
However, this was about to change dramatically in 1529 when the beginning of
Henry’s attempt to use parliament to get an annulment of his marriage to
Catherine of Aragon.
The role of the church before 1529
Before 1529, the Roman Catholic Church in England was very powerful. Since the
early middle ages, the church had grown in wealth and influence.
The church had its own complex structure and hierarchy.
At the head of the Church was the pope, who it was believed was placed in this
position by God. The pope had the power to appoint senior churchmen
Church festivals celebrating important dates in the church calendar, such as all
saints day, lent, Easter and Christmas, were key events in most people’s lives
The church taught that Heaven, Hell and Purgatory were real places; how people
lived their lives on earth could affect what happened to their souls after death.
The church preached that people could help their souls by performing good
works, confessing their sins to a priest, praying and going on pilgrimages.
The church was the main source of education and learning.
The papacy guarded the Church’s right to monitor and censor ideas and would
prosecute those who seemed to challenge its teaching as heretics.
Church services and the bible were in Latin
The church was the route to power and increased status in society. Churches and
monasteries offered boys the opportunity to learn to read and write and a
chance to go to one of the two English universities, oxford or Cambridge.
Thomas Wolsey is a good example of this route into power
Church men and its clergymen were wealthy and powerful.
