HENRY VIII
Character and Aims of Young Henry
Came heir to the throne 1502 when Arthur died
Well educated – languages, history, sports
Lived with father at Richmond
Came to throne 2 months after 18th birthday – welcomed, especially after execution of
unpopular Empson and Dudley, Council Learned in Law disbanded
Wished to be an imperial king
Left many decisions to his chief ministers (Wolsey and Cromwell)
Aims – establish status among other European monarchs, re-establish role of the nobility,
warrior king
Marriage to Catherine of Aragon in 1509 – strong until Catherine not able to produce a male
heir
Reversed father’s decisions in terms of nobility – early gestures such as cancelling 175 bonds
and disbanding Council Learned in Law
Rise of Thomas Wolsey
Academic -> degree at Oxford
Secretary to Richard Fox -> got patronage
Became Royal almoner
H8 became increasingly frustrated with his chief minsters inherited from his father so he
turned to Wolsey
1512 – Wolsey organised expedition to France
1514 – All major business referred to Wolsey
1515 – Wolsey made a cardinal and Lord Chancellor
1518 – Wolsey made papal legate
Government and under Wolsey
Parliament:
In Wolsey’s dominance parliament was only called 4 times
Before Wolsey Parliament ran from a councillor approach and was used to grant
extraordinary revenue and pass laws (similar to in the reign of H7)
However this approach demised due to the reluctance of the senior council to support a war
in France -> gave rise to Wolsey and other young courtiers
Legal reforms:
As Lord Chancellor – presided over legal system even though he was not a trained lawyer
Court of Chancery – equality of the legal system
Star Chamber – barely used initially, Wolsey used it to attack nobles abusing their power,
legal cases rose to 120 a year after Wolsey encouraged private lawsuits
Financial reforms:
With Henry’s aggressive foreign policy, parliamentary grants were not sustainable:
1522 – organised national survey to raise finances from tax
o First one since the doomsday survey
o Raised £100,000 but still insufficient
1523 – Tudor subsidy to gain revenue for war in France
o Still insufficient so had to place tax on church showing Wolsey’s poor management of
Parliament
1525 – Amicable Grant FAILURE
, o Tax action levied without Parliament, lots of resistance
1526 – Eltham Ordinances
o Reform finances of Privy Chamber to reduce number of members -> for own benefit
as members disliked Wolsey
Church reforms
PAPAL LEGATE -> could act on behalf of the Pope
Used capacity as papal legate to order English bishops into carrying out their roles more
thoroughly
Responsible for the start of the dissolution of the monasteries
Strongly opposed to Protestant heresy
Problems in the Catholic church:
Corruption – with the invention of the printing press more people became aware of it
o Pluralism, simony and non-residence
o Wolsey as an example of shortcomings of the clergy -> illegitimate children and a
mistress
Anticlericalism – many lawyers objected to the influence of canon law and legal privileges of
the clergy
Decline of the monasteries – 1520s Wolsey secured dissolution of around 20 monasteries
Lutheranism:
Martin Luther -> worried about focus of money on church rather than faith, 95 theses
published which criticised the Catholic church
By 1520s – views had come to England through merchants and trade
Fall of Wolsey
Failure to give H8 annulment
o Boleyn faction put pressure on H8 to release Wolsey as he was delaying the divorce
o Rise of Boleyn power led to Wolsey’s accusation and arrest on charges of praemunire
o Died on the way to trial
Amicable Grant failure
Anti-Habsburg alliance failure
The King’s Great Matter + Divorce
By the mid 1520s, H8 was dissatisfied with his marriage:
Catherine was past childbearing age and had only had Mary
Henry had become besotted with Anne Boleyn -> Anne unwilling to become mistress and
wanted to marry
DIFFICULTIES:
Pope was under control of Emperor Charles V (related to Catherine so divorce would insult
his family)
H8 tried to free Pope from influence of Charles V by using an alliance with France to renew
warfare in Italy -> failed due to Charles V strong control in Italian peninsula
SOLUTIONS:
Used Bible to claim marriage was against God’s will as Catherine had been married to Arthur
and no male heir
Character and Aims of Young Henry
Came heir to the throne 1502 when Arthur died
Well educated – languages, history, sports
Lived with father at Richmond
Came to throne 2 months after 18th birthday – welcomed, especially after execution of
unpopular Empson and Dudley, Council Learned in Law disbanded
Wished to be an imperial king
Left many decisions to his chief ministers (Wolsey and Cromwell)
Aims – establish status among other European monarchs, re-establish role of the nobility,
warrior king
Marriage to Catherine of Aragon in 1509 – strong until Catherine not able to produce a male
heir
Reversed father’s decisions in terms of nobility – early gestures such as cancelling 175 bonds
and disbanding Council Learned in Law
Rise of Thomas Wolsey
Academic -> degree at Oxford
Secretary to Richard Fox -> got patronage
Became Royal almoner
H8 became increasingly frustrated with his chief minsters inherited from his father so he
turned to Wolsey
1512 – Wolsey organised expedition to France
1514 – All major business referred to Wolsey
1515 – Wolsey made a cardinal and Lord Chancellor
1518 – Wolsey made papal legate
Government and under Wolsey
Parliament:
In Wolsey’s dominance parliament was only called 4 times
Before Wolsey Parliament ran from a councillor approach and was used to grant
extraordinary revenue and pass laws (similar to in the reign of H7)
However this approach demised due to the reluctance of the senior council to support a war
in France -> gave rise to Wolsey and other young courtiers
Legal reforms:
As Lord Chancellor – presided over legal system even though he was not a trained lawyer
Court of Chancery – equality of the legal system
Star Chamber – barely used initially, Wolsey used it to attack nobles abusing their power,
legal cases rose to 120 a year after Wolsey encouraged private lawsuits
Financial reforms:
With Henry’s aggressive foreign policy, parliamentary grants were not sustainable:
1522 – organised national survey to raise finances from tax
o First one since the doomsday survey
o Raised £100,000 but still insufficient
1523 – Tudor subsidy to gain revenue for war in France
o Still insufficient so had to place tax on church showing Wolsey’s poor management of
Parliament
1525 – Amicable Grant FAILURE
, o Tax action levied without Parliament, lots of resistance
1526 – Eltham Ordinances
o Reform finances of Privy Chamber to reduce number of members -> for own benefit
as members disliked Wolsey
Church reforms
PAPAL LEGATE -> could act on behalf of the Pope
Used capacity as papal legate to order English bishops into carrying out their roles more
thoroughly
Responsible for the start of the dissolution of the monasteries
Strongly opposed to Protestant heresy
Problems in the Catholic church:
Corruption – with the invention of the printing press more people became aware of it
o Pluralism, simony and non-residence
o Wolsey as an example of shortcomings of the clergy -> illegitimate children and a
mistress
Anticlericalism – many lawyers objected to the influence of canon law and legal privileges of
the clergy
Decline of the monasteries – 1520s Wolsey secured dissolution of around 20 monasteries
Lutheranism:
Martin Luther -> worried about focus of money on church rather than faith, 95 theses
published which criticised the Catholic church
By 1520s – views had come to England through merchants and trade
Fall of Wolsey
Failure to give H8 annulment
o Boleyn faction put pressure on H8 to release Wolsey as he was delaying the divorce
o Rise of Boleyn power led to Wolsey’s accusation and arrest on charges of praemunire
o Died on the way to trial
Amicable Grant failure
Anti-Habsburg alliance failure
The King’s Great Matter + Divorce
By the mid 1520s, H8 was dissatisfied with his marriage:
Catherine was past childbearing age and had only had Mary
Henry had become besotted with Anne Boleyn -> Anne unwilling to become mistress and
wanted to marry
DIFFICULTIES:
Pope was under control of Emperor Charles V (related to Catherine so divorce would insult
his family)
H8 tried to free Pope from influence of Charles V by using an alliance with France to renew
warfare in Italy -> failed due to Charles V strong control in Italian peninsula
SOLUTIONS:
Used Bible to claim marriage was against God’s will as Catherine had been married to Arthur
and no male heir
