chief ministers

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Wolsey 1514-1529

Wolsey Parliament

The Law

Court of Star Chamber-1516 onwards Wolsey wanted to dispense cheap and impartial justice- to get rid of corruption. Also challenge the power of the nobility- increased in importance - challenging nobility due to his background. Heard cases from localities where misconduct was alleged. ... Too successful- had to set up overflow tribunals.

Court of Chancery- Dealt with property, wills and contracts. Established a permanent judicial committee to deal with the poor. Massive demand due to the actions of Wolsey and foreign policy.- became slow and clogged up

Finance

Act of Resumption 1515- Wolsey wanted to increase revenue from Crown Lands as income had decreased to 25,000 per annum. Act returned some of crown lands.

Subsidy- a more realistic tax to replace fifteenths and tenths tax- valuation of taxpayers wealth.

Amicable Grant -1525- an additional tax which Wolsey demanded to fund Henrys war in France(battle of pavia). The tax caused rebellion in East Anglia as forced loans in 1522 and 1523 hadn't been repaid

Balance sheet- Wolsey raised 322,099 in subsidies, 240,000 in clerical taxation, 260,000 in forced loans.Government expenditure between 1509 and 1520 was 1.7million0 gains didn't finance war.

Administration

Eltham Ordinances 1526- Reform the royal household to ensure his own supremacy politically but these were useless as Wolsey found other ways of maintaining power. He did this by securing a reduction in number of Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber(didnt have control there), Also removed Henrys groom of the stool Sir William Compton. Gwyn argues just financial reasons but Elton says Wolsey did it because he worried about losing position after Amicable Grant failure.

The Church- Wolsey was papal legate. Influence over Archbishop of Canterbury, his reforming intentions came to nothing, dissolved 30 religious houses and used proceeds to build colleges, and church became more centralised under Wolsey control.

Enclosures- less concerned about the effects of enclosure on poor than about acting against the landowners. Enquiry in 1917. Legal proceedings against 264 landowners- 188 CLEAR VERDICTS. Enclosure continued and vagrancy didnt reduce. Only Made landowners hate him

Was Wolsey or the King in charge?

-Wolsey proposed a policy but he always ensured that Henry owned it.

ability to give the king what h wanted in his early years

Influence derived from closeness of his relationship that formal positions

Main concerns were legal systems, domestic policy and political decision making.

Wolsey foreign policy

Wolsey had to frame details of foreign policy on an overestimated English power assumption

1514- able to organise the first French war effectively and able to make the peace agreement between France and England-shows his importance. Great strategy to battle of spurs in 1513.

Treaty of London- October 1518

Field of Cloth of Gold June 1520 between Henry VIII and Francis I. At this meeting, Wolsey attempted to enforce the Treaty of London--- highlighting England on global scale./ cost lots financially

Downfall

Over Kings Great Matter

Wolsey was required by Henry to secure papal dispensation for the annulment with Catherine of Aragon.

Insisted Wolsey seemed annulment under Leviticius argument

May 1527 used power as personal representative to Pope to bring Henry infront of a fake tour to accuse him of living in sin. Henry VIII accepted but Catherine of Aragon appealed to pope.

Cardinal Campeggio was sent by pope to hear case at Blackfrairs in June 1529 but was adjourned on 30th July- Henry failed to annul marriage.

Already unpopular due to subsidies and Amicable Grant.

Wolsey took control of all details and has stamp on proceedings

Henry- pushed Battle of Pavia and annulment proceeding & wars against France

Gained prestige from foreign policy he directed

Cromwell

Wanted the church reformed-positive and idealistic through secular anticlericalism

Domestic Policies

Law

1540 passed an act abolishing sanctuary

Finance

1536 court of augmentations established to deal with income from dissolution of the monasteries with crown income doubling to 300,000

Valor Ecclesuasticus showed that Cromwell wanted to enhance Kings finance9

Administration

Elton suggests that the business of government became less centred on the household- more independent and bureucratic

Privy Council

By 1536 only 20 seemed to conduct business of government

Wales

Act of Union 1536- Wales incorporated into English legal system

1536- Council of North- provide protection and order after Pilgrimage of Grace

Religious changes

Cromwell rose to power in 1532 by suggesting Henry break from Rome and place himself as head of the church

One of Cromwell's main focuses was to secure divorce from Catherine of Aragon

- Exploited the weaknesses in the church

Catholic church already weakened by humanist criticisms of colet and eramus

legal supremacy of church been challenged by lawyer Christopher St German who asserted superiority of English law over canon law

collectanea satis copiosa

received martial situational advice from number of universities

Religious changes

1530- clergy collectively accused of praemunire which was the beginning of a sustained attack on the clergy

1532- act in conditional restraint of annates- designed to increase pressure on papacy by holding first years income

1532- supplication against ordinaries - increase anticlerical pressure within house of commons

1552-formal submission of the clergy to Henry VIII

1553- act of restraint of appeals to Rome- transfer papal powers to king-king supreme head of church

1534-Act for the submission of clergy

1534 Act of Supremacy

1534- The act of annexing first fruit and tenths to the crown-- increased financial burden on clergy and strengthen royal supremacy

1536 Act for dissolution of lesser monasteries

1536- act of ten articles

Fall of Anne Boleyn

relations between Anne Boleyn and Cromwell broke down

Cromwell allied with conservatives and together were able to persuade Henry she had committed adultery

Led to execution of Anne Boleyn in May 1536

Fall of Cromwell

1540- influence was decreasing

Catalyst was when he arranged a marriage between Henry VIII and German Protestant Princess Anne of Cleves. Anne of Cleves proved unsuitable for Henry. The marraige was quickly annuled

The bad marriage alliance gave his enemy Duke of Norfolk the chance to initiate his downfall

Cromwell was accused of treason and heresy and was executed 28th July 1540.

Elton believes that Cromwell was the architect who offer Henry a solution to his problems in the form of Act in Restraint of Appeals. Elton believes Cromwell had a political motive to set up a limited constitutional monarchy.

Dickens believes that Cromwell solution marked a era of no going back

Scarsibrick believes that Henry held a dominant role in government working consistently towards royal supremacy. Acknowledges the central role Cromwell played. Cromwell responsible for the legislative programme of reformation parliament. Sees Cromwell as executing Henrys ideas.