Government under Henry VIII

Government under Henry VIII

1. Background

   • 1509- England was in a better condition economically and politically than in 1485
   • Henry's character
     • Henry was:
       • Charismatic
       • Egotistical- Tall/Athletic
       • Magnetised people to him
       • 'Deeply insecure'
       • Spoilt and adored by his mother
       • Desperate to be loved and obsessed with loyalty
       • Religious- believed God was speaking to him
       • Driven by ambition to be a warrior/imperial King- expanding empire
     • Thomas More and Erasmus recognised Henry's education
     • Henry hadn't been trained like Arthur had in Ludlow Castle, from 1509 to 1517 he could not manage castles
     • Historians
       • Pasqualigo (Ventian Diplomat)
         • 'Most handsome King' he'd ever seen
       • Scarisbrick
         • Anger Issues
           • e.g Lord Chancellor 'my pig'
       • Guy
         • Imperial King- 'Rex Conquerer'
     • Close to his mum- Elizabeth of York, she was always close at the royal nursery at Eltham Palace so Henry grew up with his cousins and siblings

2. The Council

   • William Warham
     • Lord Chancellor & Archbishop of Canterbury
   • Richard Fox
     • Lord Privy Seal
   • John De Vere
     • Earl of Oxford
   • Thomas Howard
     • Earl of Surrey & Lord Treasurer
   • Henry inherited his fathers established Council
     • Relations between the New King and Council were strained

3. The Court

   • Source of patronage and political influence
   • Members moved from place to place e.g Wolsey
   • To entertain the King e.g singing and dancing
     • To reflect the Kings personality and to impress foreign vistiors
   • Factions became a problem
     • A group of people in government that agreed on a certain subject
     • e.g Suffolk and the Boleyns who brough down Wolsey

4. The Privy Chamber

   • Provides Henry with formal advice