HENRY VIII 1509-1547
PARLIAMENT
● In his early years, Henry VIII used Parliament in a similar way to his father.
● But the relationship between the Crown and Parliament was altered by the Henrician
Reformation
● Before 1529, Henry VIII only called Parliament twice
● The first was in 1515 for the Hunne Case. Richard Hunne refused to pay the Church
fees for his baby’s burial. After being arrested, Hunne was murdered. This was an
incident that clearly exposed anti-clericalism in parliament.
● The second time was in 1523 when Parliament needed to agree to greater taxation.
● Parliament passed legislation such as the Act of Supremacy and the Treason Act in
1534
● Henry VIII and Cromwell had relied on Parliament to pass the necessary legislation.
This was a new ground because:
○ It gave Parliament a role in changing the country’s religion.
○ It acknowledged the need for parliamentary agreement to secure such
important changes. A precedent had been set.
● In 1531 Henry VIII pardoned the clergy of crimes against him. But he also forced
them to recognise him as the lawmaker and head of the Church.
● The Supplication Against the Ordinaries in March 1532 demanded that the king deal
with the corruption of the clergy.
● The Submission of the Clergy in May 1532 stated that Henry VIII could make
decisions on Church laws without the Pope.
● In January 1533, Cranmer married Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn in secret.
● In January 1532, Parliament passed the First Act of Annates. This meant payments
to Rome from the clergy were suspended.
● In August 1532 Henry VIII asked the Pope to choose Cranmer (who had Protestant
sympathies) to be the Archbishop of Canterbury.
● In 1533, Parliament passed the Act in Restraint of Appeals. This meant no appeals
could be made to the Pope on decisions taken in English courts.
THOMAS WOLSEY
● Henry was not interested in the details of gov, meaning his ministers could be very
powerful.
● Wolsey was very influential between 1510 and 1529. He was intelligent, worked
tirelessly, and served Henry well.
● He overcame rivals at court. The Gentlemen of the Bedchamber, for example, were
purged in 1519
● By 1518 he was a Papal Legate, meaning he could act on the Pope’s behalf.
● Wolsey tried to reform the Church. He promoted education and wanted the quality of
the clergy to improve. However, as Catholic and Papal Legate, Wolsey was opposed
to the ideas of Protestantism, putting him at odds with the King.
● Wolsey failed to influence the Pope and secure divorce, and therefore Henry
believed he was serving the Pope before him.
PARLIAMENT
● In his early years, Henry VIII used Parliament in a similar way to his father.
● But the relationship between the Crown and Parliament was altered by the Henrician
Reformation
● Before 1529, Henry VIII only called Parliament twice
● The first was in 1515 for the Hunne Case. Richard Hunne refused to pay the Church
fees for his baby’s burial. After being arrested, Hunne was murdered. This was an
incident that clearly exposed anti-clericalism in parliament.
● The second time was in 1523 when Parliament needed to agree to greater taxation.
● Parliament passed legislation such as the Act of Supremacy and the Treason Act in
1534
● Henry VIII and Cromwell had relied on Parliament to pass the necessary legislation.
This was a new ground because:
○ It gave Parliament a role in changing the country’s religion.
○ It acknowledged the need for parliamentary agreement to secure such
important changes. A precedent had been set.
● In 1531 Henry VIII pardoned the clergy of crimes against him. But he also forced
them to recognise him as the lawmaker and head of the Church.
● The Supplication Against the Ordinaries in March 1532 demanded that the king deal
with the corruption of the clergy.
● The Submission of the Clergy in May 1532 stated that Henry VIII could make
decisions on Church laws without the Pope.
● In January 1533, Cranmer married Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn in secret.
● In January 1532, Parliament passed the First Act of Annates. This meant payments
to Rome from the clergy were suspended.
● In August 1532 Henry VIII asked the Pope to choose Cranmer (who had Protestant
sympathies) to be the Archbishop of Canterbury.
● In 1533, Parliament passed the Act in Restraint of Appeals. This meant no appeals
could be made to the Pope on decisions taken in English courts.
THOMAS WOLSEY
● Henry was not interested in the details of gov, meaning his ministers could be very
powerful.
● Wolsey was very influential between 1510 and 1529. He was intelligent, worked
tirelessly, and served Henry well.
● He overcame rivals at court. The Gentlemen of the Bedchamber, for example, were
purged in 1519
● By 1518 he was a Papal Legate, meaning he could act on the Pope’s behalf.
● Wolsey tried to reform the Church. He promoted education and wanted the quality of
the clergy to improve. However, as Catholic and Papal Legate, Wolsey was opposed
to the ideas of Protestantism, putting him at odds with the King.
● Wolsey failed to influence the Pope and secure divorce, and therefore Henry
believed he was serving the Pope before him.
