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Henry VIII
1. Henry VIII: the start of a new era 4
The early years of Henry’s reign: 4
Early life of Prince Henry: 4
First decisions of Henry VIII: 4
Henry’s character and skills: 4
Henry court: 5
Treatment of the nobility: 5
Style of government: 5
Foreign policy at the beginning of his reign: 6
2. Wolsey as chief minister - Church and State: 7
The rise of Thomas Wolsey: 7
Wolsey’s rise to high office in Church and State: 7
Wolsey’s personality: 7
Wolsey and the Church: 8
Condition of the Church in the 1520’s: 8
Wolsey and Church reform: 8
Government under Wolsey: 8
The Eltham Ordinances: 9
Legal reforms: 9
Financial reforms: 9
Economic policies: 10
Wolsey and Parliament: 10
3. England’s relations with foreign powers, 1509-29: 11
The challenge of foreign policy: 11
Treaty of London, October 1518: 11
Support for the Habsburgs, 1520-25: 12
Support for France, 1525-29: 12
4. Henry’s quest for a divorce: 14
Scriptural arguments: 14
2) Diplomatic manoeuvres: 14
3) Legal efforts: 14
The fall of Wolsey: 15
Why had Wolsey lost Henry’s confidence by 1529: 15
5.The Reformation Parliament and the establishment of Royal Supremacy: 16
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Slow progress on Henry’s divorce, 1529-31: 16
Sir Thomas More: 16
Attempts to progress the divorce question: 16
Henry divorces and becomes Head of the Church of England: 17
Thomas Cromwell (1485-1540): 18
Establishment of Royal Supremacy: 18
Archbishop Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556): 18
Act in Restraint of Appeals: 19
Royal Supremacy by Act of Parliament, 1534: 19
Implications of the Act of Supremacy: 19
6.The extent of religious change in the 1530’s: 21
Spread of Protestant ideas: 21
Government propaganda supporting the Reformation: 21
Doctrinal reform: 21
A swing back towards Catholicism in 1538-40: 22
Political, social and economic significance of the dissolution of the monasteries: 22
Why did Henry close the monasteries and seize their assets: 22
Causes of the dissolution: 22
Process of dissolution: 23
Effects of the dissolution: 23
7.Opposition to religious change: 25
Opposition to change: 25
Who opposed religious change, and why did they fail to prevent it? 25
Resistance at court: 25
Resistance within the clergy: 25
Resistance within the country: 26
Scale of resistance against the religious changes: 27
8.Royal authority and government in the 1530’s: 28
Reform of government: 28
Royal Council: 28
Financial management: 28
The King’s advisers: 28
Power of the Crown: 29
How much did the Crown increase its power in the 1530’s? 29
Role and importance of Parliament: 29
Composition of Parliament: 30
9.England’s relations with foreign powers: 31
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English foreign policy in the 1530’s: 31
Protestant allies: 31
Events in Scotland, 1540-47: 31
English foreign policy in Europe, 1540-47: 32
English involvement in Ireland during Henry VIII’s reign: 33
An assessment of Henry VIII’s foreign policy: 33
10.Factions at court and the succession: 34
Growing factionalism in the late 1530’s and the fall of Cromwell: 34
Did Thomas Cromwell deserve his fate: 34
Enemies at court: 34
Death of Cromwell, 1540: 34
What sort of person was Cromwell? 35
Continuing factions, 1540-47: 35
Succession Act of 1544: 36
Factionalism and the succession, 1546-47: 36
11.Position of the Church by 1547: 38
Church of England by 1540: 38
How much had the Church in England moved away from Catholicism by 1547? 38
Developments in the last years of Henry’s reign: 38
Doctrines of the Church of England at the death of Henry VIII: 38
Religious beliefs in 1547: 39
12.Assessment of Henry VIII’s reign: 40
England in 1547: continuity and change 40
How much change was there in Henry VIII’s reign? 40
An assessment of Henry VIII as King: 41
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1. Henry VIII: the start of a new era
The early years of Henry’s reign:
Early life of Prince Henry:
- Only became heir to the throne when Arthur died in 1502.
- Had been well-educated, played instruments, and could do sports: well-prepared for the role of
a renaissance prince.
- His education reflected the belief that a monarch should follow the code of chivalry which had
been developed in the Burgundian court in the Netherlands in the C.15th.
- One element was the need to perform valiant deeds - could be in jousting or warfare.
- This code influenced life at court and his attitude to foreign policy.
- Lived in Richmond with his father after his mother and brother died with his own suite and 100
servants.
- Did not seem well-prepared for the day-to-day duties of kingship, however he was gifted
and talented.
First decisions of Henry VIII:
- Inherited a group of experienced and trusted councillors from his father:
- Sir Thomas Lovell, who was appointed the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
- Bishop Fox, who was Lord Privy Seal and an important advisor until the role of Wolsey.
- Archbishop Warham, who was also Lord Chancellor.
- Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey.
- Days after his accession, he ordered the arrest of his father’s chief financial enforcers, Empson
and Dudley, and abolished the Council Learned in Law.
- Annouced that he would honour his promise to marry Catherine of Aragon.
Henry’s character and skills:
- First 15 years of his reign - attractive, flamboyant and well-educated.
- As well as being chivalrous and a warrior-king, he also wanted to be an imperial King.
- Imperial kingship: idea came from the HRE.
- Henry was keen to promote his monarchy as one that recreated the glories of Henry V’s
victory at Agincourt in 1415, and to establish the belief that he was ruling on behalf of
God.
- The language became important in the 1530’s when the English Church separated from
Rome.
- Disagreement over whether he was a strong king or weak; most historians accept that
the former was the dominant trait, but that he had periods of chronic uncertainty and
indecision.
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Henry court:
- The royal court was not only the centre of politics and government, it was also a projection of
the King’s personality and the aura of majesty that he sought to create.
- He maintained a lavish court, with generous hospitality and patronage of scholars and explorers.
- Was intelligent enough to enjoy the company of scholars steeped in the new learning of the
renaissance.
Treatment of the nobility:
- Had a different approach to his father; Henry VII’s threatened status’ and wealth, and
undermined them to the point where he could replace them in court with talented
administrators.
- However, Henry VIII’s attitude was different from the outset; early gestures of goodwill in
disbanding the Council Learned in Law and cancelling 175 bonds still owed, showed that he
regarded them as friends and associates.
- Henry shared his father’s suspicion of possible rivals among the nobility. Although the Yorkist
threat was substantially weaker by 1509, there was still some royal blood among the nobility.
- The main candidate was Edmund de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk, who was already in the Tower for
treason; Henry had him executed in 1513.
- His brother, Richard, remained free in French service until his death at the Battle of Pavia in
1525. Although the French exploited his claims during negotiations with Henry, and recognised
him as ‘King Richard IV’, there was no serious attempt to replace Henry from abroad.
Style of government:
- Henry VIII adopted some of his father's tactics - continued to use JP’s to carry out his wishes in
local government rather than rely on the nobility.
- He also followed his father’s practice of encouraging talented advisers and administrators
outside the nobility.
- During Henry’s reign, the Privy Chamber became even more important; only the most intimate
advisers were allowed to attend in there.
- The Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber had access to the king and were members of the court
who travelled around when Henry moved from house to house.
- Consisted of about 20 men and they gave advice on matters of state.
- In the early years of his reign, Wolsey took charge between 1515 and 1529.
- Between 1532 and 1540, Cromwell took the leading role.
- Henry VIII never gave the affairs of government the personal attention his father had exercised,
tending to delegate great power to his chief advisers, as he did not like the unglamourous side
of ruling. By allowing ministers to assume more power, Henry encouraged factionalism in court.
- Henry VII’s close control of government did not suit his son, who kept overall control, but
preferred to act out a combination of Renaissance and medieval images of kingship.
- Both Wolsey and Cromwell careers depended on maintaining the King’s favour to survive.
