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Henry VIII (AQA A Level History)
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Notes on the reign of Henry VIII () for AQA A Level History 1C The Tudors: England,
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Background to Henry VIIILike his father before him, Henry VIII had a responsibility to maintain the Tudor line of
success; he went to great lengths to achieve this. Also, as King, he had the responsibility of
defending England against attack. But Henry VIII wanted more; he wanted to be a warrior
king.
Having spent much of his youth in the tiltyard and tournament field playing at war, Henry
rejected his father’s defensive policy in favour of a more traditional (and costly)
interventionist policy. His European counterparts in the early part of his reign were King
Louis XII of France and the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian, both of whom spent most of
their lives absorbed in war. Henry spoke of his rightful inheritance to the French crown and
was aware that it was a mere 80 years since Henry VI had been crowned King of France.
Henry VIII longed for the glory of Henry V at Agincourt and commissioned a translation of a
book about Henry V’s early life.
As well as being a warrior king, Henry also wanted to be an imperial king. The idea of
imperial kingship dated back to the Roman Empire and essentially placed the King next to
God in importance on Earth. Henry reinforced imperial kingship at various times throughout
his reign. For instance, at a tournament in 1511, the imperial crown was to be found as a
motif on his gold and purple pavilion. In 1533, the Act in Restraint of Appeals was passed,
ordering appeals to be heard in English Church courts rather than in Rome. In its preamble,
it asserted Henry’s imperial kingship; it referred to England as ‘an Empire’, governed by ‘one
supreme head and king’.
Structure of Henry VIII’s Government/Similarities + differences between the governments
of Henry VII and Henry VIII
Henry VII’s Legacy:
Solvent Crown – about £300,000
Peaceful foreign policy – Alliance with Spain formed through marriage, trade pacts made
with the Netherlands and Venice, etc.
Council Learned in the Law – People hated Empson and Dudley and it is thought that
they could have caused a nobility-led rebellion – Henry VIII had them executed at the
start of his reign
Conciliar government but Henry VII still had a personal role to play in the government
How was Henry VIII’s government structured?:
Government by council (1509 – c.1514):
Henry VIII initially continued with his father’s government. However, conciliar government
had broken down by 1514. This was because of disagreement between Henry and his
councillors (e.g. over war with France or about Henry’s preference to surround himself with
younger courtiers called the ‘minions’).
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