AQA A Level History Tudors - Henry VIII detailed revision notes. Made using a range of textbooks and wider reading resources. Includes possible essay questions.
The contrasts between Henry VII and Henry VIII could not have been more marked.
Henry VIII succeeded to the throne when he was nearly 18, a young, athletic and charismatic figure who, if not
born to be king, had known that this was his destiny since his brother’s death in 1502.
Where Henry VII had endured years of poverty and exile, succeeding to the throne only through luck and
military success, Henry VIII had known only wealth and expectation, if tinged with insecurity.
His accession was popular. He represented the union of the Houses of York and Lancaster, a symbol of
domestic peace and harmony, and the dawn of a new era after the years of mistrust and financial oppression
that had overshadowed his father’s relationship with his nobility.
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Key questions
How effectively did the Tudors restore and develop the powers of the monarchy?
• At one level Henry VIII appeared to make the monarchy more powerful.
• His frequent resort to the execution of those who had displeased him led his rule to be characterised at
tyrannical.
• Moreover, the break from Rome and the dissolution of the monasteries enhanced both his power and,
in the short term, his riches.
• On the other hand, the scope of parliamentary legislation undoubtedly expanded during his reign so
that sovereignity rested at times with the ‘king-in-Parliament’ rather than with the king as an individual.
In what ways and how effectively was England governed during this period?
• Henry VIII repudiated his father’s legacy and often governed extravagantly.
• Moreover, he struggled to adopt a consistent approach to government. He twice sought to govern with
the aid of a chief minister, in the form of Thomas Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell, each of them a
remarkable man who rose from very humble origins to dominate the machinery of government. Each in
the end overreached himself, lost royal favour and was brought down by members of the conservative
nobility whose traditional predominance they had temporarily usurped.
• Henry lurched from dependence on a chief minister to operating within a conciliar framework, though
with limited success.
• By the end of his record as monarch was distinctly flawed, the benefits to the Crown of the acquisition
of much of the wealth of the Church have been thrown away in pursuit of a futile foreign policy for by
land sales and the debasement of the currency.
How did relations with foreign powers change and how was the succession secured?
• The nobility welcomed the accession of Henry VIII, who provided them with opportunities for glory.
• The price for this was paid not only by the Crown, which saw its finances depleted, but also by the
country more generally when the policy of debasement added to the already evident inflationary
pressures.
How did English society and economy change and with what effects?
• Attempts at exploration were largely ignored under Henry VIII.
How far did intellectual and religious ideas change and develop and with what effects?
• The first hints of intellectual change were in the air, and humanist ideas gradually became more
influential.
• In the early stages of the reign, with the encouragement of the monarch, the humanism of thinkers such
as More and Erasmus became very fashionable.
How important was the role of key individuals and groups and how were they affected by
developments?
• Cardinal Wolsey rose from humble origins to dominate Henry VIII’s government for 15 years.
• Thomas Cromwell emerged from obscurity to dominate for 8 years.
, • Each of them had an ability to work with the most difficult of royal masters, partly because of instinctive
understanding of what the king’s needs might be.
Key focus areas
• Henry VIII: character and aims; addressing Henry VII’s legacy
• Government: Crown and parliament, ministers, domestic policies including the establishment of Royal
Supremacy
• Relationships with Scotland and other foreign powers; securing the succession
• Society: elites, commoners; regional issues and the social impact of religious upheaval; rebellion
• Economic development: trade, exploration, prosperity and depression
• Religion: renaissance ideas; reform of the Church; continuity and change by 1547
Practice exam questions
• ‘Henry VIII’s actions as king destroyed Henry VII’s legacy.’ Assess the validity of this view of the years
1485-1514.
• ‘The most successful domestic policy in the period 1509-29 was Wolsey’s legal reforms.’ Explain why
you agree or disagree with this view.
• ‘The nature of royal government under Henry VIII was completely different from that under Henry VII’.
Explain why you agree or disagree with this view.
• ‘Royal government was transformed in the reign of Henry VIII’. Explain why you agree or disagree with
this view.
• ‘Henry VIII was manipulated by his chief ministers Wolsey and Cromwell.’ Assess the validity of this
view.
• ‘The reform of the Privy Council was the most important development in government and administration
in the reign of Henry VIII up to 1540’. Explain why you agree or disagree with this statement.
• ‘Henry VIII’s foreign policy failed to achieve its aim of making England a major power in Europe.’
Assess the validity of this statement.
• ‘The desire to increase his international prestige was the most important motive behind Henry VII’s
foreign policy.’ Explain why you agree or disagree with this view.
• ‘Henry VIII’s foreign policy was a triumph of ambition over substance.’ Explain why you agree or
disagree.
• ‘Henry VIII was responsible for the failures of English foreign policy in the years 1514 to 1529’. Explain
why you agree or disagree with this view.
• ‘The foreign policy of Henry VIII failed to achieve its objectives in the years 1509 to 1547.’ Assess the
validity of this view.
• ‘The Catholic Church in England in the period 1485-1529 was criticized primarily because of the failings
of its clergy.’ Assess the validity of this view.
• ‘Despite the Break with Rome, Henry VIII never seriously abandoned the Catholic faith in the years
1529 to 1547.’ Explain why you agree or disagree with this view.
• ‘Tudor society in the reign of Henry VIII was a society in transition.’ Explain why you agree or disagree
with this view.
• ‘The greater availability of land was the principle reason for the social and economic changes in Tudor
society up to 1547.’ Assess the validity of this view.
• ‘In the period between the early 1520s and 1547, the dissolution of the monasteries had a significant
impact on the lives of the people.’ Explain why you agree or disagree with this view.
• ‘In the years between 1525 and 1547, the Crown was successful in extending its power into the
regions.’ Assess the validity of this view.
• ‘The most significant economic development in the reign of Henry VIII was the rise in inflation.’ Assess
the validity of this view.
• ‘Opposition to the Crown under Henry VIII was motivated by reforms of the Church’. Explain why you
agree or disagree with this statement.
• ‘The people of northern England, Cornwall and Wales had little reason to be grateful for the rule of
Henry VII and Henry VIII.’ Assess the validity of this view.
• ‘English society in the reign of Henry VIII was characterised more by disorder than by order.’ Assess
the validity of this view.
, • ‘Tudor rebellions before 1540 were primarily driven by economic factors.’ Explain why you agree or
disagree with this view.
• ‘The performance of the English economy remained weak throughout the reigns of the first two Tudors.’
Assess the validity of this claim.
• ‘Henry VIII might have made himself supreme head of the Church of England, but he did little else to
change the Church.’ Assess the validity of this claim.
• ‘The Catholic Church in England in the period 1485-1529 was criticized primarily because if the failings
of its clergy.’ Assess the validity of this view.
• ‘Henry VIII’s decision to dissolve the monasteries can be explained by the Crown’s financial problems
that had developed since Henry VIII became king in 1509’. Assess the validity of this view.
• ‘Changes in religion in the reign of Henry VIII up to 1540 occurred because of Cromwell.’ Assess the
validity of this view.
Wolsey overview
The youthful Henry wanted to make his mark as a young successful king, but his enthusiasm was not always
matched by his dedication to day-to-day business. By 1515 Wolsey was the chief minister who dominated life
in Church and State. Wolsey was active in domestic affairs, instituting reforms, as the leading churchman and
as Chancellor.
In the Church, he was keen to promote learning and establish new schools; he made moves against
monasteries that were said to be of little use. However, Wolsey did not set a good personal example with his
emphasis on wealth and ostentation. As Chancellor, he instituted minor changes in the law and in finances, but
his attempts to build on the legacy of Henry VII were limited.
However, Wolsey did work with some success in advancing England’s interests abroad, especially initially in
1513-14 and with splendor of the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520. After this, successes were more difficult to
achieve because of rapidly changing European alliances. He and Henry VIII focused almost entirely on
Europe, and almost totally ignored possibilities being offered by trading developments further afield. In the later
1520s Wolsey had to try to respond to Henry’s need for a divorce from the Pope who was under the control of
Charles V, the nephew of Henry’s wife. As such, initial attempts failed in the later 1520s and Wolsey fell from
power.
, The character and aims of Henry VIII
The character of Henry VIII
Early life of Prince Henry
Prince Henry’s upbringing had not initially been as heir to the throne. That only changed in 1502 when his elder
brother, Arthur, died when Henry was nearly 11. He was being well-prepared for the role of a Renaissance
prince.
• Henry had been well educated, taught by a group of tutors who included the poet John Skelton. He
studied languages, history, astronomy and arithmetic.
• He learnt several musical instruments, including the lute, and could sing well.
• Outdoors he learnt horse riding and archery, and later played tennis and became skilled in jousting.
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 fifteenth century. One essential part of the chivalric code was
the need to perform valiant deeds. This could be in jousting (often staged as elaborate court spectacles) or in
warfare. This code of chivalry not only greatly influenced life at court but also Henry’s attitude to foreign policy.
• After Arthur’s death in 1502 and his mother’s death in 1503, Henry lived at court at Richmond with his
father with his own suite of rooms and 100 servants.
• However, he does not seem to have been particularly well-prepared by his father for the day-to-day
duties of kingship.
• He had been educated for the task of becoming king, including some acquaintance with the new
learning of humanism.
• Despite this, he showed himself to have been intellectually gifted. He had a brilliant memory for factual
details and could analyse information and argue on subjects such as religion.
• His education had reinforced the notion of the monarch ruling in the interests of the country and of the
Tudor line.
Character and skills
There is much debate about Henry’s character, especially as events unfolded during his 37-year long reign.
• He had an attractive appearance, a flamboyant manner and great learning and skills.
• In addition to being chivalrous and a warrior-king, Henry also wanted to be an imperial king. The idea of
imperial king came from the Roman Empire whose government was being studied by Renaissance
men. He 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 in everyone’s mind that he was ruling on behalf of God.
The language of imperial kingship became important in the 1530s when the English Church separated
from Rome and England was referred to as ‘an Empire governed by one supreme head and king’.
• Henry had a dominant trait, but were there periods of chronic uncertainty and indecision, which showed
up as a crippling weakness in his role as monarch at crucial moments of his reign?
• Henry’s age and character genuinely brought about an excitement and anticipation of a long and
glorious reign. This new dawn coincided with a general feeling of intellectual and cultural rejuvenation
across Europe – the Renaissance.
The legacy of Henry VII
Henry VIII’s accession was welcomed as a breath of fresh air after the stultifying and rather sinister
atmosphere associated with the influence of Empson and Dudley in the last years of his father’s reign. For Sir
Thomas More, it represented ‘the end of our slavery, the fount of our liberty, the end of sadness, the beginning
of joy’. However, Henry had no experience of government or public affairs.
• Henry VII left a relatively sound financial and political legacy to his son.
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