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2)
5)
Cavendish was Wolseys loyal household servant from 1522 and first biographer. He wrote the Life and
Death of Cardinal Wolsey c30 years after Wolseys death in c1557. He was with Wolsey during his final
year.
Vergil a scholar, who Henry VII commissioned to write a History of England. The later edition was
published in 1555 and provided an unfavourable view of Wolseys rule. But then he had an on-going feud
with Wolsey. He had been a favourite under Henry VII, but Henry VIII favoured another, Andrea Ammonio.
Wolsey appeared to back the new man. Vergil wrote to Rome, criticising Wolsey, undermining his hope of
gaining a cardinals hat. Wolsey imprisoned him in the Tower briefly as a result.
1. Political relationship
with Henry VIII
2. Wealth
3. Ruthlessness
1
Pendrill, 19-25
Randell, 50-55
Before anything
Son of an Ipswich butcher
so lowly born
Became bursar of an Oxford
college (i.e. dealt with money)
but left after over-spending
the colleges money!
Immediate Context
Reign of Henry VII he had
established ministers whom
he trusted
His policies were cautious and
limited with little opportunities
emerging
[He liked the detail of
government]
Yet ministers were ageing?
New Context
1509: a new king, Henry VIII:
ambitious and energetic who
wished to follow new policies
He was unhappy with the
ageing, cautious ministers too
attached to Henry VIIs ways
Wolsey could seize
opportunities for promotion!
Discuss in pairs. What do you think are the key dates in Wolseys career?
(a) Key to Wolseys progress was gaining the trust of the King. After the 1513
French invasion, Henry trusted Wolsey completely.
(b) Wolsey would have to serve the King loyally and efficiently.
Traditionally, historians view Wolsey as the Alter Rex, the second king, a man with power at
court, Henry having a limited role in government. Here Wolsey is master, Henry the puppet.
Randell, 65-69
Pendrill, 22-25
Answer questions 1 and 2 in the Skills Builder on p. 33
Using the text on page 34 & Source G, explain how modern
assessments of the relationship between Henry and Wolsey
differ from the traditional view.
http://history.wisc.edu/sommerville/123/123%20212%20Wolsey.htm
2.
Wealth (35-36)
3.
Randell,
58-60
http://www.tudors.org/as-a2-level/
Enter your e-mail address as instructed
to receive a free copy of an introduction
to Wolsey by John Guy.
1.
2.
Comment
Elton quoted this about Wolsey in the 1950s; it
stuck to the 1970s. He argued that all Wolseys
actions were attended by folly, arrogance, false
aims and failure.
Comment
Dickens noted that Wolseys
personal arrogance, his enormous
wealth and splendid ostentation
were resented (1964). Scarisbrick
argues that Wolsey has had
terrible judgement passed against
him for having mishandled,
violated, corrupted or neglected
most of what was in his charge.
Comment
His great work of 1990, The Kings Cardinal,
argued that Wolsey had not set out to irritate
the nobility or harm its interests; he would only
limit the nobility when it adversely affected the
Crown or the common weal.
Gwyn, The Kings Cardinal. This book, held by the History Department
could be used as an effective doorstop! You cannot read it all nor would
you want to. You should pick a feature of Wolseys character or a particular
area of policy related to your existing studies and make brief notes IF Gwyn
is saying something new.
3.
Assessing Wolsey is difficult due to a lack of sources. He did not leave a private archive
few letters and no diaries. Relying on contemporary comments means that we have to
reconcile highly negative comments from enemies with excessive praise from his friends.
Armstrong said that these commentators naturally had reasons to offer an interpretation of
the facts rather than the facts themselves. [Armstrong]
OPTIONAL: the appended sheet Wolsey and the Historians has four major contemporary
sources (from 39-41). As Armstrong notes, historians have to write histories based on them.
For more on Wolsey and Henry, see pp. 45-47
C16th people did not want or expect reform: they did not want Wolsey to reform systems
of government; they believed that the status quo was best. Wolsey did keep law and
order and this was the key purpose of government. For most, that was enough.
Henry VIII craved foreign glory domestic achievements would not raise the status and
prestige of the Crown. Wolsey needed to focus more on foreign policy to please Henry.
Aspects of domestic policy were important to foreign policy. Efficient tax collection was
vital for adventurous foreign policies and a stable domestic government.
One criticism of Wolsey is that he was too energetic; he was involved in everything, in all
matters of state. The Kings Cardinal took on too much domestic administration leading to:
Justice (42-43)
Pendrill, 27-29
Randell, 62-64
1.
2.
3.
4.
Court of Star
C
Chamber
Problem: Enclosure: this is when land was fenced off for profitable sheep-rearing.
It was said to cause poverty and depopulation flocks of sheep replaced villages.
Enclosure (43)
Problem: failure of state action: 3 statutes had been passed before Wolsey had
become Lord Chancellor and all had failed.
Solution: Wolsey launched a national enquiry into enclosure in 1517. Many brought to court
had to rebuild houses that had been destroyed and return land to arable farming. Again
Wolsey is determined to bring the nobility to justice, to challenge the power of the aristocracy.
260 were brought before the court; this was remarkable as usually few people appeared.
Success?
1)
Failure in the long-term: enclosure continued and rural poverty continued to increase.
2)
Wolsey was even more unpopular with the ruling classes.
3)
1523: Parliamentary session: Wolsey had to accept all existing enclosures. This
proved that Wolsey was not always to impose his authority on the nobility.
6
Pen-y-Wal
Enclosure
How does the subsidy represent an improvement over the fifteenths and tenths?
Both the fifteenths and tenths and subsidy existed side by side, but the subsidy was Wolseys
greatest financial achievement. Wolsey favoured the subsidy because:
Wolsey rejected the fixed rates of the fifteenths and tenths and replaced them with a
more flexible subsidy which was based on the ability to pay.
So the new system accurately reflected the true wealth of English taxpayers: graduated
rates of tax were established placing a greater financial burden on the rich.
Efficiently administered: commissioners were sent to the localities to supervise
assessments of wealth
It raised more money: it was more efficient in raising more money and it was more
progressive.
So the subsidy raised
15ths and 10ths
subsidy
almost ________ as
1513-1516
1513-1516
much.
Raised: 90,000
Raised: 170,000
Assess the success of Wolseys fiscal policies between 1513 and 1529
Finance caused problems between Henry VIII and Parliament
1523: Wolsey demanded 800,000 in taxation from Parliament:
Pendrill,
30-32
Problem: loans previously demanded were still being collected amounting to 260,000
Problem: Wolsey was far too brusque with parliament
Result - opposition:
Problem: Wolsey was placed in the difficult position of accounting for money that had
not been paid; this affected expenditure; he could not spend what he did not have.
7
Bigger problem:
Refusal to pay: rebellion erupted across Suffolk and indeed, much of East Anglia.
10,000 men marched on Lavenham, (a cloth-making centre), highlighting the extent and
intensity of the opposition.
It was a popular rebellion; its spontaneity also reflected the degree of hostility.
His enemies, the Dukes of Suffolk and Norfolk, did not start it and indeed, did their best
to re-establish law and order. But they would increase their importance at court.
Consequences
The Grant was abandoned in May 1525; Wolsey raised no new taxes after this.
Henry doubted his minister for the first time; and so denied all knowledge of the Grant!
Wolseys opponents scented blood for the first time, but still had to wait[Why?]
With the cash gone, the French invasion was called off and Wolsey now allied with
France; he could not have known then what a disastrous error he had made
Pendrill, 49-51
A. What was the impact of the Hunne Affair, 1515? (20, 47-48)
Hunne, a London merchant, had challenged the Church over exorbitant mortuary fees. The
ensuing trial and his death in custody, had led to the Church being accused of making up
charges of heresy, murdering a wealthy merchant, and convicting him of heresy after his death
in order to seize his property.
Some argue that it helped the growth of anti-clericalism with the controversy dominating
parliament and allowed the Catholic Church to crumble under Henrys later attacks.
In fact this was not true, and most remained loyal to the Catholic Church.
However, within London, the Affair did have a big negative impact - temporarily
It reinforced Wolseys view that parliaments were more trouble than they were
worth, so another was not called till 1523.
B. What was the impact of Friar Henry Standishs attack on benefit of the clergy? (48)
Benefit of the clergy allowed the clergy to be tried in more lenient ecclesiastical courts rather
than tougher secular courts. Educated laymen abused the practice, gaining immunity from
secular trial. Parliamentary action in 1512 and 1515 gave oxygen to the issue and so increased
anti-clericalism. Wolsey had to swear to Henry personally that royal authority was superior to
ecclesiastical power, that an ecclesiastical practice was not undermining his secular courts.
So rigorous revelling,
Key Point: the anti-clericalism generated in 1515 probably accounts for In a prelate specially;
the delay in holding another parliament until 1523. Wolsey simply had to
So bold and bragging,
call it then to get the money to fund Henrys foreign policy; he also had to
And was so basely born;
compromise over enclosure in order to get the extra cash.
So lordly of his looks,
And so disdain[ful],
C. Ecclesiastical Extravagance (48)
So fat a maggot,
Wolsey did exploit his ecclesiastical position to secure enormous
Bred of a flesh-flye.
wealth. As Legate a Latere he was able to set up probate courts (church
John Skelton,
courts dealing with laymens wills) whose fees enhanced his wealth.
8 Speak,
Parrot, 1522
Wolsey let everyone know that he was fabulously rich; Hampton Court sparkled - but then
there were his plans for Ipswich School and Cardinal College. Unsurprisingly, such display
caused jealousy and resentment and added to anti-clerical feeling. Remember he is a cleric!
www.luminarium.org/renlit/skelton.htm
Look at the picture. What is Wolsey riding on? What might have been the response to this?
(45-47)
Answer questions 1 and 2 in the Skills Builder on p. 45
Wolsey, as Lord Chancellor, Archbishop of York and Cardinal, had great legal, political and
ecclesiastical power; but such power brought with it real administrative problems and trouble.
Parliament
1.
Why did Wolsey not call Parliament much during his ascendancy?
2.
What was the role of the Privy Council and the Privy Chamber?
2.
How far did Wolsey institute a purge to ostracise potential political rivals in the
Privy Chamber in 1519. How far might this have damaged his political position?
3.
What were the Eltham Ordinances of 1526 and what is their significance in terms
of Wolseys treatment of the nobility and his hold on power?
Randell,
Conclusion and Key Text: The Kings Cardinal
61-62
In contrast to:
2.
Why
Wolseys
Fall
See later
10
Key Questions
Francis I: France
Francis I (House of Valois) became
King of France. France was the
largest kingdom in Europe with 16m
people. Additional lands (such as
Burgundy and Brittany) were
acquired through conquest or
diplomacy.
Aim: he wished to uphold French
honour and glory abroad. He had
inherited from Louis XII a conflict in
Italy against the Habsburgs
The Papacy
Spiritual
He was spiritual leader of the Catholic Church and he
aimed to defend Catholic interests in Europe. So the Pope
called for successive Catholic crusades against the Muslim
Ottoman Empire.
Temporal
The Pope was a major landowner in central Italy, ruling
over the papal states. Pope Julius II had a court to rival any
prince. He wanted to expand papal territory through
conquest, hence the name the warrior pope. The
Habsburg-Valois conflict in northern Italy threatened papal
interests. The papacy had to choose its allies carefully to
avoid domination. 1527 saw an unpaid Imperial army sack
Rome and kept Clement VII prisoner. This was a key
obstacle to Henry getting his divorce through Rome. His
failure set England on course for the Henrician Reformation
Aims:
Wage war in Italy
Defeat the Infidel Turk
in the Mediterranean
Repel the Protestant
Reformation in Europe.
Charles I: Spain
Spain emerged from the
uniting of Aragon and
Castile. Spain was very
diverse in climate, language
and culture. It had 6.8m and
was devoutly Catholic and
had defeated the Moors of
Grenada so defending the
Iberian peninsula for
Christendom.
11
analytical
comment success
or failure?
http://www.hrp.org.uk/Resour
ces/Battle%20of%20the
%20Spurs
13
How far did Wolsey achieve his aims in foreign policy in the years 1514-29?
Debate over the guiding principles of Wolseys foreign policies.
Traditional View: Wolsey tried to
maintain the balance of power in Europe:
1515: Francis effectively dissolved the Anglo-French peace by sending the Scottish
claimant, the Duke of Albany, to overthrow Margarets regency government. The unrest
in Scotland did lead to Margarets overthrow.
[1515: after the Battle of Marignano, Francis came to control northern Italy.
1516: a concordat with Leo X confirmed the French kings right to appoint bishops to
French sees.]
Henry/Wolseys response
1.
2.
However, January 1516, Ferdinand died and was replaced by his grandson, the Archduke
Charles. He did not want to fight France at once and so made peace; he did not feel that he
needed England. HR Emperor Maximilian joined the Franco-Spanish alliance in 1517 through
the Peace of Cambrai.
Significance
By the end of 1517, despite the efforts of Wolsey and Henry, England was isolated and
humiliated.
Wolsey was able to redeem himself for the previous failures. Leo X wanted a crusade against
the infidel Church. Wolsey took papal plans and modified them to suit the European powers.
His was a settlement of universal peace, which seemed to put England at the centre of
diplomatic affairs.
The treaty terms:
A peace settlement bound France, Spain, the Papacy, the Empire and England to action
against the Turk.
It guaranteed non-aggression between the powers
Built in a principle of collective security any aggressor would meet the might of the
other states.
The Duke of Albany was to be kept out of Scotland while Henrys infant daughter, Mary,
was betrothed to the Dauphin.
Wolsey had hijacked Leos plans but also received the commission of Legate a latere, a
position he had been pressing for since 1514. The papal representative to England, Lorenzo
Campeggio, was not allowed to enter the country until Wolseys new title had been officially
confirmed by the curia.
Spain or France? (67)
Given Europes almost constant state of warfare, the Treaty of London was unlikely to last long.
When Emperor Maximilian died, a power struggle was set up between Charles of Burgundy,
King of Spain and Francis I. Inevitably, the seven electors of the Empire would choose
Charles, given that he was a Habsburg. And so the balance of power was upset again.
France was encircled by Charles huge territorial inheritance and so a Habsburg-Valois conflict
appeared inevitable.
Wolsey and Henry continued to present England as the arbiter of peace in Europe while at
the same time France and the Empire looked to England as an ally.
15
Wolseys Foreign Policy, 1520-1525: The Field of the Cloth of Gold, 1520 (68-9)
In June 1520, Henry
and Francis met at
the Field of the Cloth
of Gold, near Calais.
3000 notables at a
sumptuous feast of
chivalric pageantry.
Both spent on
marvellous royal
pavilions, both trying
to display their
Renaissance
Credentials. Jousting
went on and even
an unplanned wrestling match between the two kings.
Significance
Little was achieved diplomatically there was no alliance with France.
Yet neutrality was difficult given rising Habsburg-Valois tensions. Charles had visited
England in May 1520 and then July 1520 Henry, Wolsey and Charles V met at
Gravelines. Charles was desperate for Henry not to join France; in fact Henry was
always likely to side with Emperor Charles V.
Traditional hostility towards France; Henry resented Francis I success since 1515
Charles via the Habsburg Netherlands could help protect key trade links with the
Low Countries.
The pope was anti-French too given Frances domination in northern Italy.
England, France and the Holy Roman Emperor, 1521-1525
Wolsey the Peacemaker, July 1521
Wolsey arranged a three-power conference at Calais; England was to act as the peace broker
between the 2 main superpowers
Wolsey and the Treaty of Bruges, August 1521
Wolsey concluded a settlement with Charles. The English would invade France unless the
French King agreed to make peace. Wolsey later negotiated a delay for war until 1523 hoping
that the situation would change and England would not have to fight.
Domestic Opinion and War
This was not 1513 and the conquest of France was not popular (how did it really serve
English interests?), especially as it would need increased taxation.
Action: skirmishes
1.
1522: Earl of Surrey led a raiding party from Calais into Normandy and Picardy.
2.
3.
1523-25: Wolsey avoids action despite Charless demands, and tried to release England
from its obligations under the Treaty of Bruges.
16
3.
Francis did want Charles to dominate northern Italy, and the treaty aligned England, France
and several Italian states against Habsburg hegemony (i.e. Charles Vs domination) in Italy.
Wolsey helped to construct the League and England financed it. But they never joined it.
How far was 1525 a watershed mark in Henrician foreign policy? (69-70
Analyse Source E
Answer the questions on p. 69
Princess Mary was again presented as a diplomatic marriage pawn for Francis or his
second son.
Henry threatened Charles with armed intervention if he did not make peace.
Matter. The King expected Wolsey to deliver the annulment on his divorce since this
was for him the most important issue of state. However, Wolseys diplomatic
revolution had moved him away from the man who could make it happen, Charles
V. Wolsey was beginning to regret that decision.
Charles V was Catherine of Aragons nephew and he would not see a close
relative wronged and humiliated. Henry needed the Pope to annul the marriage,
but as a virtual prisoner of Charles, there was little hope of success in 1527.
2.
Do nothing
The Habsburgs and the House of Valois were bound to fall out given their traditional
rivalry. When they both turned to war, England would be ignored.
Both Ann Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon died that year and so Anglo-Imperial relations
might recover.
France and Spain fought over Milan.
The latter improvement was only temporary and when they both signed the Peace of Nice,
Cromwell and Henry felt vulnerable.
accompanied the slow progress of the army. In fact neither he nor Charles would truly help
each other since they had attacked France with quite different agendas. Thus Henry focused
on Boulogne, not Paris, and Suffolk captured it easily. Charles, annoyed, made peace with
France. Boulogne was garrisoned and the English army sailed home. France sought to regain
Boulogne and planned an invasion. Skirmishes occurred in the channel and Henrys Mary
Rose sank itself, attempting a sharp manoeuvre with its gunports open. All this has been too
expensive the campaign cost over 2m. Increased taxation and forced loans were not
enough to pay for the campaign and Henry actually had to sell off crown lands gained with
the dissolution of the monasteries. A steady income from future rents was lost. He gained a
million by debasing the coinage but this also increased inflation and reduced confidence in
English financial markets.
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22
23
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