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Henry VIII and Wolsey, 1509 to 29
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Young Henry VIII wanted glory. Thomas Wolsey, a butcher's son, rose to run the government for him, until he failed to end Henry's marriage.
Henry, Renaissance prince
Henry became king in 1509, aged 17, and married Catherine of Aragon.
He was well educated, musical and athletic, and loved jousting and hunting. He wanted glory through war with France.
He left much of the daily work of government to ministers.
He was well educated, musical and athletic, and loved jousting and hunting. He wanted glory through war with France.
He left much of the daily work of government to ministers.
Wolsey's rise and reforms
Wolsey, the son of an Ipswich butcher, impressed Henry by organising the 1513 war against France.
He became Archbishop of York (1514), Cardinal and Lord Chancellor (1515), and lived in great wealth at Hampton Court.
Reforms: enquiries into enclosures, new taxes (the subsidy), justice in the Star Chamber, and the Eltham Ordinances (1526) to reform the royal household.
The Amicable Grant (1525), a tax demanded without Parliament, caused rebellion in Suffolk and was abandoned.
He became Archbishop of York (1514), Cardinal and Lord Chancellor (1515), and lived in great wealth at Hampton Court.
Reforms: enquiries into enclosures, new taxes (the subsidy), justice in the Star Chamber, and the Eltham Ordinances (1526) to reform the royal household.
The Amicable Grant (1525), a tax demanded without Parliament, caused rebellion in Suffolk and was abandoned.
Foreign policy and fall
Wolsey aimed to make England important in Europe. Successes: the Treaty of London (1518) and the Field of the Cloth of Gold (1520) meeting with Francis I of France. In the 1520s, Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire grew too strong for England to influence.
Henry wanted an annulment from Catherine because they had no surviving son, only Mary, and he wanted to marry Anne Boleyn.
Pope Clement VII was under the control of Catherine's nephew Charles V. A trial in London in 1529 was adjourned without a decision. Wolsey fell from power in 1529 and died in 1530.
Henry wanted an annulment from Catherine because they had no surviving son, only Mary, and he wanted to marry Anne Boleyn.
Pope Clement VII was under the control of Catherine's nephew Charles V. A trial in London in 1529 was adjourned without a decision. Wolsey fell from power in 1529 and died in 1530.
Explain why Wolsey fell from power in 1529.
- He failed to get Henry's annulment because the Pope was controlled by Charles V.
- The 1529 trial in London ended without a verdict.
- The Boleyn faction turned Henry against him.
Answer: Failure over the annulment and the influence of the Boleyns.
Henry king 1509. Wolsey: Archbishop of York, Cardinal, Lord Chancellor. Reforms: enclosures, Star Chamber, Eltham Ordinances 1526; Amicable Grant 1525 failed. Treaty of London 1518; Field of the Cloth of Gold 1520. Annulment failure, fall 1529.
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