...How successful were Wolsey’s domestic policies? Law One area that Wolsey did try to reform was England’s legal system. England mainly used common law at that time however civil law was seen as more modern and was favored in southern Europe. Civil law was used in the King’s council when it acted as a court of law. As Lord Chancellor Wolsey had oversight over the legal system in England. The law awakened Wolsey’s intellectual interest. He was a judge in the Chancery Court and handled disputes over wills, contracts and property. He had successfully reformed the Star Chamber where he was determined to get rid of corruption. He made it much fairer, cheaper and more efficient and was not afraid to take on the powerful. He had the Earl of Northumberland jailed for contempt of court. Wolsey Had genuine concern and wanted to improve the administration. He knew that common law courts were controlled by money which made it impossible for the poor to use so they could not get any justice. There were many problems with Common law for example the decisions of courts could be corruptly influenced or ignored by the powerful, cases took too long to resolve causing them to be very expensive which most people could not afford. Wolsey’s solution to all these problems was to increase the role of the prerogative courts which developed from the king’s council. The system that these courts would use was called “equity” and it was based on common sense and what seemed fairer rather that the common law...
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...Wolsey’s domestic policies regarding the Church, Nobility, the Justice and finance system along with his enclosure policy have received much criticism throughout the tudor period. Source T states that Wolsey was an arrogant and hostile man who was disliked by all, regardless of class. This negative view is in stark contrast to Source U which portrays Wolsey in a very different light, describing him as “thoughtful and ...extremely just”. Source V gives a less clear picture. Although Dawson describes Wolsey’s domestic policies as disappointing, with the benefit of hindsight he is able to also evaluate the role of Henry VIII in there failure. When evaluating Wolsey’s policies you have to consider not only if they were disappointing but also why they would be considered failures - it may be down the policies unpopularity rather than there actual failure. Source T agrees with the statement that Wolsey’s domestic policies were disappointing. A contemporary source written by Polydore Vergil it states that Wolsey was “detested by everyone” due to his “hostility towards the nobility and the common people”. Wolsey would have been disliked by the nobility due to his policy on enclosure. In 1517 he launched a national enquiry into enclosed land for profitable sheep rearing which involved returning land, belonging to the nobility, to arable farming. The policy not only contributed to the nobilities dislike of Wolsey but rural poverty continued to increase so in more than one way, Wolsey’s...
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...Use sources T, U and V and your own knowledge. Do you accept the view in Source V that Wolsey’s domestic policies were disappointing? Thomas Wolsey was Henry VIII’s chief minister from 1514 when Henry VIII was making his rise into power up until 1529 when Wolsey had his fall from grace. Many people have argued that Wolsey made many radical changes to the country and how it was run. This essay will argue whether Wolsey’s domestic policies were disappointing or not. One of the main categorical policies that brought up a lot of criticism for Wolsey was the way that he dealt with finances, which ultimately brought a huge amount of disappointment to Wolsey’s reign. During his reign as Chancellor Wolsey failed to ensure that the revenue that was brought in was the same as what the King was spending which did damage the country’s finances. Wolsey also brought in many different taxation policies (which included the Amicable Grant) this sparked outrage within both the laity and the clergy, it also caused many riots in Suffolk. In Source T it says that he ‘aroused against himself the hatred of the whole country’ and this was being spoken about when it came to his arrogance. In contrary to this, it can be argued that Wolsey’s financial policies were not all a disappointment as it says in source U ‘He favours the people exceedingly, and especially the poor’ Wolsey started to levy taxes so people paid taxes in accordance to what they earned. This helped Wolsey financially with the people as...
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...feel that Wolsey’s domestic policies were disappointing as he did not go through with his word and did not have enough power to apply his authority over the nobles and other religious figures which were all below and also some above him. These people needed controlling. Source T agrees with the statement and says that, not only were his policies disappointing, but so was Wolsey himself. Source V has more of an negative view of Wolsey’s policies and they were disappointing but this was not Wolsey’s fault as his had a lot of work to do and Henry had no other trusted advisors. Source V says that ‘there is a danger of judging by anachronistic standards’ which means that whilst we may see that the policies were ineffective as we are used to having ‘changes and improvements’ made, during Wolsey’s time it was more about seeking ‘stability and security’. This shows that during his time in office these policies were effective and we in the modern society are judging him too harshly, he was able to seek out stability financially by introducing a very modern taxation system in that if you earn more you paid more in tax, which was another dislike of the nobles. Also his justice policies especially brought about a more stable justice system, not only for the rich but for the poor too. However Source T disproves this theory as this was written at the time and shows that the whole country hated his policies. Source V aims to present an even argument for and against Wolsey’s policies, whereas...
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...in source V that Wolsey’s domestic policies were disappointing? Thomas Wolsey was Henry VIII chief minister from his rise to power in 1514 after working himself up until his eventual fall from the king’s favour in 1529. During the time period where Wolsey contained his power he made many changes to England’s domestic policies. For this reason I do not accept the view of source V that Wolsey’s domestic policies were completely disappointing, this essay will show my debates as to why I believe that Wolsey’s domestic policies were not so unsatisfactory. Wolsey’s domestic policies were not all so disappointing especially when you associate them with the poor, this being because he created the Star Chamber. The Star Chamber emphasized his success of domestic policies due to the fact it gave him more popularity with the laity, the Star Chamber was a court that anyone could bring their case to, meaning the poor had the opportunity for justice, this is one reason why the policies were not disappointing. Another reason why this was a success was that Wolsey dealt with hundred and twenty cases each year which is ten times as much as Henry VII the year before. This is clearly a great success and definitely not a disappointment with the poor proportion of the county. Source U supports this point due to the fact it states ‘He favours the people exceedingly…. Hearing their cases and seeking to dispatch them instantly.’ This statement clearly shows the domestic policies were not a disappointment...
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...ESSAY PLAN: WOLSEY’S DOMESTIC POLICY January 2004: How far do you agree that handling the royal finances was Wolsey’s most important success in domestic affairs from 1515-1529? If Wolsey’s most important success in domestic affairs was handling royal finances then his least impressive domain was in his administration of the church. The Tudor subsidy certainly ushered in a new phase and contribution to Tudor finance, compensating somewhat for the spent inheritance from Henry VII. However, impressive reforms are also seen within the law and social and economic reform. Wolsey’s most important success in domestic affairs may well have been his handling of the royal finances as Lotherington states “Wolsey’s main concern was always foreign policy”. Royal finances served this main concern and to some degree Wolsey’s political survival depended more fully upon it. Royal Finances: most impressive? (x2 paras?) Credited with the invention of the parliamentary subsidy. Some credit must go to John Hales, he drafted it and was thus rewarded with a position on the bench of the exchequer. 1513-1523. Gets loans of 1522 and subsidy in 1523, but leads to fiscalism and the Amicable Grant debacle of 1525. The subsidy was a success. Wolsey has the help of John Hales, who was judge in the Court of the Exchequer. The subsidy was levied x4 times in 1513-1515 and 1523. In total it brought in > of 300,000 pounds. Success of clerical taxation also. 240,000 pounds or so. Synods 1519, 1523. ...
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...Do you agree with the view that in domestic policy, Wolsey was successful as the kings chief minister? Yes, in my opinion I believe that Wolsey was successful as the king’s chief minister. He did have his ups and downs for example promoting civil law over common law but then not actually making any long lasting changes to the judicial system. His new system the subsidy raised £325,000 from 1513-1529 compared to £90,000 raised from fifteenths and tenths which is definitely a success. However he was responsible for the amicable grant which caused rebellions in 1925. Source 9 agrees that Wolsey was a success whereas Source 7 completely disagrees and source 8 says that he had his up and downs but mostly suggests failure. Source 7 is an extract from Geoffrey Elton’s introduction to A.F. Pollards Wolsey, published in 1965. It suggests that actually Wolsey was not successful as the king’s chief minister. It tells us that Wolsey was ‘amateurish and uncreative’ in government and that even with the church he was only ‘moderately successful’. It suggest that Wolsey tried to do the impossible, he wanted to ‘rule as king when he was not king’ which again indicates that he was not successful as the kings chief minister as he was trying to take over the kings role. I agree to a certain extent because Wolsey was only trying to secure his own position rather than making any real reforms but I don’t believe that he was ‘amateurish and uncreative’ in government because if he was I don’t think that...
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... many were brought to court and ordered to rebuild buildings and restore land for arable purposes. Wolsey's determination to end the practice of disclosure and bring those in power to justice was truly commendable. However, in reality the long-term impact of Wolsey's attempts to end enclosure were not as commendable: enclosure certainly continued and rural poverty continued to rise. This represented a failure in domestic policy, and proved that Wolsey did not hold complete power over the nobility. Upon Wolsey's appointment as Lord Chancellor in 1515, the Cardinal became a prominent and frequent member of both the Star Chamber and Court of Chancery. Through his positions on such councils, Wolsey made progression in fair justice to a huge extent, and this was seen as a key success. Presiding over many cases brought forward him; Wolsey ensured that anyone, regardless of class, was able to bring a case before the court. Indeed, under Henry VII, the Star Chamber only held 12 cases a year, whereas under Wolsey, it held ten times that. * Although these were good achievements for such a man it is fair to say these did lead to some negatives in that the huge number of cases the Star Chamber took on led to the system becoming overworked and therefore not being worked efficiently and being used for tom foolery. Also because the star chamber was so popular it overshadowed Wolsey's work in the Court of Chancery and made it seem as though he did...
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...Do you agree with the view that in domestic policy, Wolsey was successful as the king’s chief minister? By looking at the sources the majority of the evidence points to Wolsey being unsuccessful as Henry’s chief minister, they do however point out some successes Wolsey had such as justice but it is clear that Wolsey was unsuccessful as the chief minister. Firstly, source 9 clearly supports the claim that Wolsey was a successful chief minister as it says “ I never saw this kingdom in better order… Wolsey’s authority and rule, nor justice better administered”. The source suggests that the kingdom was in such good shape because of Wolsey and that he was a very helpful man. This claim can be supported by source 8 as it also comments on Wolsey’s heavy presence within justice. Source 8 tells us about Wolseys time in Star Chamber, which was one of the royal courts to be used by the King’s subjects to get justice. During Wolsey’s time in Star Chamber the number of cases dealt with was over 120 each year compared with only 12 per year in Henry VII reign. This highlights Wolsey's success in getting justice for not just the rich and wealthy but ordinary people too. The Star Chamber dealt with problems such as enclosure where Wolsey launched a national inquiry and was able to make those who took land rebuild houses and return land to arable farmers. Also with source 9 being by Cavendish who had a personal connection with Wolsey it allows us to question as to whether it is reliable...
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...Year 12 Henry VIII Revision Guide 1 How to answer questions on the Tudors Section A Essays: How far do the sources agree that? Introduction: Explain what you can learn from each source Briefly cross reference the sources Provide an argument in response to the question Main paragraphs: State a similarity or difference between the sources – make sure you focus on ‘How Far’ Select relevant information from the sources to support this point Place this in context using your brief own knowledge Use provenance to explain this similarity/difference Conclusion: Sum up how far the sources agree based on content and provenance Section B Essays: Do you agree with the view that? Introduction: State your line of argument – how far do you agree with the view? State the main similarities and differences between the sources Main paragraphs: State a reason for yes/no. Make sure you phrase this in a way that links to your line of argument and answers the question. Remember that each source will suggest a different reason for yes/no. Support this reason with evidence from the sources and your own knowledge Cross-reference between the sources Weigh up the evidence of the sources. Consider provenance for primary sources and judge secondary sources based on the evidence included and the weight given to certain evidence Link back to your line of argument Conclusion: Explain how your argument has been proven with reference to the sources and your own knowledge...
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...king himself. This can be visualised as Wolsey being the master and Henry puppet. This fits with view that the Venetian ambassador had. Although some historians are starting to question this view. These historians argue that the king and Wolsey just has a political partnership as king and Cardinal, and no more. The king gave Wolsey more power in the early years of this reign when it seems that he was more interested in hunting and sport that running a country, but the king just like today’s monarch had the final say in all major decisions on key issues of state. Henry was happy to let Wolsey get on with the day to day running of the country, but any decisions to do with foreign policy or other domestic affairs had to go through the king to, this goes against how the Venetian ambassador views Wolsey’s and Henry’s relationship, although it is not clear if all these major decisions went through this...
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...HENRY VIII AND FOREIGN POLICY Introduction Henry VIII was an ambitious aggressive monarch. Unlike his father Henry VII, whose interests were mainly defensive, Henry VIII was an interventionist. He wanted to raise England’s profile in European power politics and was prepared to go to war to capture French territory. He saw himself as the equal of Francis I of France and Charles V of Germany and wanted to show off England's power by claiming that England held the balance of power between them. His chief minister, Wolsey, the humanist, wanted the glory of international diplomacy but wished to avoid the waste of war. His quest for peace, helped to dampen Henry’s martial ambitions. During Wolsey’s period of high office, England only went to war once – in 1523. Wolsey probably spent more time on foreign affairs than on domestic issues. Relations with France 1513 War with France: Why? Henry VIII wanted glory. He wished to renew the Hundred Years War with France. In 1422 Henry VI of England was proclaimed king of France; by 1453 the English had been expelled from France, except for the port of Calais. Henry wished to reassert his claim to the throne of France. Within weeks of his accession, Henry married Catherine of Aragon in order to renew England’s alliance with Spain. Spain might be the ally England needed. What happened? Wolsey organized the expedition. Henry led 30,000 men and captured the towns of Therouanne and Tournai. The French...
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...much stronger claim to the throne than his father and there were no threats to his throne from pretenders. ▪ Henry VIII wanted to achieve glory for himself, his Court and for England. He would attempt to achieve this mainly through his foreign policy. ▪ Henry VIII was not, unlike his father, interested in the day to day administration of English government. ▪ He played a very important role at Court and he had the final say in all matters, but the running of the government and administration, he left to Wolsey - his chief minister from 1514-1529. ▪ Henry VIII was always the centre of attention but he hated writing and debating. Instead he preferred the thrill of hunting and sportsmanship and the excitement of diplomacy. ▪ Although Henry and Wolsey had their disagreements in the period up to 1527, none was serious enough to cause serious problems. ▪ Wolsey was brilliant at managing Henry's overdeveloped ego and Henry may have seen Wolsey as a surrogate father. ▪ After 1527, Henry VIII's energies were focused on the gravest crisis of his reign, the attempt by Henry to have his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled. This problem would lead eventually to Wolsey's fall from power. Henry VIII and foreign policy Introduction ▪ Henry VIII was an aggressive monarch. He wanted to raise England’s profile in Europe and was prepared to go to war to capture French territory. ▪ Wolsey, the humanist, wanted the glory of international diplomacy but wished...
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...GCE History |Contents |Page | | | | |Unit A2 1: Option 1, Anglo–Spanish Relations 1509–1609 |5 | |Unit A2 1: Option 2, Crown and Parliament in England 1600–1702 The Changing Role and |17 | |Status of Parliament | | | |37 | |Unit A2 1: Option 3, Liberalism and Nationalism 1815–1914 | | |Unit A2 1: Option 4, Nationalism and Unionism in Ireland 1800–1900 |51 | |Unit A2 1: Option 5, The Clash of Ideologies in Europe 1900–2000 |67 | Introduction CCEA has developed new GCE specifications for first teaching from September 2008. This scheme of work has been designed to support...
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...AS LEVEL Specification HISTORY A H105 For first assessment in 2016 ocr.org.uk/alevelhistorya We will inform centres about any changes to the specification. We will also publish changes on our website. The latest version of our specification will always be the one on our website (ocr.org.uk) and this may differ from printed versions. Copyright © 2014 OCR. All rights reserved. Copyright OCR retains the copyright on all its publications, including the specifications. However, registered centres for OCR are permitted to copy material from this specification booklet for their own internal use. Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations is a Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England. Registered company number 3484466. Registered office: Hills Road 1 Cambridge CB1 2EU. OCR is an exempt charity. Contents Introducing… AS Level History A (from September 2015) Teaching and learning resources iv Why choose an OCR AS Level in History A? 1 1a. Why choose an OCR qualification? 1 1b. Why choose an OCR AS Level in History A? 2 1c. What are the key features of this specification? 3 1d. 2 iii Professional Development 1 ii How do I find out more information? 3 4 2a. Overview of AS Level in History A (H105) 4 2b. Content of AS Level in History A (H105) 5 2c. Content of unit group 1: British period study and enquiry (Units Y131 to Y143) 8 2c. ...
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