Wolsey's Domestic Policies

?

1. Administration - Summary

Wolsey tried to manage access to Henry VIII to his own political advantage 

Focussed on court, fellow councillors, Privy Chamber

Bogged down by huge volume of work 

1 of 10

1. Administration - Strengths / Limits

Strengths:

  • Local government more efficient – royal servants placed into key county positions, outsiders used for commissions
  • Dealt with problems left by death of Henry VII
  • General Surveyors’ (auditors of royal land) role formalized – previously unofficial

Limits: In his interest to remove potential opponents from being close to Henry VIII

  • No major structural reform of administration – two occasions to improve but these were self-serving
  • 1519: expulsion of the minions in the name of reform and economy. Reform programme dropped 1520 then used as ambassadors/ military posts
  • 1526 Eltham Ordinances – motivated by politics (removing opponents/rivals) not efficiency
  • Halved Gentlemen of the Bedchamber to 6
  • Replaced Groom of the Stool William Compton with Henry Norris (politically neutral)
2 of 10

2. Legal Reforms - Summary

Wolsey made Lord Chancellor in 1515 - ultimately in charge of the legal system in England

Active in Court of Chancery and Star Chamber: > heard over 9000 cases - active in his role 

Tried to make justice accessible and fairer to lower orders in society 

Tried to make judgements more systematic: civil law -> prioritised civil law over common law 

  - >Civil law fairer than common law 

Motivation debateable - Was Wolsey doing it for the common good or his own political advantage? 

    • Altrustic approach / motives - Wolsey is a humanist and wants to be good/ fair 
    • Self-severing - Wolsey was selfish and did things for his own self interest, these gains are political and financial 
3 of 10

2. Legal Reforms - Strengths/ Limits

Strengths: Prioritised this area of law, gave it his time, his energy and talent

  • Unveiled law enforcement plans 1516
  • Used courts to overturn common law- applied law firmly on magnates
  • Developed and reformed role of Star Chamber: encouraged appeals against abuse, cases rose from 12 to 120 per annum
  • Judgements against nobles e.g. Earl of Northumberland, Lord Burgavenny - particularly around areas like land ownership
  • This promise of fairness encouraged people to use the legal system

Limits: Used existing systems: did not introduce institutional reform – no systematic review or improvement of system

  • Overburdened system – backlog, Star Chamber overburdened with civil actions
  •  Introduced overflow tribunals
  • Used legal system for political advantage and vendettas: Sir Amyas Paulet – daily attendance for 5 years , based on incident before Wolsey gained power and used this power for his advantage - Exerting his authority – exercise of power over them
4 of 10

3. Enclosure - summary

Wolsey active against illegal enclosure of land by nobles

Launched an enquiry into enclosure in 1517

Large increase in law cases against landlords

Acted to benefit lower class – ‘common weal’

5 of 10

3. Enclosure - Strengths/ Weaknesses

Strengths:

  • Previous anti-enclosure statutes had been ignored: more active than preceding ministers
  • Managed to slow the pace of enclosures
  • Brought landlords to court and answerable for illegal actions 
  • Restorative orders made: return land and rebuild houses 

Limits:

  • Rural poverty continued to increase
  • Forced to accept all existing enclsures by Parliament in 1523 
  • Made Wolsey more unpopular with nobles: affected cogency elsewhere
  • Overloaded the caseload of Star Chamber - slow response times 
6 of 10

4. Finances and Parliament - Summary

Only called Parliament once from 1515-1529 : 1523 

Replaced fifteenths and tenths tax with more realistic subsidy 

Attempted and abandoned non-Parliamentary tax in 1525: Amicable Grant 

Tudor parliament there to represent the interests of the establishment and key group in society, not the peasants, the parliament provided the monarchy with money when they needed it 

Major changes happened when parliament was called – Due to there being no change on systematic level, Wolsey didn’t call to parliament, only changes was when there was a war

7 of 10

4. Finances and Parliament - Strengths / Limits

Strengths:

  • Extracted loans and tax from Parliament 
  • Subsidy system more accurately reflected wealth of taxpayers and was based on ability to pay - progressive tax 
  • Raised substantial amounts of money: Parliamentary subsidy, fifteenths and tenths, loans 
  • Extracted loans and tax from Paliament 

Limits: 

  • Argued with Parliament over finances 
  • Forced to make concessions by Parliament 1523
  • Late payments of tax increased
  • Ambicable Grant followed forced loans and tax-violent resistance, closest to rebellion in 1520s 

Wolsey criticised - antipathy for nobility - wants to provide Henry with what he wants compared to what Parliament want which is in the interests of nobility and to damage Wolsey politically 

Some historians have accused him of being clumsy - handling government 

8 of 10

5. Church Reform

Wolsey used Church position to amass great personal wealth 

Embodied late medieval abuses within Church: absenteeism, pluralism, simony 

Papal legate from 1518: centralising force in Church control 

9 of 10

5. Church Reform - Strengths/ Limits

Strengths:

  • Defended clerical privileges against Henry VIII 
  • Limited monastic reform programme: visitations and dissolutions 
  • Extracted more tax from clergy than under Henry VII 
  • Condemned and banned Martin Luther's teachings and books: public book burnings

Limits:

  • No major reforms attempted: context of Reformation 
  • Hunne Affair - popular London merchant died while being imprisoned by Church 'died suspiciously' - London 1515, anti-clericalism, criticised by Parliament 
  • Funded Cardinal College Oxford and Ipswich School with monastic dissolutions - humanistic but self serving 
  • Ecclesiastical Council 1518 discuseed reforms but was not radical or impactful 
10 of 10

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar History resources:

See all History resources »See all British monarchy - Tudors and Stuarts resources »