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14 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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When did Henry VIII become king and early on what characteristics did he display? |
- 21st April 1509 - not yet 18 but minority didn't need a regent - decisiveness and ruthlessness - immediately said he would honour his pledge to marry Catherine of Aragon and at the same time ruthlessly disposed of his father's chief financial agents, the unpopular Empson and Dudley, who were tried and executed for treason |
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Why perhaps did H execute Empson and Dudley and marry C of A? |
- executed because he was vain - Empson and Dudley scapegoats for the most unpopular aspects of his father's policies - marriage would demonstrate his fidelity, excite his subjects and strengthen his dynasty |
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Why did many see H as the coming of a new age? |
provided huge contrast between the aged Henry VII as a youthful king |
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What do historians debate about what Henry was and why? |
- the puppet (essentially strong) or the puppeteer (generally weak) - first actions reveal apparent weaknesses as his aim appears to have been to enhance his popularity |
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What was the argument for H being essentially strong, the puppeteer? |
- was determined, self-assured and a good judge of character - puppeteer responsible for appointing some of the most talented politicians and administrators to lead: Wolsey, More and Cromwell - king was involved in policy making and the direction of govt and foreign affairs followed the lines laid down by him |
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What was the argument for H being generally weak, the puppet? |
- a ditherer and a bully, lacking creative imagination - too easily manipulated by his ministers and mistresses, the puppet who did as his ministers advised - reactive rather than proactive in govt and foreign affairs - lacked vision, meaning he didn't control events: they controlled him |
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What have the majority of historians concluded that H was: puppet or puppeteer and why? |
PUPPETEER - human, made mistakes, could be cruel and vindictive but never lost his authority or power to dominate people or events - both Wolsey and Cromwell were promoted and demoted by H, who did the same to their enemies such as Howard, Duke of Norfolk and Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester - suggests H was puppeteer, but should be remembered he developed from a teenager to a man in the course of his reign |
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Give evidence that H was a man of strong convictions: |
- convinced as king he had a divine right to rule and that to question his judgement was akin to questioning God - strongly believed all he did was done with God's approval - observantly pious but not deeply spiritual, more practical and flexible in his religious belief - chivalrous, adhering to a strict code and concept of honour that remained unchanged throughout his life |
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Which two aims were H's reign dominated by? |
securing the French crown and ensuring the succession |
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Describe how Henry became obsessed with securing the French crown during his reign: |
- unlike his father H didn't have to worry about rival claims to his throne or establishing the dynasty - secure as king, H pursued more chivalric, if indulgent aims - inspired by his boyhood hero Henry V, H wished to emulate the English victory at Agincourt by leading a military expedition to claim what he believed to be his birthright, the French crown - H pursued this aim throughout his aim, confronting the French in 3 separate campaigns, in 1512-14, 1523-5 and 1543-46 - had some success such as at the Battle of the Spurs in 1513 and the taking of Boulogne in 1544, but failed to conquer France |
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Describe how Henry became obsessed with ensuring the succession during his reign: |
- by the late 1520s H had been married for over 15 years and had fathered a daughter, Mary, but no son - C of A was 6 years older than him and the prospect of her giving birth to a healthy son diminished - a number of stillbirths, infant deaths and miscarriages took their toll on the marriage and H's mental well-being - H began to believe his marriage to his brother's widow was cursed, developing an obsession first with Anne Boleyn and then Jane Seymour, two young women appearing to offer him the prospect of achieving his aim - between 1526 and 1537 he pursued this aim |
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Describe how H fulfilled the image of a Renaissance prince: |
- over 6 ft tall, physically imposing, handsome and athletic, revelling in competition liking jousting, tennis and hunting - took much pride in his appearance, as in the courts of Renaissance princes costume was an important and visible aspect of courtly magnificence - H wished his court to reflect his image as a Renaissance prince, a place of magnificence and munificence where scholars, artists, musicians and theologians were welcome and could seek the king's patronage - continued his father's policy of spending lavishly on the court so as to underline his Renaissance credentials and impress foreign dignitaries and visitors - politics of magnificence reached its height in 1520 with the so-called Field of the Cloth of Gold, when H erected a huge temporary palace near Calais, furnished with luxuries to overawe his guest Francis I, the French king |
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Describe H's interests: |
- more than just physical, both mental and intellectual - embraced Renaissance ideas, was well educated, proficient in Latin and French but real passion in composing and playing music - surrounded himself with men of scholastic reputation such as More, Bishop John Fisher and Cranmer - perhaps not 'universal genius' described by Erasmus but was academically gifted - read widely though claimed to find it a chore, argued theology with distinguished theologians such as Erasmus and Cranmer, and debated points of law with skilled lawyers such as Cromwell and More |
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Define Renaissance and perhaps the most important thing to come out of it: |
- was an intellectual and cultural movement dedicated to the rediscovery and promotion of art, architecture and letters - it promoted education and critical thinking, ranging across all subjects from politics, govt and religion to classical literature - spread encouraged by humanist scholars such as Erasmus - PRINTING PRESS: SPREAD OF IDEAS QUICKLY AROUND EVERYWHERE |
