Source: https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/1-2-2-parliament-and-henry-viii [Revision notes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes.md) › [A Level](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level.md) › [History](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history.md) › [Edexcel](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel.md) › Parliament & Henry VIII # Parliament & Henry VIII History: Edexcel A Level England, 1509-1603, topic 1.2.2 ## Henry VIII's Early Parliaments Henry VIII was not interested in the day-to-day detail of government. He increasingly relied on Wolsey, who became his chief minister. The question of who was in charge of policy is a cause of debate. ### The Hunne Case ![The Hunne Case](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-09/08465379-3d62-4512-bc23-e4c8a069934d/jail-cells-429638_1920.jpg) - The Hunne case caused Parliament to clash with Wolsey. - In 1515 London merchant Richard Hunne challenged the Church over high fees charged for his baby’s burial. The Church arrested him for heresy. He was later found dead in his cell. - Parliament demanded the renewal of the 1512 Act restricting benefit of clergy (where the clergy were tried in a Church court). - Wolsey prevented it, leading him to have to swear to Henry that royal authority was greater than Church authority. ### Finance ![Finance](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/courseImages/chemistry/2.3.4%20Nanotechnology/money-2180330_640-min.jpg) - In the parliaments of 1510, 1512-14 and 1515 Parliament granted Henry taxation. - However, government expenditure between 1509 and 1520 was £1.7 million less than the government's income. - By 1517 Henry’s foreign policy gains were not proving worth the expense. Henry VIII still wanted war – but the Crown was running out of money. - In 1523 Wolsey got parliament to approve a new extraordinary tax called a subsidy. This was based on income rather than wealth. ### Enclosure ![Enclosure](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-04/cbcbf869-3f31-493e-ad35-281bcafaa408/shutterstock_145754378.jpg) - Wolsey established a national inquiry into enclosure in 1517. Over 220 landowners were taken to court for illegal enclosing. All but 34 were cleared. - Wolsey stirred up the resentment of the landowning classes, gentry and nobility. - Wolsey ran into opposition in parliament in 1523, and had to suspend enquiries. ## The Impact of the Reformation on Parliament The Reformation Parliament broke new ground, sitting for 7 years and passing a wider range of law than ever before that set precedents for all future monarchies. This also contributed to the concepts of the sovereignty of statute law and parliamentary privilege. ### Increased authority to Henry VIII ![Increased authority to Henry VIII](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-09/9d9d1864-a6e9-429c-a9e5-7cf31e57ef7b/justice-judge-law-verdict-scales-.jpg) - 1532: The First Act of Annates. Annates (payments to Rome from the clergy when taking up a new post ) were suspended. - The Submission of the Clergy recognised the king as the Church’s lawmaker. - By January 1533 Anne was pregnant. On 25 January, Anne and Henry were secretly married by Cranmer. - 1533 Act in Restraint of Appeals to Rome: - No appeals could be made to the Pope. - The king was head of the Church. ### Succession and Supremacy ![Succession and Supremacy](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-09/b06166d5-f3dd-485a-bc5f-b5154a069cc0/crown-.jpg) - March 1534: The Act of Succession annulled Henry’s marriage to Catherine and disinherited Princess Mary in favour of Anne’s children. It became treason to deny Henry’s marriage to Anne. - November 1534: The Act of Supremacy - Henry was made Supreme Head of the Church of England. - All clergy in England had to take an oath swearing to Henry’s title. - The Crown power to carry out visitations on monasteries. ### Other Acts of Parliament increasing royal power ![Other Acts of Parliament increasing royal power](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-08/72976d7e-41bf-4585-a540-cb4f69903d69/henry-8th-viii-.jpg) - The Treason Act: It became treasonable to call the king or queen a heretic or to deny the royal supremacy. - Other acts channelled taxes previously raised by Rome to the Crown instead (e.g. Second Act of Annates, Act for First Fruits and Tenths, both passed 1534) - The 1534 Act for the Submission of the Clergy transferred all church matters from the Archbishop’s Court to the king’s court of Chancery. ### The impact on Parliament ![The impact on Parliament](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-08/0981e793-9ff8-4e24-b805-e917ec1a80a3/Cromwell%2CThomas(1EEssex)01.jpg) - Cromwell had relied on Parliament to pass the necessary legislation. This set a precedent because: - It gave Parliament a role in changing the country’s religion. - It acknowledged the need for parliamentary agreement to secure such important changes. - The ‘King-In-Parliament’ now represented the ultimate authority. - Gundy (2016): "The King in Parliament also had authority over the Church, but the King alone did not … God had granted Henry the royal supremacy but the people [parliament] had given Henry VIII the authority to assume [it] through parliament." ## Parliament Under Henry VIII After the Reformation Henry VIII used Parliament to implement change. ### Dissolution of the monasteries ![Dissolution of the monasteries](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-07/f8ec6051-6d7b-43ba-9793-892510e1eea7/monastery%20ruins.jpg) - Acts for the dissolution of the monasteries were passed in 1536 (smaller monasteries) and 1540 (larger) leading to: - Greater Crown intervention in local communities. - Massive transfers of land ownership. - Setting up government departments to administer the changes. ### Defining the doctrine of the Church ![Defining the doctrine of the Church](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-07/125bfbc2-778f-4ffd-93b2-089feb40a2de/cross-christian.jpg) - Religious legislation to define the doctrine of the Henrician church: - Act of the Ten Articles (1536) – more Protestant. - Act of the Six Articles (1539) – more Catholic. ### Henry VIII's actions without Parliament ![Henry VIII's actions without Parliament](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-03/afef065b-6c59-428c-919a-445cf78adb71/shutterstock_537734683.jpg) - Other religious changes were made without parliament (e.g. Injunctions, Bishops’ Book, King’s Book). -The Act of Proclamations 1539 gave royal proclamations equal force with parliamentary statutes BUT could not change or go against existing statutes. - It could be useful in times of crisis, such as the Pilgrimage of Grace. ## Test yourself on Parliament & Henry VIII - Which case in 1515 caused Parliament to clash with Wolsey? - When did Wolsey suspend his enquiries into enclosure? - Which act made Henry the Supreme Head of the Church of England? - What did Cromwell rely on to pass legislation which increased Henry's power over the Church? - Was the Act of the Six Articles (1539) more Protestant or Catholic? [Practise this topic for free](https://app.senecalearning.com/classroom/course/c32e8aa5-abeb-44ce-b7ad-e2162a2d0658/section/4b3994a5-4be0-4934-adfe-cd62dbf5040b/session) - Previous topic: [1.2.1 Parliament & Henry VII](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/1-2-1-parliament-and-henry-vii.md) - Next topic: [1.2.3 Parliament After the Reformation](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/1-2-3-parliament-after-the-reformation.md) ## History: Edexcel A Level England, 1509-1603 contents ### 1 Monarch & Government - 1.1 Tudor Monarchs - [1.1.1 Henry VII](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/1-1-1-henry-vii.md) - [1.1.2 Henry VIII](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/1-1-2-henry-viii.md) - [1.1.3 Edward VI](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/1-1-3-edward-vi.md) - [1.1.4 Mary I](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/1-1-4-mary-i.md) - [1.1.5 Elizabeth I](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/1-1-5-elizabeth-i.md) - [1.1.6 Succession Disputes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/1-1-6-succession-disputes.md) - 1.2 Changing Role of Parliament - [1.2.1 Parliament & Henry VII](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/1-2-1-parliament-and-henry-vii.md) - [1.2.2 Parliament & Henry VIII](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/1-2-2-parliament-and-henry-viii.md) - [1.2.3 Parliament After the Reformation](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/1-2-3-parliament-after-the-reformation.md) - 1.3 Principal Servants to the Crown - [1.3.1 Principal Servants to the Crown](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/1-3-1-principal-servants-to-the-crown.md) ### 2 Religious Changes - 2.1 Tudor Monarchs & Religious Change - [2.1.1 The Henrician Reformation](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/2-1-1-the-henrician-reformation.md) - [2.1.2 Impact of Religious Change Under Henry VIII](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/2-1-2-impact-of-religious-change-under-henry-viii.md) - [2.1.3 Religious Change Under Edward VI](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/2-1-3-religious-change-under-edward-vi.md) - [2.1.4 Religious Change Under Mary I](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/2-1-4-religious-change-under-mary-i.md) - [2.1.5 Elizabethan Settlement](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/2-1-5-elizabethan-settlement.md) - 2.2 Catholicism & Survival - [2.2.1 Popular Attitudes to Catholicism](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/2-2-1-popular-attitudes-to-catholicism.md) - [2.2.2 Catholicism Under Henry VIII](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/2-2-2-catholicism-under-henry-viii.md) - [2.2.3 Catholicism Under Elizabeth I](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/2-2-3-catholicism-under-elizabeth-i.md) - [2.2.4 Catholic Nobility](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/2-2-4-catholic-nobility.md) - 2.3 Protestantism & Puritanism - [2.3.1 Protestant Influences](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/2-3-1-protestant-influences.md) - [2.3.2 Protestantism Under Edward VI](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/2-3-2-protestantism-under-edward-vi.md) - [2.3.3 Protestantism Under Elizabeth I](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/2-3-3-protestantism-under-elizabeth-i.md) ### 3 State Control & Popular Resistance - 3.1 Tudor Control of the Country - [3.1.1 Councils](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/3-1-1-councils.md) - [3.1.2 Role of Nobility](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/3-1-2-role-of-nobility.md) - [3.1.3 Justices of the Peace](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/3-1-3-justices-of-the-peace.md) - [3.1.4 Lord Lieutenant](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/3-1-4-lord-lieutenant.md) - 3.2 The State & the Poor - [3.2.1 Reasons for Growth of Poverty](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/3-2-1-reasons-for-growth-of-poverty.md) - [3.2.2 Punishments for Paupers](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/3-2-2-punishments-for-paupers.md) - [3.2.3 Role of Charities](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/3-2-3-role-of-charities.md) - 3.3 Resistance to Tudor Rule - [3.3.1 Resistance to Tax & Subsidies](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/3-3-1-resistance-to-tax-and-subsidies.md) - [3.3.2 Uprisings Against Henry VIII](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/3-3-2-uprisings-against-henry-viii.md) - [3.3.3 Uprisings Against Edward VI](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/3-3-3-uprisings-against-edward-vi.md) - [3.3.4 Uprisings Against Elizabeth I](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/3-3-4-uprisings-against-elizabeth-i.md) - [3.3.5 Decline of Popular Resistance](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/3-3-5-decline-of-popular-resistance.md) ### 4 Economic, Social & Cultural Change - 4.1 Patterns of Domestic & Foreign Trade - [4.1.1 Wool & Cloth](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/4-1-1-wool-and-cloth.md) - [4.1.2 Exploration & Trade](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/4-1-2-exploration-and-trade.md) - 4.2 Changing Structure of Society - [4.2.1 Population](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/4-2-1-population.md) - [4.2.2 Dissolution of Monasteries](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/4-2-2-dissolution-of-monasteries.md) - [4.2.3 Enclosure](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/4-2-3-enclosure.md) - 4.3 Cultural Change - [4.3.1 Education & Literature](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/4-3-1-education-and-literature.md) - [4.3.2 Impact of Religious Change](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/4-3-2-impact-of-religious-change.md) - [4.3.3 Patronage](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/4-3-3-patronage.md) - [4.3.4 The Arts](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/4-3-4-the-arts.md) - [4.3.5 Cult of Gloriana](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/4-3-5-cult-of-gloriana.md) ### 5 Historical Interpretations - 5.1 Significance of Threats to National Security - [5.1.1 Spain](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/5-1-1-spain.md) - [5.1.2 The Spanish Armada](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/5-1-2-the-spanish-armada.md) - [5.1.3 Ireland](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/5-1-3-ireland.md) - 5.2 Court Politics - [5.2.1 Court Factions](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/5-2-1-court-factions.md) - [5.2.2 Essex's Rebellion](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/5-2-2-essexs-rebellion.md) - 5.3 Elizabeth & Parliament - [5.3.1 Conflict with Parliament](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/5-3-1-conflict-with-parliament.md) - 5.4 Social Distress in the 1590s - [5.4.1 Social Distress in the 1590s](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/a-level/history/edexcel/5-4-1-social-distress-in-the-1590s.md)