wolsey domestic policy

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  • Wolsey's Domestic Policy
    • Becoming Lord Chancellor
      • 1. After French exp - with the King's support W wanted to be most powerful chairman in England
        • 2. W knew Archbishop Warham wouldn't let him succeed most powerful position in the Church - Archbishop of Canterbury
          • 3. Put pressure (King's support and campaign) on Pope Leo X to appoint him position that outranked Canterbury - Leo gave in, 1515 Wolsey joined ranks of European clerical elite - becoming 'prince of the church'
            • 4. 1515. King app W Lord Chancellor (highest office in state - replace Warham). 1518 - app W papal legate (papal power) - usually held temporarily - W not only extended in legatine powers but confirmed them for life 1524 - supp of H + skills of W
    • Government and nobility
      • Elton critisied W for abusing his power and noot making needed reforms in the Church or State - failed to use his power to reform gov areas -judicial system and Crown's financial administration
      • positives
        • no more hostile to nobility than King was
        • 1516 - made nobility below the law using the Star Chambers - sent Earl of Northumb. to prison for contempt of the council's jurisdiction
        • Earl of Worcester and Wolsey were friends - reflects how Wolsey respected/rewarded those who respected his authority
      • negatives
        • Tyrant - sent Thomas Lucas to tower for slander w/out trail
        • Tried to get involved with marriage agreements of aristocracy - resented
        • W seemed to go out of his way to antagonise them - when app Lord Chancellor began closely monitoring them
          • 1518 W worried about the 'minions' influence - expelled them from court and were given jobs away from the centre of power, replaced them with serious, middle-aged careerists
            • H began to re-admit minions to royal favour - W increasingly used to take military tasks abroad in French War - peace in 1525 - meant W had to find other ways to control power - AG
        • Nobles abandoned him when he fell from power
        • Buckingham convicted of treason and executed in 1512 as he 'murmured against the chancellors doings'
    • Judicial System
      • positives
        • courts accessible to poor - commoners stood little chance challenging the rich in local law courts - W reviewed unfairly ruled cases
          • transferred to Court of Star Chamber/Requests - ensured justice
        • Rich and powerful didn't get any advantage in court - had dominated courts as judges would side with powerful
          • W ensured that chief law courts would be fair - W not afraid to prosecute nobility
        • Court of Chancery: Court of Lord Chancellor (W) - W established a judicial committee to deal with cases brought by the poor
      • negatives
        • accused of using system for own interests e.g overturning laws that affected him, using laws against people he held a grudge
        • Started a number of schemes to reform the law that failed
        • Attempted no institutional changes - quickly abandoned commoner's case if it affected his power
        • Sir Amyas Paulet - had put W in the stocks before - W used the law to confiscate his land if he left London w/out permission
          • Actions in revenge against nobility that had treated him badly - determination to prosecute nobility for breaches of law

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