Wolsey System of Government
- Created by: notorious_failure
- Created on: 22-05-16 10:48
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- Wolsey System of Government
- Wolsey's Positions of Power
- Lord Chancellor
- Top political position in the royal government
- A member of both the royal court and council and was in charge of the administration of the realm
- Top political position in the royal government
- Cardinal and Papal Legate
- Meant Wolsey could be rewarded by Church living and did not make demands on the royal purse
- Cardinal 1515 made him the highest ranking member of the church
- Pope's representative in England
- Allowed him to appoint clerical officers and control patronage of the church
- Alter Rex
- Routine business was placed on Wolsey's hands while Henry played sports
- Wolsey's palace at Hampton Court rivaled the splendor of the royal court
- Unpopular decisions were blamed on Wolsey
- Lord Chancellor
- Justice System
- Court of Chancery
- Civil court therefore didn't deal with crimes
- Decisions made were based on equity or fairness
- Heard from both the rich or the poor
- However Wolsey did take bribes
- 540 cases per year on average
- Court of Star Chamber
- Criminal court which Wolsey intended to use it to tackle corruption
- When judgments went against the rich Wolsey was accused of having a vendetta against them
- 120 cases per year on average
- Enclosures, 1517
- Wolsey set up a commission to investigate the impact of closures on village life and began to prosecute landlords who hadn't had permission to enclose.
- 1523 - parliament force him to suspend his investigations
- Wolsey set up a commission to investigate the impact of closures on village life and began to prosecute landlords who hadn't had permission to enclose.
- Court of Chancery
- Finances
- Income from crown lands were failing because Henry had granted lands away from the crown
- Act of Resumption, 1515: Restored some of the lands
- Fifteenth and tenths: Taxation with fixed rates that were paid by town and boroughs with not regard for the wealth of the area
- The Subsidy: A tax based on the taxpayers income and was much more flexible
- 1524 Wolsey requested a subsidy of £800,000 but was only granted 200,000
- Wolsey needed to raise funds for the Second French War 1522
- Amicable Grant: A levy on 1/3 of the income of Clergy and Laity
- Riots broke out in Kent, East Anglia and London as a result Wolsey had to drop it
- Amicable Grant: A levy on 1/3 of the income of Clergy and Laity
- Income from crown lands were failing because Henry had granted lands away from the crown
- Reason for Factional Opposition
- Resentment of Wolsey's close relationship with the king and his influence of Patronage
- Resentment of Wolsey's low birth
- Resentment of cost cutting. Expulsion of the minions and the Eltham Ordniance
- Resentment against enclosures
- Treatment of nobility in the chambers
- Wolsey and the Church
- Wolsey was able to:
- make visitations to all dioscese
- appoint all benefices that were in the Church patronage
- summon Church councils
- make rules for clergy
- Claim Canterbury's authority and revenues
- Problems within the church
- Pluralism
- Nepotism
- Absenteeism
- Simony (buying and selling church offices)
- sexual misconduct
- Poor Education
- Wolsey's Solutions
- Benefit of the clergy: Cases against clergy accused of crimes were treated leniently
- Act of 1512 removed benefit of the clergy for serious crimes who were NOT in holy orders
- Behaviour of the clergy
- Wolsey held an ecclesiastical court to investigate ways of improving behaviour
- Reform of monasteries: some monks were living too comfortably and were too involved in worldly matters
- Wolsey closed down 30 monasteries that were not viable. He used the money to build Cardinal College at Cambridge
- Benefit of the clergy: Cases against clergy accused of crimes were treated leniently
- Wolsey was able to:
- Wolsey's Positions of Power
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