Tudors - Chapter 12

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Henry in 1544/Factions

Henry = hauled upstairs with machinery - in pain. His ulcers continued flaring, yet he continued to ride horses. He ate and drank too much and was really, really fat.

Conservatives
WHO: Duke of Norfolk, Bishop Gardiner, Earl of Surrey (?)
WHAT: Catholicism, Influence, Personal Gain
HOW: Marriage to C. Howard, Plots against Cranmer and C. Parr

Reformers
WHO: Edward Seymour, John Dudley, Sir Anthony Denny, Sir William Paget, A/B Cranmer
WHAT: Protestantism, Influence, Personal Gain
HOW: Marriage to C. Parr, Control of the Dry Stamp

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Disagreements over doctrine/practice

  • The final years of Henry's reign without a chief minister - decisions came from him.
  • Focus on Whitehall Palace/King – in the Privy Chamber (whose who were allowed access to the King had power). 
  • Attempts by reformists and conservatives in inner circle to influence/manipulate him, the fact he did not have a chief minister meant he was more exposed.
  • Downfall of Cromwell,  rise of Howard had brought the conservatives into ascendancy, but with Queen's demise headed by E. Seymour, reformists began to increase influence 
  • Conservative faction did not disappear; fought for influence – tried to centre attention on Parr and Cranmer 
  • Religious policy = greatest area of contention between 2 factions Periods when Henry had a chief minister to direct his govt =  well advised, policies be put into action, differences at court/privy council reconciled and blame moved away from Henry when his policies did not go as wished

No chief minister from 1540-47, differences between interest groups = more exposed and factions tried to manipulate/persuade Henry into his policies F

action played key roles – Boleyn's with Duke of Norfolk brought down Wolsey but Norfolk and conservatives helped bring down Cromwell

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Key Chronology

1542: Execution of Catherine Howard, defeat of Scots at Solsway Moss, death of James V

1543: Henry marries Catherine Parr, conservatives plot against Cranmer

1544: First Debasement of the coinage

1545: Chantries Act passed

1546: Execution of Anne Askew and Henry's last will written

1547: Execution of the Earl of Surrey and Henry VIII's death

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Catherine Parr (1512 - 1548)

  • Daughter of courtiers – Sir Thomas Parr and wife who was a lady-in-waiting to Catherine Aragon Lively, fashionable, attractive to Henry 
  • Promoted as possible bride by the evangelical faction who shared views 
  • Married Edward (2nd Baron, Borough of Gainsborough at the age of 15) he died in 1533, she married Sir John Neville,  major landowner in Yorkshire Catherine and her stepchildren held hostage by a group supporting the P-O-G in 1536 
  • Joined household of Henry's daughter Mary in 1543 following Neville's death 
  • Very different from Henry's previous wives but of noble birth - traditional Henry's first 5 marriages had love and/or continuation of the Tudor line as key objectives so motivation = companionship in old age – historians "traditional, supporting, saintly, trying to emphasise merits of protestant faith"
  • Brought up Catholic - her mother = lady in waiting to Catherine  Aragon, named her 
  • Father held influential court positions = not have done if not been Catholic 

Conservative faction tried to show her views went beyond Erasmus' humanism and into protestantism – Henry required her to state views in front of him in public. Responded to heresy accusations by hiding heretical books and making her way to the King's chamber by entertaining nobility – made a speech about how she was inferior and that any erroneous thoughts she might have had, she should be referred to the King so he could teach her

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Anne Askew Case

  • Forced in a marriage at 15. Part of Lincolnshire gentry family: rebelled, fled to Netherlands Came into contact with new religious ideas 
  • Believed = more important to follow gospel than to be a good wife/mother, left family for London, preached against transubstantiation, did sermons, distributed banned literature 
  • Asked husband divorce when he refused to have her back 
  • Arrested - sent home but ignored back in London 
  • Conservatives =  good political tool so had her arrested tortured, trying to get her to implicate Parr and Cranmer 
  • Torturer begged Henry's pardon not to continue – Wriotheseley and Rich took over
  • Did not give in, could not walk to stake and burned in 1546 
  • Historical ironies about the location of burning – near 2 destroyed abbeys, meeting place of Peasant's Revolt in 1381 and site of St. Bartholomew's fair 
  • Influence, motives and lengths that conservative faction would go to -- not successful so good government continued. 
  • Henry = not hugely influenced however Anne was tortured and burned, and the country could look in and see this -  crowd = distressed, some people looking away and very upset about the burning
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Position of Cranmer

  • Cromwell gone, faction becoming stronger, Cranmer like Parr was = vulnerable to attacks of the Catholic faction - he was key in securing the King's divorce, the development of the Church of England, had strong Protestant beliefs, careful to temper them in the King's reign
  • Conservative faction led by Norfolk = him as an obstacle to returning the Church to more conservative position - undermine Cranmer in Henry's eyes 
  • April 1543: Two reformers, Richard Turner and John Bland brought before Privy Council
  • In addition to the articles being presented against, Gardiners nephew added additional articles linking Cranmer to Prebendaries Plot (Event in Kent where reformers accused of heretical view e.g. disagreeing with masses for the dead) link suggested he was encouraging views in his diocese

The King probably saw all the articles that night but didn't tell Cranmer about the ones against him until September 1543 - remained unaware of them: Turner case was thrown out

In September 1543, Henry put him in charge of investrigating his own accusations and gave him his own personal ring as a sign – the conservatives could not touch him but they would try again

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Foreign Relations with Scotland

  • Henry and James was complex as James V showed close links to France via marriages to French prince**es e.g. Mary of Guise and Madeliene
  • James was his nephew, he showed little deference  provided sanctuary for PoG rebels 
  • 541, James failed to attend a meeting with Henry in York – Henry arranged it, marched with most of court in great ceremony keen to impre** himself on this recently rebellious region
  • October 1542, Duke of Norfolk led a**ault on Scotland not carefully planned, more a sign of England'** strength as it burned, attacked and stole in key Scottish towns. 
  • After 6 days, returned to the border town of Berwick on Tweed 
  • November 1542, Battle of Solsway Mo**: Scots had a 20000 army but lost to smaller English army, Henry claimed victory, took Scotch nobles as prisoner and soon after, James died (Henry said it was through shame) 

James' heir was a 2-week-old girl and a daughter of a French prince**, the regent was pro-English but eventually married a French King. Chance of Edward marrying the baby would unify them together and so the Treaty of Greenwich in 1543 proposed but by 1544, the Auld Alliance was reestablished, treaty repudiated, and pro-French power in Scotland. Henry tried rough wooing them as before under Seymour but it only made it worse.

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Foreign Relations with France

  • Seymour attacked Scotland, Henry was invading France in 1544: Habsburg-Valois truce had broken down, wanted French territory + French pension payments + Charles was planning to attack Paris 
  • February 1543, there was a treaty - Henry and Charles agreeing to jointly attack France, give mutual assistance
  • Quickly came apart – 48000 strong English army (largest to ever leave) led by two old commanders had to travel @ Henry's pace but Charles = no real intention of seriously attacking Paris, Henry = quick territory to use as a bargaining tool so he took Boulogne but at huge cost.
  • Charles = peace with France after being angry at Henry and France launched a counter attack on the Isle of Wight where Mary Rose was lost with almost 500 on board 
  • June 1546: Treaty of Camp – Henry had Boulogne for 8 years and French were going to repay the
  • French pension French pension arrears were £205,379 v French War 2,144,765
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Foreign Relations Summary

France
Occupied Boulogne for 8 years and French pension arrears
Mary Rose sunk at Isle of Wight invasion, cost of war, CV made peace with France and merchants threatened

Scotland
Battle of Solsway Moss, Treaty of Greenwich and skirmishes led by the Duke of Norfolk
Auld Alliance, James did not go to Henry's meeting and failure of rough wooing

Gardiner: "we are at war with France, we are enemies of the Pope, no friendship with Charles and alienated by Protestant princes"

Dissolutions+sale of crown property = reconsider foreign policy. Desire to stake claim to France - not diminished. Wanted Scots to recognise superiority - territory/military terms (encouraged them to Break with Rome). Forced to defeat Scots to prevent attacking England whilst the Army was active in France (auld alliance)

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Earl of Surrey (1516 - 1547)

  • Henry Howard 
  • Eldest son of the Duke of Norfolk, mother = daughter of the Earl of Buckingham, royal links on both sides 
  • True Renaissance man credited with the devpt of the sonnet 
  • Captain of Boulogne – failed attack on a key French fortress on the 7th January 1546 
  • Member of Conservative faction 
  • Grew up in Windsor Castle and was a companion of Henry Fitzroy - accompanied him to court for a year in 1532 
  • His first real military experience was helping his dad at the P-O-G In 1536, his cousin Anne Boleyn was executed and Fitzroy died
  • Executed in 1547
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William Paget (1506-1563)

  • Employed by Gardiner on a number of diplomatic missions and aided in his progress by Gardiner 
  • Survived collapsed Cleves marriage having been her secretary 
  • Member of privy council in 1543 
  • Prepared to position himself in support of the monarch's views
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Edward Seymour, Lord Hertford (1506-1552)

  • Eldest brother of Jane Seymour 
  • Able to demonstrate clear political thinking but it was his relation to Jane and uncle to heir of the throne which gave greatest influence
  • Reformist
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Sir Anthony Denny (1501 - 1549)

  • Reformer 
  • One of Henry's principal advisors 
  • Reputation as a scholar/patron of literature but he was Groom of the Stool 
  • Had control of the dry stamp and managed docs to be signed by the King 
  • Supported reformist faction and instrumental in promoting Edward as a Lutheran Protestant after his dad's death
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Growing influence of Seymour faction/Cranmer

  • Events in Boulogne also had  significance when it came to the balance between Seymours' and Howards 
  • War against France was seen=  proving ground for English nobility 
  • Invasion + capture of Boulogne saw the Earl of Surrey made captain 
  • He then attacked another French fortress on the 7th January but failed when part of his army deserted him
  • Info reached Paget =  Henry's principal secretary and him and other reformists saw Surrey demoted, replaced with Seymour = proved himself in Scotland 
  • Henry's reign had been dogged with the succession issue – always aware of the White Rose Party whose claim to the throne =  stronger than his, he had attacked them mainly at time when pressure from foreign powers and threats were at their greatest
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Growing influence of Seymour faction/Cranmer

  • CRISIS WITH HOWARDS IN 1546: Henry ill and Edward  still a minor.  Earl of Surrey decided to produce new coat of arms - llink them to Edward the Confessor = challenge to Henry and encouraged Surrey's enemies to attack – him and his father, the Duke of Norfolk were taken to the tower – 26th January 1547, Earl of Surrey executed for treason 
  • 27th Jan – Henry died – lucky for Norfolk! 
  • Downfall of the Howards = not completely dominated by faction disputes –  not out of the scene and played significant role in govt with foreign policy and religionn. Factions fighting among themselves but mostly mundane matters and their focus became increasingly on succession and who would dominate the minority in Edward – dry stamp = increasingly important - those close to the King had control of it

Dry Stamp: replicated Henry's signature and could be used on docs and then inked over by a member of the Privy Council and saved him the effort of signing a no of routine documents butr may have been used by the council to endorse policy and change Henry's will

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Importance of Succession

  • Henry's will  – Edward then Mary, then Elizabeth and then Frances (his sister Margaret and Charles Brandon's daughter) Edward = succeed the throne as a minor and would inherit the throne on Henry's death not at 18. Decided not to have a single regent - often did not want to give throne over = influence and manipulation. S\eymour was to be the leader of the council
  • Reformist dominated council and chamber in King's final days, used the Dry Stamp to great effect – some say will that was issued was written and stamped by them after Henry's death but most historians believe it was King's wishes because Henry believed the regency council should have supremacy until Edward old enough - Henry was too suspicious to chosen a single regent and seemed logical that his uncle was the leader 
  • The Church of England with its doctrine and liturgy crated by Henry, he wished to preserve. Power and supremacy should be kept for Edward The fear of a potential civil war even now worried Henry and now we can see why he was so motivated to annul his first marriage 
  • Idea of majesty and all powerful King - something he wanted his son to have and it was an attempt to protest this for Henry/Edward that may have led to Seymour's eventual downfall 
  • Edward could easily be manipulated, others may have a stronger claim to the throne and could easily be overthrown – England was more vulnerable to invasion due to Edward's inexperience and exposure to faction interplay – he could be overthrown
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Death of Henry

  • 28th January 1547: Norfolk's attainder had just been passed and Denny warned Henry to prepare for the end 
  • Cranmer was sent for but Henry died before he could give his final confession or last rites 
  • On his death, he had done nothing to reverse excommunication with the Pope, died without pain, felt confident in what he achieved, "done his duty to God" and none of his family were with him at his deathbed – Edward and Elizabeth were kids, Parr was not called, Mary was not informed he was close to death 
  • Henry's body lay in state for 2 weeks in Westminster Edward VI proclaimed King, govt was to be led by Protector Somerset (Seymour/Hertford) 
  • Henry buried at St. George's chapel, Windsor, in same grave as Jane Seymour 
  • Asked for masses for his soul to be said forever but his son made these masses illegal 2 years later Even when Mary became Queen, masses for him were not restored Henry's establishment of the Church of England survives to this day, and parliament too is sovereign today
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