Henry VIII and his ministers, 1509–40

Henry VIII and Wolsey, 1509–29

• Henry VIII became king in 1509 and married Catherine of Aragon. Thomas Wolsey became Lord Chancellor and a cardinal in 1515, and ran the government.
• Wolsey arranged the Field of the Cloth of Gold (1520) with France. His Amicable Grant (1525), a tax to pay for war, caused a revolt and had to be dropped.
• Wolsey failed to get the Pope to annul Henry's marriage to Catherine, who had no surviving son. He fell from power in 1529 and died in 1530.

Cromwell and the break with Rome, 1529–36

• Thomas Cromwell became Henry's chief minister. The Act in Restraint of Appeals (1533) stopped appeals to Rome, and Henry married Anne Boleyn in 1533.
• The Act of Supremacy (1534) made Henry Supreme Head of the Church of England. Those who refused to accept it, such as Thomas More, were executed.

The monasteries and the Pilgrimage of Grace, 1536–40

• Cromwell's survey, the Valor Ecclesiasticus (1535), led to the dissolution of the smaller monasteries (1536) and then the larger ones (1539). Their land and wealth went to the Crown.
• The Pilgrimage of Grace (1536), led by Robert Aske, was the biggest rebellion of the reign. It was crushed and its leaders executed.
• Anne Boleyn was executed in 1536. Jane Seymour gave Henry a son, Edward (1537), but died. Cromwell arranged the marriage to Anne of Cleves (1540); it failed, and Cromwell was executed in 1540.

Key terms

Lord Chancellor

The king's chief minister.

Annulment

A declaration that a marriage was never valid.

Act of Supremacy

The 1534 act making Henry head of the Church of England.

Break with Rome

Henry's split from the Pope's authority.

Dissolution of the monasteries

Closing the monasteries and taking their wealth (1536–40).

Valor Ecclesiasticus

Cromwell's 1535 survey of the Church's wealth.

Pilgrimage of Grace

The 1536 northern rebellion led by Robert Aske.

Quick questions on Henry VIII and his ministers, 1509–40

Who was Henry VIII's chief minister from 1515 to 1529?

Thomas Wolsey: He was also a cardinal.

What was the Amicable Grant (1525)?

A tax to pay for war that caused a revolt: It was dropped, damaging Wolsey.

Why did Wolsey fall from power in 1529?

He failed to get the Pope to annul Henry's marriage: He died in 1530 on the way to face charges.

What did the Act of Supremacy (1534) do?

Made Henry Supreme Head of the Church of England: It completed the break with Rome.

Who replaced Wolsey as Henry's chief minister?

Thomas Cromwell: He organised the break with Rome and the dissolution.

What was the Valor Ecclesiasticus (1535)?

A survey of the Church's wealth: It prepared the way for the dissolution.

Who led the Pilgrimage of Grace (1536)?

Robert Aske: It was the biggest rebellion of Henry's reign.

Which wife gave Henry a son?

Jane Seymour: Edward was born in 1537.