Under Henry VIII both Wolsey and Cromwell had their own impacts but there are several reasons that can account for the fact that while Cardinal Wolsey made very little change in the system of Governme PDF

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Download Under Henry VIII both Wolsey and Cromwell had their own impacts but there are several reasons that can account for the fact that while Cardinal Wolsey made very little change in the system of Governme PDF

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'Cromwell's domestic policies were more successful than those of Cardinal Wolsey' Assess the validity of this view

Under Henry VIII both Wolsey and Cromwell had their own impacts but there are several reasons that can account for the fact that while Cardinal Wolsey made very little change in the system of Government during his fifteen years as Chief Minister, Thomas Cromwell greatly modernized the machinery of it, even to the extent that Elton describes it as "revolutionary." Cromwell reformed a feudal system, where it was easy for one person to dominate – like Wolsey wanted to achieve- into a modern government, based on a bureaucracy, organized carefully selected people who would better England. There are also other ways Cromwell outweighs Wolsey with other reasons being the economy and also marriage. However, we must not assume that Wolsey achieved nothing in terms of reform as some significant changes were made, especially in terms of law. Wolsey brought Civil law into the courts and this meant that the justice system was no longer being overflowed with bribery and corruptness like it was before, and the reform also meant that the poor had a better chance of accessing a fair trial. Although, Wolsey did seem to have a genuine interest in achieving justice, he used the system on many occasions to get revenge on those who had ill-treated or disrespected him in the past. An example of this is his pursuing of his old enemy Bishop Standish through the courts. Therefore, these reforms did not provide real significance for Henry and England but more for Wolsey himself. Also, the system overflowed with cases, as Wolsey did not alter the structure of the judicial system, people still faced the problem of waiting to be heard in court, and as Wolsey tended to take on too much work on himself by personally taking a position in the Star Chamber for example, the efficiency did not increase. Even his plans to prevent poor people being taken advantage through the process of enclosure failed after he realized that he needed the money and agreed to grant an amnesty to it in 1523. This was partly due to the fact that he was concerned that revolts would arise, and he would not have enough money to face them. Cromwell on the other hand, passed a law to face this problem showing how he had the knowledge to be able to make swift decisions and fix the problems that the courts and government faced. But, Wolsey was successful in other areas such as Wolsey tried to help the lower classes through campaigning against enclosures in hoping to stop the landlords controlling land and preventing access to land that wasn't rightfully theirs. Wolsey launched an enquiry and then cases where launched against the landlords. But many did not win, and Wolsey had to abandon this campaign because of other pressures. Also, Wolsey tried to reform education and he closed down many houses of monks, nuns and canons to raise money to build colleges in Oxford and Ipswich. He set up these colleges and lectures and paid for the salaries of leading philosophers to teach at these colleges. Wolsey was supported for his reform in education but greatly criticised for supposedly building monuments to himself, as the college was originally called 'Cardinal's College.' Overall although there were many areas that Wolsey saw success it is clear to see that that Wolsey focused more on himself instead of attempting to domestically improve Henry VIII’s reign and most notably his use of the justice system to eradicate those who were against him. This showed how Cromwell was much better domestically as he was able to fully fix the problem Wolsey faced showing how Cromwell himself was more successful domestically as Cromwell was more focused on domestic policy rather than gaining more power in his position. Cromwell wished to modernize Government as can be seen by his steps to improve the administration of it so that no one would have full power, bringing it forward into a more modern democracy. His appointment of only those men who were intelligent enough to deserve those positions built up its strength, as each of these men were able to hold their own if the need arose to defend their status. Another advantage of this was that this meant that he was able to get

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rounded decisions instead of everyone agreeing as his appointments were not based on their support to him but instead experience and also intelligence within the sector. Historians agree that he failed to work only for his own gain, unlike Wolsey and this would have allowed him to achieve many more reforms in his time. For example, his reform of the Privy Council where he reformed a disorganized chamber of one hundred men who lacked any kind of commitment, to a small group of around twenty hardworking men who had very specific roles and functions has been argued by Elton as being Cromwell's “most important legacy” because it survived well throughout the Tudor period. Both Wolsey and Cromwell were highly competent and skilled men, but it was clear that Cromwell had a bigger desire to modernize the Government system as the structure of government became stronger as well as the organisation of it and the strength it held. Furthermore, Wolsey was very much more interested in gaining power and wealth for himself than bettering the reign of Henry VIII. Henry was happy to let him do this since Henry saw Wolsey as an extremely intellectual and talented politician and Wolsey arranged meetings well for him whenever he needed, allowing Henry to continue to participate in events he enjoyed such as hunting and jousting. Therefore, Wolsey often appointed his "own men" – in comparison to Cromwell - into the Government and those who could best afford the high prices he desired for appointments. In this way, Wolsey created his own feudal system which was extremely inefficient, ineffective and corrupt. This did profit Wolsey but as no one else was allowed to have any influence over Henry’s decisions. Overall the lack of want from Wolsey to reform inside of England shows how he cannot be a contender to the work of Cromwell as Cromwell focused domestically and Wolsey as seen above took advantage of the fact that Henry wanted to stand clear of government. Finally, in terms of economic reforms Wolsey faced little success. The Amicable Grant in 1525 faced so much opposition that it forced it to be removed, even creating a backlash against Wolsey by Henry. Even the Eltham Ordinances of 1526 cannot be argued to have been fully for the purpose of cutting down the cost of the courts although this was a result of it; John Guy claims that one of Wolsey's intentions was to defuse opposition to him in the Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber. Wolsey's reforms in the Church were also very inconsequential; his plans to cut down the corruptness and abuse that was occurring were not finished and only reforms along traditional lines occurred. This could have been because even though he held easily the highest position within the Church with the exception of the Pope, he was forced to work for Henry's interests. But on the other hand, by having such a high position in the church, it is feasible to suggest that Wolsey should have been able to make any necessary reform as he held the power to do so and could overpower Henry. Comparing this to Cromwell provides a clear reason why Wolsey was less effective to Cromwell's work in the Church. In order to achieve this, Cromwell set about establishment in both local and national Governments, where he also gained an understanding that Wales, Ireland and Calais would also have to be dealt with. Cromwell made the decision to appoint Roland Lee, whose position was Bishop of Coventry as Head of the Council in Wales, and he brought law and order to the area. When Parliamentary representation was extended to Wales in 1536, this became one of Cromwell's greatest achievements which was much bigger than what Wolsey had achieved domestically. Similar organization of administration was done in Calais and in Ireland, although it was much less successful there. Several Courts were also set up such as the Court of Wards and the Court of Requests to deal with fines and to enforce the many Acts that came through following the break from Rome. Overall, it is important to note that these changes and reforms were necessary at this period in time as the country would have possibly broken down into instability otherwise without his use of Parliament and Courts in order to improve finances and administration. Therefore, the

importance of Cromwell’s reforms is shown as without his intervention the government and court system could have collapsed and the reformation of the church would have been unsuccessful. To conclude, it is clear that Wolsey had less influence domestically than Cromwell. However, it is difficult to suggest that without some of the reforms by Wolsey, Cromwell would not have been able to do the level of domestic reform which he completed....