The Young Henry VIII (to 1527)Henry VII’s End; Henry VIII’s Accession
Transition
Character of the KingAppearanceInterests
Early ActivityFrance & Scotland
Wolsey as Clergyman & MinisterWolsey’s Rise & Role
Domestic PolicyWolsey & the NobilityFinancial Affairs
Foreign PolicyBalance of Powers
Henry VIII, c. 1520; anon.; NPG
Vivat Rex! (b. 1491, d. 1547)Henry VII’s Last Years
Arthur’s Marriage w/ Katherine, 1501Arthur’s Death
Thereafter
Young Harry’s EducationClassics, History; Grammar, RhetoricLanguages; Ethics; Poetry; MusicHumanist Tradition of More, Erasmus
TransitionFrom D. of York to Prince of Wales, 1502-3
2nd Son to HeirAccession to the Throne, 1509
Peaceful, Rejoicing; Hope, Optimism
Marriage with KatherineContrasting Personalities
Henry VIII (?), c. 1498; attributed to Guido Mazzoni
Prince Henry’s Cicero
Henry VIII’s CharacterAppearance
6’ 2”; Fair Skinned; Ginger HairHandsome; Athletic; Skilled EquestrianExtroverted, Affable, CharmingEnergetic; Proud; Gallant
InterestsMilitary Exploits; Weapons; FortificationsArchery; Hunting; Competition; JoustTheology; Intellectual Pursuits
Little Regard for AdministrationNot as Detail-Oriented as FatherNot a Financial MiserNot Afraid to Enter Foreign Affairs
Henry’s Tournament Armor, 1520
Early ActivityFrance
With Spanish, Attack on France, 1512
Drunken, Sickened FailureRoyal Invasion, Battle of the Spurs, ‘13
Thérouanne, TournaiPeace with France, ‘14
Mary Wed Louis XII; Brief
Tournai Returned, ‘18 Anglo-Habsburg Alliance vs. France
ScotlandAuld Alliance with FranceKing James IV Invades EnglandBattle of Flodden, Sept. ‘13Scottish King Dead
King James IV, n.d., anon.; National Galleries of Scotland
Thomas Wolsey (b. 1470/1, d. 1530)Wolsey’s Rise in the Church
Humble Beginnings; Son of a ButcherB.A. at Magdalen, Oxford (15 years old)Priest, 1498; Royal Chaplain to Henry VIIHenry VIII’s Favor; DependenceDean of Lincoln, Hereford, 1509Bishop of Lincoln, 1514Abp. York, 1514; Cardinal, 1515 Papal Legate, 1518
Role in the StateHelped Organize French Invasion, 1513Administrative Workhorse; Gov’t DetailsLord Chancellor, 1515Extravagant; Wealthy; A Parvenu
Hampton Court Palace, est. 1514
Domestic PolicyWolsey & the Nobility
Social Upstart vs. EstablishmentRoyal Monitoring of NobilityUse of Star Chamber CourtViewed as a Slave of Henry
Financial AffairsThe King’s Needs at Home & AbroadParliament not Forthcoming (H7 Legacy)“Amicable Grant,” 1525 (Failed)Dissolution of Small Monasteries
Cardinal College (Christ Church)
Combating the New HeresyAdvocate for Clerical EducationOpponent of LutheranismTarget for Anticlericalism
Christ Church, Oxford
Foreign PolicyBalance of Power
After Peace w/ France, 1514Mediator of Europe
Self-Aggrandizing
Treaty of London, 1518Agreement of Perpetual PeaceEngland, France, HRE, Spain, Burgundy, the Netherlands, Papacy
Field of the Cloth of Gold, 1520Henry and Francis I
Breakdown of PeaceHenry Invades France, 1523France Invades Italy, 1525Habsburgs Invade Rome, 1527
Wolsey, late 16th cent., anon.