Topic And The Situation In Late Medieval Times

Was there a Tudor revolution in government?

This is a contentious historical issue and has been argued about by historians. G R Elton first raised the argument in 1953s and his main arguments for a “revolution in Tudor government were that until the 1530s the government of the country was based upon the Royal Household i.e. the state equated with the King’s private estate. It was during the 1530s that Cromwell reduced the role of the Royal Household in government and substituted instead a bureaucratic administration. i.e. a system of government by officials, responsible only to their departmental chiefs who in turn were responsible to a chief executive – Cromwell – presiding over the Privy Council. Cromwell also created a unified and independent sovereign state. This revolution was achieved by a series of reforms which

 ended papal supremacy and made the king the supreme head,  eroded the ancient privileges of the nobility,  used parliamentary statute to bring about changes, thus increasing its importance and  reformed the administration of government, making it more efficient and bureaucratic and making it less dependent on the officials of the King's household.

But is this the case? Was there a Tudor Revolution in government?

Other historians have claimed that Elton’s arguments are overstated as many of the reforms happened under the reigns of Edward IV (1461-70) and Henry VII (1485-1509) (Starkey and Guy). Therefore wasn’t Cromwell returning to old practices? Or did he simply make the existing systems work rather than creating them? Further counter arguments have been that the administrative changes were not firmly rooted until the 1560s under Elizabeth 1st. Other historians see the 1530s as the years contributing to a developing trend which began with the accession of Edward IV in 1461 and continue to at least 1561; therefore the term revolution has been debated, surely it is evolution not revolution.

Topic and the situation in late Situation in post Cromwellian Does this show a revolution in medieval times. times. government? (Criticism or support of Elton’s theory?

Household Finances

Edward IV introduced a new The Privy Chamber was deprived of Privy council did increasing system of finance which did not receiving revenue and the assume corporate responsibility use the exchequer and treasury. Exchequer was revived so that it especially for finance and legal Instead the money was control by received customs and parliamentary administration. offices in their private rooms taxation and set up new departments (Privy Chamber). of state. Cromwell introduced new financial institutions to work alongside the e.g. Henry VII developed the By 1540 increasing specialism had Privy Chamber. Chamber to such an extent that been introduced with 4 new courts. most revenues went there rather than the Exchequer.  Court of Augmentations,  Court of first fruits and This gave the monarch significant 10ths, control over day –to-day decisions  Court of wards and liveries about income and expenditure.  Court of general surveyors.

The Council

The King met regularly with his The council was reduced to a group Starkey: The elimination of the advisors. This was a large (c50 -60 of c19 men. household from the government men) group which included and the dominance of the national noblemen, clergy and members of Of the 50 adult peers alive, only c10 bureaucracy under the Privy the King’s household were members of the Privy Council. Council is WRONG! Men were thus obtaining lands and titles because they held offices, not Courtiers and councillors were the the other way round. SAME people. There is no retreat of the PC from administration Members were expected to attend instead there is constant regularly and could no longer act as interaction. So the Privy Chamber individuals, but as a collective. The and the Privy Council formed an Privy Council now functioned as a inner ring which overlapped and corporate board – letters from it got power from the King. were written in the name of the Council and signed collectively. No revolution or evolution – due to Letters signed in this way were royal personality that things regarded by their recipients as legal changed. instruments of the government without the need for further During H8 did a more validation by formal seals e.g. the professional P Council privy seal or the king’s stamp emerged???

It’s discussions were minuted and it Historians disagree whether it became more specialised e.g. the appeared before 1530, in 1530 or Star Chamber now limited itself to c1540 after Cromwell fell e.g. specialist legal work there were precedents regarding the Privy Council.

1526 Eltham Ordinances planned to reduce the size of the Council to 20, to meet daily at 10am and 2pm in the King’s dining chamber.

How did Cromwell find the time? – 1536 = dissolution of monasteries; fall of AB; Pilgrimage of Grace

Half the members on the reorganised PC were religious conservatives and enemies of Cromwell. Unthinkable that Cromwell would have so stacked the cards against himself

Royal Household

Medieval idea of “personal The King’s Privy Chamber no Starkey: The elimination of the monarchy” (where the monarch longer had control of revenue (see household from the government was directly involved in the household finances) and the dominance of the national decision making through his bureaucracy under the Privy offices in the royal court)  1536 – Court of Council is WRONG! Courtiers and Augmentations set up to councillors were the SAME All action centred upon his person deal with monastic wealth people. There is no retreat of the and thus advisers, ministers et al  1540 – Court of Wards fully PC from administration instead moved around with the King. This established there is constant interaction. So the caused practical problems e.g. how  1540 – Court of First Fruits Privy Chamber nad the Privy to access archives and records? Council formed an inner ring However it is important to note that which overlapped and got power Thus, departments of government b) and c) were set up shortly after from the King. No revolution or went ‘out of court’ and became Cromwell’s fall. Did he set them in evolution – due to royal static, based in London e.g. the motion? personality that things changed. Exchequer – in the 12thc, the Courts of common-law. Harriss: Radical objection that there was a transition from But how could the King enact his medieval household to will when he was such a distant bureaucratic government. Non- from the instruments of household nature of government in government? E.g. no document 1350-1450. It is the Yorkist and was authentic unless issued under Early Tudor which regressed to an the Great Seal, but the Great Seal earlier form of government due to was kept by the Chancellor. the nature of the War of the Roses (civil war). The answer was to develop a “Privy Seal” with which all It was the demands of the 1530s authorisations sent to Chancery that led to Cromwell returning to had to be stamped. the “more formalised government of the late middle ages”. However it relied on the personal effort of the king and chamber to RETURN NOT REVOLUTION. power the machine. So the system broke if the king was inactive or If looking for a revolution you weak. need to look from 14th – 176th century. A trend will emerge that shows “1530 as a RESUMPTION of normal development after a period of emergency”

Did Cromwell turn it into a “bureaucratic government where specialised departments and trained officials managed the routine of government matters?

Late medieval government already exhibited elements of bureaucratic govt. H7’s revival of the “household” interrupted a trend in which government was being extracted from the household.

Cromwell reverting back to it????

Cromwell’s dominance prevented the return to bureaucratic govt. It was his fall which permitted a return to the earlier pattern of development!

Royal control over the whole Kingdom

Wales had been conquered by 1537 = Council for the North Penny Williams: Control of Edward I (c1284). The Council of established in York. It was central government over outlying the Marches was created by controlled from London so it could regions was tightened, especially Edward IV in the 1470s. suppress trouble. It replaced the in Wales and Ireland, where the temporary council which had pressure of events forced into Ireland: English authority in existed from Edward IV’s time. reality developments that had long Gaelic Ireland (The Pale). Therefore separatism was replaced been maturing. with centralisation. France: England controlled the Wales had been conquered by area of Calais 1536: Council for the Marches of Edward I. The Council of the Wales, based in Ludlow. Wales was Marches was created by Edward now incorporated into England. The IV in the 1470s. English control of marcher lordships were dissolved Wales had begun to improve from and some were annexed into that point. existing Welsh and English counties. Others were divided into 5 Ireland: no attempt was made to new counties. The Welshmen were assert English authority in Gaelic given the “benefits” of common law Ireland i.e. beyond the Pale. like the rest of England. But it was at the expense of their local custom, Calais: even though administered JPs were provided based on the more effectively, full control was English model. elusive

In 1536 Calais was provided with two parliamentary burgesses (political representative).

In Ireland Cromwell tried to enforce English authority in the Pale.

Cromwell also attempted to control local government e.g. by introducing in 1536 the “Abolition of Franchises and Liberties”. This allowed the Crown to make inroads into local feudal jurisdiction.

Parliament

Most Kings needed to have control Parliament was important in passing Penny Williams: the authority of over parliament. the legislation that led to the “Break parliament as a law making body with Rome” and the “Royal was already well established… the In Medieval times parliament only Supremacy” (see previous notes for decline of the government (under met to grant taxes and to pass laws supporting evidence) Lancastrians) had resulted from the e.g. in Henry VII’s reign it met 7 collapse of royal authority. ..Henry times between 1485 and 1509. Think about the amount and scope VII and Wolsey were faced with Henry VII rarely needed to call of the legislation passed. In the the quite exceptional task of them because he did not rely on 1530s every important step was rebuilding the crown’s power. them to grant him money for wars, embodied by the parliament. unlike his son. Parliament was important in legislation the break with Rome During Henry VII’s reign the and Reformation; think about commons were gaining in power amount of legislation, scope of and he recognised their legislation (see previous notes) importance. However, while Henry conversed with the Lords, 1530s every important step he rarely spoke directly to the embodied by the pmt. Commons. They communicated their thoughts to the king via the Speaker of the Commons. Role of the principle Secretary

The recognised role of the Royal seals lost their significance The importance of the position of principle secretary was to enforce e.g. the functions of the old Privy King’s secretary was dependent the King’s wishes. They often had Seal were taken over by Cromwell on the personality and priorities control of the Royal seals. as Lord Privy Seal. Therefore of the man doing the job. ‘it was Cromwell was signing his own attached to the man not the letters rather than using the seal. . office’(Elton). Nobody made much of the job until William Principle Secretary’s role was Cecil in Elizabeth’s time. extended as he acquired control over pretty much everything from finance, home and foreign affairs to defence and religion

Historians

AGR Smith:  1530s was revolutionary up to a point but argues that the 1540s and 1550s were also significant because of the continued transfer of Church lands and the advance of the Protestant Reformation.

J Guy:  1530s as significant but argues that change occurs gradually over course of Tudor century. So a ‘readjustment’  There was a change from household of king to greater control by privy council – but an examination of this change needs to encompass Elizabeth’s reign.  “Henrician politics increasingly focused on the Court, therefore the Privy Council lived and moved there. Cromwell was therefore successful as a politician until 1538-9 because he responded to royal demands and immediate needs.”  Privy Council was not created by Cromwell especially as the later Privy council was dominated by religious conservatives who opposed Cromwell.

Starkey:  rejects notion that any kind of revolution, or evolution, took place.  argues that systems were dependent upon the character of the monarch, and that each monarch revived previous practices.  Thus denies the existence of any developmental pattern in the methods of government.

What do you think?? Was it  A revolution in government?  A returning to old practices?  Simply making the existing systems work rather than creating a new one?  An evolution not revolution?