How Far Was Henry Manipulated 1536-1547

982 Words4 Pages
To what extent was Henry VIII himself in control of the events and how far was he manipulated 1536-1547? Between the years of 1536-1547 I think that Henry had lost control slightly but generally still proved that he was powerful, and that it is limited to say how far he was manipulated. By 1540 Henry’s reign was gradually coming to an end, this was because of the effects of Henry’s ill health. Throughout the 1540s, Henry's health was in a huge decline. He suffered chronic headaches and an ulcer on his leg which kept him in great pain. He grew enormously fat, and he was peevish and unpredictable in his behaviour. This had a huge impact on his ability to run the government sufficiently. However that is not completely true, between 1543…show more content…
Cromwell hoped that the marriage to the German princess would secure support against the Catholic Holy Roman Emperor, and strengthen the bonds of Protestantism. Despite the marriage not working it was clear that Cromwell’s influence was a bad decision on Henry VIII’s behalf look manipulated as he put his trust into Cromwell. Cromwell showed to be more in control with legal issues for example his last office of Lord Great Chamberlain, gave him control over the whole household-above-stairs, Chamber and Privy Chamber, this clearly means that Henry had a lack in control, however his lack in control could of been down to his ill…show more content…
In my opinion his health was the only factor causing him to gradually lose control. It was evident that Henry was still in control, I say this because in 1544 Henry proved he was willing to send soldiers into battle against the French. Furthermore in my opinion I think that Henry could clearly make decisions and take control, for example his attempts to even consider trying to help the economic issues, even though debasement was not a logical means of helping the economy Henry still looked through many options to help the
Open Document