How effective a king was Henry 7th? Henry 7th is very well know as the conqueror of Richard 3rd and father of Henry 8th, but how effective a king was he? He had to secure the Tudor dynasty, secure the nobility, keep financially stable and strengthen his foreign position without appearing weak. He dealt with these problems on the whole, extremely well, suggesting that he was an effective king, but he made some mistakes to. Henry 7th was ruthless in securing the Tudor dynasty.
This huge amount of land that was under his controlled was known as the Angevin Empire, this land meant that Henry wasn’t going to be just King of England but also lord of half of France. This meant that he had immense power which could have intimidated the people that were willing to threaten his rule. As well as his power being something to fear, his power could also have been respected because he was so powerful he was able to keep half of France under control before he became king of England. This shows that he was a very capable leader, with lots of experience which would have aided him in getting a fast and secure kingdom easily. Henry had several advantages that came with becoming King of England, England had well established laws and customs that were in place, despite them being under strain through Stephens reign, they were still in place and waiting to be used.
Many historians such as John Guy and Rogerson, Ellsmore and Hudson argue over which of these dominant figures from the 16th century was overall the most powerful and in control in many different situations. Historians such as Eric Ives believed Henry was the most powerful compared to Wolsey, he said Wolsey “Could effectively propose a policy but he was always careful to ensure that Henry owned it.”, but not only did he believe this but many of historians believe this also. Many Historians do tend to believe that Henry was more in control then Wolsey when it comes to foreign affairs and I shall attempt to show this in my evaluation that follows. Henry is viewed by many to be overall more important in many aspects towards the ruling of the united kingdom in the 16th century as he was after all he was at the highest rank possible, king, and king legally has the most power where as Wolsey as lord chancellor and later cardinal and papal legate still has less power then Henry even though he'd liked to think he had at least the same amount and showed this through building his own court rooms. This shows Henry as being more important as he was at a higher position from the start.
How far did Wolsey achieve the objectives of his foreign policy? Many historians and theories argue about Wolsey’s true aims and motives towards foreign policy. Wolsey is unpopular among some historians for his ambitious quest for power. However, to be able to discuss how far Wolsey achieved his objectives in foreign policy we need to recognize and identify these objectives first. His rise coincided with the ascension of the new monarch Henry VIII, who was deeply interested in foreign policy and brought policies and a diplomatic mindset that were completely different from those of his father, Henry VII.
All payments went towards the king, this would've also made the Earls not feel powerful enough, especially Harold Godwin who was seen as the most powerful man in England, but theoretically he wasn’t. However the Economy was well governed because the trade increased, which encouraged both the growth of towns and foreign contacts, this demonstrates that England were still involved in trade, which was good for the economy. However the economy was not very well developed especially compared to the Byzantine Empire and Muslim world. Those economies were massive, especially when compared to England’s. Overall I believe that the economy for pre-Conquest England as well- governed to an extent as the King did have large control, he did control this well, but he may have been seen as too powerful where the government is concerned.
The authority of his office sustains his words, but in a way he is still scared of not being listened. Despite this moment, Richard seems to appear wise and impartial: "The accuser and the accused freely speak." In this first scene we can see how hypocritical characters can be in public. Richard wants to seem a good king, and for this, he uses his political rhetoric. On the other hand, he also uses different forms of address to Bullingbrook and Mowbray to show how he feels about them.
Oliver Cromwell became the most important general on the Parliamentarian side and Prince Rupert on the Royalist side. Oliver Cromwell was famous for his well thought out tactics and his well disciplined army, where as Rupert, the kings nephew, made decisions without thinking them through and was not always in full control of his men. Before the war, Oliver Cromwell was worrying whether or not his army would want to fight the king because in those days it was said that the king is Gods representative. The king also had much more money because he was supported by some very wealthy men, so he had more money. However, as the war went on, the king’s money dwindled away, and Parliament raised taxes, therefore they had more money than the king.
There is no doubt of Henry VII’s success as a monarch. Though the Tudor dynasty (1485-1603) is somewhat overshadowed by his son, Henry VIII, and grand-daughter Elisabeth I, it was Henry who established a stable and secure throne for them and his relationship with the nobility was integral to this achievement. It is significant to note that Henry died in his own bed, unlike the previous Kings before him who had been plagued by the constant battle between the two rival Houses of Lancaster and York. It was in this respect, which Henry really triumphed as he is largely accepted as being the King that brought an end to Civil War in England, managing to suppress the ambitious interests of the nobility. At this time, it was vital for the monarch to have an alliance with the nobility as he had no standing army of his own, relying therefore on the nobles to provide one in times of need.
Over the past 200 years, power in the U.S. has shifted towards the President; President Regan, who wanted to give power back to the states instead of centralizing it, challenged this. Our current President, Barrack Obama, sides with President Roosevelt’s New Deal policy, which attempts to centralize power. President Obama caused great excitement with his ideas of change for America, but his administration is far less popular today due to policies he implemented. President Nixon argued against the notion that the President is becoming to powerful, stating that if we did in fact have an “Imperial” Presidency, then reelection would be much easier, but since President Roosevelt, we have only seen five reelections. The
When Henry VIII became king of England in 1509, Wolsey became the King's almoner. Due to the nature of the primary counsellors whom Henry VIII inherited from his father, Wolsey quickly rose to power. Richard Foxe and William Warham were cautious and conservative, advising the King to be a careful administrator like his father. A young, ambitious warrior king Henry did not agree with them, therefore he rapidly disposed of them, leaving their positions open to an upcoming Wolsey. Some might say that Wolsey’s rise to power was based solely on luck however the strongest argument suggests that it wasn’t solely based on luck and that Wolsey was a skillful man.