Henry’s religious beliefs remained Catholic, despite the growing numbers of people at court and in the nation who had adopted Protestant beliefs. He prevented the more fervent of these Protestants from making radical changes to religious doctrine by instituting the Six Articles of 1539. This document outlined the tenets of the Church of England, all of which were Catholic in nature.
In 1533-1534 parliament proceeded to enact the statutory rejection of papal supremacy and the declaration of a national Catholic Church with the king as its head.
In 1534 Cromwell began a wholesale confiscation of the enormous wealth of the Catholic Church. A survey of buildings, lands and possessions of the English religious houses was completed in 1535, and thereafter Parliament began passing laws dissolving these Catholic groups, a process that was completed by 1540.
The reformation in England was not accomplished without opposition. Despite the legislation of king and parliament, most of the nation clung to the Catholic Church. Most of these threats were dealt with effectively by parliament, throughout the 1530’s and into the 1540’s more than 300 people were executed for treason, amongst these was Thomas More who refused to recognise the king as supreme head of the church and was executed for his Catholicism.
Parliament was involved in the statute which unified England and Wales in 1536 and 1543, it suppressed franchises in 1536, dissolved the monasteries and transferred their properties to the crown in 1536 and 1539-1540 and also equipped the state with laws through government to reduce its opponents.
Henry used parliament in a way that gained power however rapidly lost this power. Wars against Scotland and France in the 1540’s reduced the Crown’s resources and made it more dependant on parliamentary revenue.
Cromwell initiated important changes in the way government business was conducted, creating greater efficiency and control. He established separate departments of state, with their own collectors, secretaries, and judges, to receive the wealth confiscated from the church. These courts, as they were called, were able to resolve disputes quickly and prevented the traditional royal courts from being overburdened with cases. Cromwell served as the effective head of Henry’s government for eight years and he was left alone to run it.
After the civil wars of the preceding century that had weakened the monarchy, Henry viii re-established the power of the English crown. This was done largely through the work of his powerful ministers Wolsey and Cromwell. They made use of the new Privy Council and parliament, whose members included the aristocracy and gentry. As these groups were brought into government, their individual ability to challenge the king diminished. The confiscation of church wealth enabled Henry’s heirs to rule without new revenues for the rest of the century.
In 1547 Edward succeeded his father as king of England, with his reign brought a decrease in royal authority, of which Henry had greatly established during his reign. Through Edwards reign and indeed his sisters, Mary, the government during this time dictated the religious course in England. A protestant reformation under Edward and a papal-Catholic restoration in Mary’s reign. People like the Protector Somerset and the Duke of Northumberland participated in moderate to radical reform, as well as the Marian reaction. All of which were enacted by the authority of the parliament. Parliaments effectiveness and importance in government through these reigns decreased due to surrounding situations in England, Inflation, economic recession, religious conflict, costly foreign wars, aristocratic misgovernment under Edward and unpopular Marian policies caused a disturbance in statute. Due to this, parliament was more critical and often hostile in nature over the conduct of Edward’s regency. Mary’s Catholic beliefs and her Habsburg connection enhanced parliament strain in government. This all lead to the crown’s parliamentary leadership to weaken as its financial dependence increased.
In 1558 Elizabeth 1 became queen of England and with the title came parliamentary unease leading to troubled and ineffective government. However Elizabeth managed to restore ordure and the Privy Council became the foremost and permanent instrument of Tudor government, its primary function was to assist the monarch in the formulation of foreign and domestic policy. Under Henry viii the gentlemen of the Privy Chamber had worked alongside ministers and councillors as impromptu advisers and administrators, whereas under Elizabeth the Privy Chamber was neutralised politically leaving the Privy Council as the unrivalled executive board. Elizabeth’s relationship with government enabled the successful use of parliament. Elizabeth accepted advice and she consulted her councillors even on matters of a sensitive nature. For example when the Queen of Scots signalled her intention to marry Darnley in 1565 Elizabeth immediately involved the Privy Council.
The post 1540 Privy Council had compromised the great officers of state and of the royal household. Disputes over policy occasionally erupted between councillors and courtiers.
Throughout Elizabeth’s reign the Privy Councils methods were simple but effective, implementing and enforcing policies put forward from parliament.
Unlike the Privy Council, parliament was an intermittent institution. Elizabeth’s ten meetings had 13 sessions lasting a total of 126 weeks. Parliament sat for an average of only 3 weeks for every year of the reign, 5.5% of the time.
Public and private legislation, taxation, attainders and their reversal and other legislative business such as statutory pardons were the main functions of the parliament. One impression shared by historians about parliament is that it became politicised under Elizabeth: MP’s and common lawyers ventilated their opposition to her conservatism.
Amongst the public acts passed through parliament the most important after the religious settlement and anti recusancy laws concerned social policy and the criminal law. Moves towards welfare provisions were more enlightened than whipping and licensed begging had first been made in 1536 and 1552 and in 1563 an Act for the relief of the poor authorized the collection of near compulsory donations for parish relief, administered by church wardens supervised by JP’s and diocesan officers.
In parliament these measures began as private initiatives before they were taken over by the Privy Council. The parliament of 1559 provided a stage for action. The Privy Councils programme included two bills one for servants of husbandry and artificers and their wages and one for taking and having apprentices and journeymen. Although both were lost owing to lack of parliamentary time they were reintroduced in 1563 when they were amalgated into a single bill. The result was the statute of artificers that settled the legal framework of English labour for two centuries. It transformed responsibility for fixing wages from parliament to local JP’s so that there was no longer a statutory wage ceiling.
Three acts of 1563 against embezzlement by servants, witchcraft and sodomy restores felonies first identified in Henry viii’s reign but subsequently repealed. Forgery and perjury were also attacked; the court also punished subornation of perjury which another act of 1563 deemed a misdemeanour when committed in cases concerning lands, goods, debts or damages in any court of record. This was seen as a legal landmark as the act enforced higher standards in the central courts and in locally at assizes the quarter sessions as well as in the ecclesiastical courts.
Parliamentary importance in government ranged from low to high during the Tudor reign between 1525 to 1566. Henry viii succeeded in a successful parliament and government due to great councillors such as Wolsey and Cromwell. The relations between Henry and his parliament were unique; he took great interest in the progress of the parliament. Even though he kept the parliament under his full control, he called repeated sessions of the parliament to take major decisions. This relationship with his councillors and their role enabled parliament to be of significant importance during Henry viii’s reign. However Edward and Mary were surrounded by many factors hindering parliamentary success such as economic loss, leading to parliament being of little significance in government.
Elizabeth, on the other hand had a good relationship with her parliament and members of the Privy Council. Thus enabling a number of acts and policies to be passed in a short period of parliament meetings, such as the acts of embezzlement.
An overall opinion is that parliament importance in government depended greatly on varying factors, the attitude and relationship of the monarch, the situation of England and the necessity of essential councillors to direct the parliaments importance in government.
