Tudors question

If a question specifies central government as weak, would you be able to include the power of the monarch themselves- such as Henry VII's weak claim to the throne, Henry VIII relying on ministers, Edward being a minor, Mary being rejected by parliament and Elizabeth being influenced by minsters? Or is the monarchs own personal factors nothing to do with central government?

Reply 1

McKerrow_History

9

Original post by User23480

If a question specifies central government as weak, would you be able to include the power of the monarch themselves- such as Henry VII's weak claim to the throne, Henry VIII relying on ministers, Edward being a minor, Mary being rejected by parliament and Elizabeth being influenced by minsters? Or is the monarchs own personal factors nothing to do with central government?

Central government as weak means how much control can it exert over the country. So if the central government passed a law to raise taxes, would the government be able to enforce it. If the government couldn't do this (and for similar laws), then it would be weak. So looking at your list, I would say

1) Henry VII's weak claim - not the same thing
2) Henry VIII relying on ministers - not the same thing. All monarchs need help ruling. If Henry passed a law and needed his ministers to enforce it, that's not being weak. It would be weak if his ministers were doing their own things and he couldn't control them.
3) Edward being a minor - not relevant. The regent council was the government. Was the council's will being followed.
4) When was Mary rejected by parliament? If this meant that government policy was not being followed because Mary was at loggerheads with her parliament then yes, that would lean towards weakness.
5) Elizabeth being influenced by ministers - same as 2.

I think you're struggling a little because you're hazy on how government worked during the 1500s. The monarch was sovereign and governed with his/her ministers. Parliament had an increasingly important role in passing laws along with the monarch. Who was supreme was decided during Charles I's reign.

In any event, central government in this period includes the monarch, his/her ministers, parliament and those who enforced the law (justices of the peace). So yes, you could include the power of the monarch.

Reply 2

meowmeowm

4

Original post by McKerrow_History

Central government as weak means how much control can it exert over the country. So if the central government passed a law to raise taxes, would the government be able to enforce it. If the government couldn't do this (and for similar laws), then it would be weak. So looking at your list, I would say
1) Henry VII's weak claim - not the same thing
2) Henry VIII relying on ministers - not the same thing. All monarchs need help ruling. If Henry passed a law and needed his ministers to enforce it, that's not being weak. It would be weak if his ministers were doing their own things and he couldn't control them.
3) Edward being a minor - not relevant. The regent council was the government. Was the council's will being followed.
4) When was Mary rejected by parliament? If this meant that government policy was not being followed because Mary was at loggerheads with her parliament then yes, that would lean towards weakness.
5) Elizabeth being influenced by ministers - same as 2.
I think you're struggling a little because you're hazy on how government worked during the 1500s. The monarch was sovereign and governed with his/her ministers. Parliament had an increasingly important role in passing laws along with the monarch. Who was supreme was decided during Charles I's reign.
In any event, central government in this period includes the monarch, his/her ministers, parliament and those who enforced the law (justices of the peace). So yes, you could include the power of the monarch.

this is really helpful - could you possibly give some points about what one could talk about for each monarch’s gov? cause my teacher has been saying we can talk about reliance on ministers so now i’m panicking 😭😭😭😭

Reply 3

McKerrow_History

9

Original post by meowmeowm

this is really helpful - could you possibly give some points about what one could talk about for each monarch’s gov? cause my teacher has been saying we can talk about reliance on ministers so now i’m panicking 😭😭😭😭

So, I think you're teacher could be more precise. A monarch would be weak if he relied too heavily on his ministers. Here's an example: Henry VIII relied greatly on Cardinal Thomas Wolsey for running the state because when Henry was young, he wasn't interested in the day-to-day affairs of the government (he cared more about mistresses and adventurous wars). Wolsey's power was so great from 1514 to 1529 that some styled him as alter rex ("other king"). However, as Henry became older and more experienced he was prepared to listen to other advisors and confidents (e.g., Anne Boleyn).

Reply 4

Stiffy Byng

19

Original post by meowmeowm

this is really helpful - could you possibly give some points about what one could talk about for each monarch’s gov? cause my teacher has been saying we can talk about reliance on ministers so now i’m panicking 😭😭😭😭

Have a look at G R Elton's "Tudor Revolution in Government", but for a really helpful book on 1450 to 1558, see "Peace, Print, and Protestantism" by the late, great Cliff Davies. John Neale's book on Elizabeth I is a bit old, but still useful on Elizabethan government.

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