Term Paper on "Henry VIII"
Term Paper 5 pages (1564 words) Sources: 4 Style: MLA
[EXCERPT] . . . .
Henry VIII -- Architect of Renaissance EnglandKing Henry VIII was one of the most formative influences upon England during the early Renaissance. He created the modern conceptual model for English governance, an England that depended upon human, monarchal authority, rather than Church influence. The relationship between Parliament and King developed under Henry was unique for its day, and later enabled England to engage in electoral reforms, rather than undergo violent rebellions to enfranchise the populace like the European Continent in the 19th century. Although Henry's daughter, Elizabeth, is usually called the quintessential Renaissance monarch, it was only because of his influence that the flowering of English poetry and drama, in the guise of Spencer and Shakespeare, was possible under her authority.
It is said that "Henry was the first English monarch to be educated under the influence of the Renaissance," because he was learned in the sciences and the humanities as well as in theology (Jokinen, 2006). Henry was a scholar, a devoted student of classic and modern languages, a musician and even an athlete Despite the fact that the most popular image of Henry is that of an overweight and dissolute man who placed his own pleasures before the interests of his country in his youth he was described as thus: "he speaks good French, Latin and Spanish; is very religious... He is extremely fond of hunting, and never takes that diversion without tiring eight or ten horses... He is also fond of tennis"("Henry VIII." History of the Monarchy: The Tudors, 2007).
What also may be forgotten about Henry is that he was not originally designated for the throne. It w
download full paper ⤓
Henry began his career as king as a callow young man, easily influenced by his advisors, but gradually be began to assert his authority over the increasingly unpopular Cardinal Wolsey. "He began to adopt a more critical attitude towards Wolsey's policy, foreign and domestic; and to give ear to the murmurs against the cardinal and his ecclesiastical rule. Parliament had been kept at arm's length since 1515 lest it should attack the church; but Wolsey's expensive foreign policy rendered recourse to parliamentary subsidies indispensable. When it met in 1523 it refused Wolsey's demands, and forced loans were the result which increased the cardinal's unpopularity" (Jokinen, 2006).
This assertion of a healthily democratic Parliament that was not willing to bow to the authority of an unelected churchman spelled the death knell for the feudal hierarchy of authority, where political leaders and the common populace were in thrall to the political powers of the church. The widespread belief was that Wolsey was overstepping his bounds, and Henry began to agree. Henry's growing distaste for what he saw as church meddling in state politics rose exponentially when he was unable to annul his marriage to Catherine, because she had not produced a male heir.
Originally, Pope Julius II had raised the allegations of incest, now Henry demanded that Wolsey do the same in his appeal to the new Pope Clemens VIII, so Henry could free himself of the alliance and marry Anne Boleyn. Wolsey's eventual fate of banishment from the comforts of the court was sealed by his failure to obtain a divorce for Henry VIII from the papal court. Henry felt that the security of England depended upon his procurement of a male heir, but the pope refused. Henry, justifiably did not see the new Pope Clement VIII's objection as a religious one, rather it was politically motivated: "The prospect of French success in Italy which had encouraged the pope proved delusive, and in 1529 he had to submit to the yoke" of Charles, the King of Spain and the Holy Roman Emperor (Jokinen, 2006).
To capitulate necessitated a rejection of Henry's demand for a divorce "because a divorce would mean disinheriting Charles's cousin Mary," Henry and Catherine's daughter (Jokinen, 2006). Henry, of course, saw through these political machinations and was enraged. Still, Henry was no Protestant; in fact, he had always supported the church before. But he felt his integrity as a monarch depended upon his securing secular authority and a male heir. To gain such authority, however, he had to rely upon Parliament, further sowing the seeds for England's later, more democratic attitudes towards power-sharing in government.
Disgusted by Wolsey's excesses, Parliament eagerly complied. "The result was a series of Acts cutting back papal power and influence in England and bringing about the English Reformation" ("Henry VIII." History of the Monarchy: The Tudors, 2007).
The Pope realized ecclesiastical revenues were under threat, and his authority. The Pope excommunicated Henry when Henry married Anne Boleyn and made her queen, Undaunted, with the aid of Parliament under Thomas Cromwell Henry secured Parliament's support for the Church of England's total severance from Rome and Parliament's "usefulness led him to extend parliamentary representation to Wales and Calais," ((Jokinen, 2006).
England thus both expanded as a nation (becoming what is today the United Kingdom) and established its independence. The dissolution of the monasteries also meant that England grew wealthy almost instantaneously, "transferring enormous wealth from the church to the crown" (Jokinen, 2006). Thus Henry's reformation was not the same as Martin Luther's, it should be stressed, it was on institutional and political, rather than doctrinal grounds and created the modern nation-state, independent of religious authority, as well as a new faith, the Church of England or Anglicanism.
Throughout his reign Henry's move was to centralization -- of religion and of political control. "Central to the idea of the new Tudor court, as it had been to the earlier notion of a 'New Monarchy' in the sixteenth century, is the claim that the powerful, 'over mighty' barons of the fifteenth century were transformed in the sixteenth into court politicians and so denied the advantages of their local influence and power. This 'taming' of the great magnates and creation of courtier nobility formed both the basis of Henry's power and the foundation stone of the newly politicized court" (Walker, 1997).
The court, rather than disparate barons and feudal lords, now dominated England and English culture. Moreover, the court was meant to perpetuate a national culture, just as Henry had essentially created a nationalized faith: "idea of the court as a centre of a particular set of non-militaristic values and codes of behavior" (Walker, 1997). Loyalty to the king rather than feudal status was the determinant of placement -- even Henry's intimate attendance in his 'privy chamber' were not menial laborers, but trusted and loyal friends. The closer an individual was to the king, the closer the individual was to power and influence.
The court became a place for Henry's friends -- but also because Henry loved culture; it became a place where the arts flourished, now freed from papal censorship and concerns about meeting religious standards of doctrine. "Henry's scholarly interests included writing both books and music, and he was a lavish patron of the arts. He was an accomplished player of many instruments and a composer" ("Henry VIII," History of the… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Henry VIII" Assignment:
Research in more detail the Reformation and society's move from a strong faith in religious beliefs to the development of the philosophy of humanism.
Using the information you find from this research, write a research paper on Henry VIII and explain how he helped the growth of England as a country. Also include his or attitudes toward literature and the *****s of the 16th Century? Did he do anything to support the literary world?
What part did he play in the developmemt of English literature?
SPECIFICATIONS FOR EITHER OPTION
Acceptable Length: 5
Formatting Requirements:
Use double line spacing in the document.
Paper should include:
Clearly Defined Topic
Clearly Stated Thesis
Insightful,Thoughtful Analysis of Topic
Extensive Use of Quoted Material to Support
Claims
Logical Organization
Substantially Free of Major Grammar, Mechanical, and Spelling Errors
Correct use of MLA Documentation
This is a online course and realiable intranet rescoures should be used.
http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/rentext.htm this is one of the site we used in class
How to Reference "Henry VIII" Term Paper in a Bibliography
“Henry VIII.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2007, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/henry-viii-architect/62736. Accessed 6 Jul 2024.
Related Term Papers:
Henry VIII of England Term Paper
![Paper Icon](https://www.a1-termpaper.com/images/term-paper-3.png)
Henry VIII
King Henry VIII of England fundamentally altered the course of English and, indeed, European history. It is difficult to imagine, had another individual ascended to the English throne,… read more
Term Paper 8 pages (2664 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Latin America / Mexico / Caribbean
King Henry VIII Research Proposal
![Paper Icon](https://www.a1-termpaper.com/images/term-paper-3.png)
King Henry VIII
Henry VIII was one of the most influential monarchs of England. From his scandalous marital life and his ruthlessness to the break of the English's church from… read more
Research Proposal 4 pages (1229 words) Sources: 3 Style: Turabian Topic: World History
King Henry VIII and the English Reformation Thesis
![Paper Icon](https://www.a1-termpaper.com/images/term-paper-3.png)
King Henry VIII and the English Reformation
During the early 15th century, England had been under the ruling of King Henry VIII and the king in his turn had been… read more
Thesis 1 pages (316 words) Sources: 2 Style: MLA Topic: Religion / God / Theology
Man for All Seasons 1966 Film Review
![Paper Icon](https://www.a1-termpaper.com/images/term-paper-3.png)
Sir Thomas More is remembered throughout history as a man who went through great efforts with the purpose of emphasizing his point-of-view and who stood by his principles even if… read more
Film Review 3 pages (869 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Religion / God / Theology
Primary Source Analysis Tudor England Essay
![Paper Icon](https://www.a1-termpaper.com/images/term-paper-3.png)
reputable or not necessitates that all aspects of that writing be considered including the author's background, his reason for writing the piece, and people who may have been involved with… read more
Essay 4 pages (1380 words) Sources: 3 Style: Chicago Topic: Family / Dating / Marriage
Sat, Jul 6, 2024
If you don't see the paper you need, we will write it for you!
We can write a new, 100% unique paper!