'Domestic Policy Under Cardinal Thomas Wolsey Was a Failure' How Far Do You Agree with This Statement?
‘Domestic policy under Wolsey was a failure’. How far do you agree with this assessment?
Wolsey was Henry VIII’s chief minister for 15 years and it’s fair to say that historians have, in general, been disappointed with his lack of achievement in the area of domestic affairs. Most argue that he devoted far too much of his time to foreign policy in order to establish, and then further boost his own personal power and increase his income, implying that more of his time should have been allocated to reforming social and economic policy and using his vast intelligence to improve the way government operated in England at the time. However there was very little contemporary discontent with the way the country was being run in the first place. So perhaps these expectations are anachronistically minded as the vast majority expected very little from the government; Rather than radical change in the systems of government they expected a maintaining of law and order along with an upholding of the power the Crown and Church held. Domestic achievements were never going to influence the status and prestige of England nearly as much as foreign politics, and as long as Henry craved foreign glory it was to be Wolsey’s focus. On the other hand though, certain efficiency in tax collection was needed to fund the adventurous foreign policies Wolsey needed to impose and of course stability in government was needed for diplomatic success. Not to mention the character of the man himself, he was unlikely to not want involvement in all political matters in government, whether foreign or otherwise. This natural zealous could go down as the reason for one of Wolsey’s key failing [in domestic policy] in that he took on far too much in terms of cases in the Court of the Star Chamber and failed to finish plans for reform.
And so to the assessment; ‘Domestic policy under Wolsey was a failure’, when considering how far we agree with this statement it must first be considered, obviously, what a
Wolsey was Henry VIII’s chief minister for 15 years and it’s fair to say that historians have, in general, been disappointed with his lack of achievement in the area of domestic affairs. Most argue that he devoted far too much of his time to foreign policy in order to establish, and then further boost his own personal power and increase his income, implying that more of his time should have been allocated to reforming social and economic policy and using his vast intelligence to improve the way government operated in England at the time. However there was very little contemporary discontent with the way the country was being run in the first place. So perhaps these expectations are anachronistically minded as the vast majority expected very little from the government; Rather than radical change in the systems of government they expected a maintaining of law and order along with an upholding of the power the Crown and Church held. Domestic achievements were never going to influence the status and prestige of England nearly as much as foreign politics, and as long as Henry craved foreign glory it was to be Wolsey’s focus. On the other hand though, certain efficiency in tax collection was needed to fund the adventurous foreign policies Wolsey needed to impose and of course stability in government was needed for diplomatic success. Not to mention the character of the man himself, he was unlikely to not want involvement in all political matters in government, whether foreign or otherwise. This natural zealous could go down as the reason for one of Wolsey’s key failing [in domestic policy] in that he took on far too much in terms of cases in the Court of the Star Chamber and failed to finish plans for reform.
And so to the assessment; ‘Domestic policy under Wolsey was a failure’, when considering how far we agree with this statement it must first be considered, obviously, what a