Welcome to England 1509–58: AS History Study Notes
Welcome to your study guide for CCEA AS History Unit AS 1 (Option 1): England 1509–58. This period is one of the most dramatic and transformative in British history. Over these fifty years, England witnessed massive religious changes, political revolutions, social rebellions, and the reigns of three very different monarchs: Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary I.
Don't worry if the dates, acts, and names seem overwhelming at first! We will break everything down step-by-step into clear, manageable themes and show you exactly how to tackle both contemporary sources and historical interpretations for your exam.
---Key Timeline at a Glance
• 1509: Accession of Henry VIII.
• 1533: Act in Restraint of Appeals (breaks legal ties with Rome).
• 1534: Act of Supremacy (Henry VIII becomes Supreme Head of the Church of England).
• 1536: The Pilgrimage of Grace (major northern rebellion against religious changes).
• 1536–1540: Dissolution of the Monasteries.
• 1547: Death of Henry VIII; accession of the boy king, Edward VI.
• 1549: First Book of Common Prayer; outbreak of the Western Rebellion and Kett’s Rebellion.
• 1552: Second Book of Common Prayer (shift to radical Protestantism).
• 1553: Death of Edward VI; accession of Mary I.
• 1555: Revival of Heresy Laws (beginning of the Marian burnings).
• 1558: Loss of Calais to France; death of Mary I.
Theme 1: The Reign of Henry VIII (1509–47)
1. Government, Ministers, and Administration
Henry VIII preferred enjoying his royal lifestyle and hunting rather than spending long hours reading state papers. Because of this, he relied heavily on two chief ministers:
A. Cardinal Thomas Wolsey (in power 1515–29):
• Wolsey dominated both church and state.
• He managed domestic policy, the legal system (promoting justice through the courts), and foreign policy.
• However, his failure to secure an annulment for Henry from the Pope led directly to his fall from power in 1529.
B. Thomas Cromwell (in power 1532–40):
• Cromwell was a master strategist and administrator who steered England through the Break with Rome.
• Historical Controversy: Historian Geoffrey Elton argued that Cromwell orchestrated a "Tudor Revolution in Government". Elton claimed Cromwell modernized government from a chaotic medieval household system run by personal royal servants into a modern, bureaucratic system of specialized departments and strengthened the role of Parliament and the King's Council.
2. The Reformation and the Break with Rome
The catalyst for the English Reformation was the "King’s Great Matter": Henry’s urgent desire to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon (who had not produced a surviving male heir) so he could marry Anne Boleyn.
When the Papacy in Rome refused to grant the annulment, Henry and Cromwell took radical steps using Acts of Parliament:
• 1533 Act in Restraint of Appeals: Declared England an "Empire" and stopped legal appeals being made to Rome. This allowed Henry’s marriage to Catherine to be declared void in England.
• 1534 Act of Supremacy: Formally recognized Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of the Church of England, completing the constitutional break with the Papacy.
3. The Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536–40)
Between 1536 and 1540, Cromwell dissolved (closed down) all English monasteries and religious houses. Why?
• Financial Motive: The Crown gained massive wealth and vast lands, which were sold off to fund wars and reward loyal nobles.
• Religious & Political Motives: Monasteries were loyal to the Pope in Rome and were seen as strongholds of traditional Catholic practice.
4. Opposition to Henry's Changes
The Break with Rome was not universally accepted:
• Legal and Religious Opposition: Prominent figures like Sir Thomas More (former Lord Chancellor) and Bishop John Fisher refused to take the oath recognizing Henry's supremacy and were executed for treason.
• Popular Rebellion – The Pilgrimage of Grace (1536–37): A massive popular uprising in the North of England. The rebels protested against the break with Rome, the attack on traditional religious practices, and the dissolution of monasteries. It was the largest single uprising against any Tudor monarch.
Key Takeaway for Henry VIII: Henry’s break with Rome was primarily a political and dynastic separation rather than a full Protestant doctrinal shift. Henry remained largely Catholic in personal doctrine, but assumed complete control over church leadership and monastery wealth.
---Theme 2: The Reign of Edward VI (1547–53)
Edward VI inherited the throne at just nine years old. Because he was a child, government was directed by regents, and the English Church moved rapidly toward radical Protestantism.
1. The Two Protectors: Somerset vs. Northumberland
• Protector Somerset (Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, 1547–49): Ruled autocratically with personal proclamations. He struggled with poor communication, mismanaged the economy, and failed to control growing unrest, leading to his downfall.
• Duke of Northumberland (John Dudley, 1549–53): Took control after Somerset. Northumberland stabilized government finance, restored order, and governed more effectively through the Privy Council.
2. Religious Transformation
Under Edward VI, the pace of religious reform accelerated rapidly:
• 1549 First Book of Common Prayer: Introduced by Archbishop Cranmer; moderate Protestant liturgy in English.
• 1552 Second Book of Common Prayer: A far more radical Protestant text, completely removing traditional Catholic sacrificial elements from the Communion service.
3. Social and Economic Turmoil (1549)
The mid-Tudor period suffered from severe inflation, population growth, and enclosure (fencing off common land for sheep farming, which displaced poor rural tenants). In 1549, this sparked two major rebellions:
• The Western Rebellion (Prayer Book Rebellion): Driven primarily by religious anger against the introduction of the new English 1549 Book of Common Prayer.
• Kett’s Rebellion (in East Anglia): Driven primarily by social and economic grievances, especially enclosure and abuses by local gentry.
Key Takeaway for Edward VI: Edward's reign witnessed a profound shift into radical Protestant doctrine alongside severe social unrest in 1549 that exposed administrative weaknesses under Somerset.
---Theme 3: The Reign of Mary I (1553–58)
Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, was a devout Roman Catholic determined to undo the religious changes of her father and brother.
1. The Marian Counter-Reformation
Mary's central objective was restoring the English Church to papal obedience:
• She repealed Edwardian and Henrician religious legislation through Parliament.
• 1555 Revival of Heresy Laws: Mary revived the medieval heresy acts to suppress Protestantism.
• The Marian Burnings: Around 300 Protestants (including Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, Nicholas Ridley, and Hugh Latimer) were burned at the stake, earning her the historical nickname "Bloody Mary".
2. Foreign Policy and Marriage
• The Spanish Marriage: Mary married Philip II of Spain in 1554 to forge a strong Catholic international alliance. The marriage was deeply unpopular in England due to fears of foreign Spanish dominance.
• The Loss of Calais (1558): England was dragged into a war between Spain and France, resulting in the humiliating loss of Calais, England's last territorial foothold on mainland Europe.
Key Takeaway for Mary I: Mary succeeded in legally restoring Catholicism and papal authority, but her harsh persecutions, unpopular Spanish marriage, and the military loss of Calais limited the long-term success of her policies.
---Theme 4: Historical Controversies & Interpretations
In AS 1, you are assessed on your ability to analyze and evaluate historical interpretations (arguments put forward by later historians). Here are the key debates you must know:
1. Cardinal Wolsey: Capable Statesman or Self-Serving Cleric?
• View A: Wolsey was an exceptionally able administrator who brought efficiency to royal justice and balanced European power.
• View B: Wolsey was arrogant, pluralist (holding multiple church posts for wealth), neglected genuine reform, and pursued foreign glory that England could not afford.
2. Cromwell and the "Tudor Revolution in Government"
• Elton’s Thesis: Cromwell fundamentally modernized English governance by introducing bureaucratic, non-personal government machinery and establishing the sovereignty of the King-in-Parliament.
• Opposing Views: Other historians argue Elton exaggerated Cromwell's reforms; government remained personal to the monarch, and changes were evolutionary rather than revolutionary.
3. The "Mid-Tudor Crisis" (1547–58)
Was the period between Henry VIII's death (1547) and Elizabeth I's accession (1558) a prolonged disaster or a period of resilience?
• The Crisis Argument: England suffered severe political instability (child monarch, female ruler), administrative turmoil, religious flip-flopping, economic misery (inflation, enclosure), major rebellions (1549), and foreign military humiliation (Calais, 1558).
• The Revisionist Argument: The term "crisis" is an exaggeration. The machinery of state never collapsed, rebellions were crushed, Parliament functioned effectively, and administrators like Northumberland demonstrated financial and governmental competence.
Exam Toolkit: Avoiding Pitfalls in AS 1
Keep these vital distinctions clear to score top marks:
1. Sources vs. Interpretations:
• A Contemporary Source is evidence written/produced at the time (e.g., a 1536 letter by Cromwell, a proclamation by Somerset, an ambassador's report).
• A Historical Interpretation is a view, argument, or evaluation written by a later historian looking back on the period (e.g., Elton's view on Cromwell, modern historians evaluating the Mid-Tudor Crisis).
2. Avoid Chronological Slippage in Religion:
• Henry VIII (1509–47): Break from Rome / Royal Supremacy (political independence, Catholic doctrine mostly maintained).
• Edward VI (1547–53): Rapid doctrinal Protestantism (1549 & 1552 Prayer Books).
• Mary I (1553–58): Counter-Reformation / Restoration of Papal Catholicism (Heresy Laws revived 1555).
3. Ground Your Answers in Precise Knowledge:
Whenever you evaluate a source or interpretation, always support your evaluation with specific dates, names, acts (e.g., 1534 Act of Supremacy), and rebellions (e.g., 1536 Pilgrimage of Grace, 1549 Western Rebellion) rather than vague generalizations!