Issues Of Succcession/Marriage/Foreign Policy Were Most Important In Determining The Relationship Between Crown And Parliament During The Tudor Period

Issues of succession, marriage and foreign policy were most important I determining relations between crown and parliament?

How valid is this assessment

During the period 1485-1603 the issues of marriage/FP/succession were certainly of great importance in determining relations between crown and Parliament particularly under the rein of Elizabeth. However it can be argued that other factors are equally as influential e.g. the Reformation under Henry VIII

The issues of s/m/fp were of some influence in the reign of Henry VII, especially the latter as Henry frequently needed parliament early on in his reign to provide the necessary funding to defray the Lambert Simnel Revolt 1487, assist in the war in Brittany 1489 and fight against France. As a result Parliamentary power strengthened. However after an initial period of activity, Henry Tudor began following a peaceful foreign policy, restricting the need to summon parliament and thus weakening parliament's influence.

During the reign of Henry VIII, all these factors were of consequence in influencing crown and parliamentary relations. Henry needed parliament to accept his annulment to Catherine of Aragon 1533 and eventually to pass the bill in1534 reducing her to Arthur's' widow. However as a result of some sympathy on the part of parliament towards Catharine, they were not given permission to discuss the matter. This reflects on how despite parliament playing a more active role, Henry retained a tight leash on them. Parliament was summoned again in 1536 to deal with the crisis arising from fro Henry's rejection on Anne Boleyn, then in 1540 to secure a divorce with Ann of Cleaves. Henry equally required parliament in passing the succession act in 1544, naming those who were to ascend to the throne after his death. Yet due to the unprecedented power he accumulated he also named other successors without parliament though letters patent. Furthermore he was economically depended on parliament for granting subsidies as a result of his aggressive foreign policy e.g. war with France. This resulted in some trouble e.g. 1523 when Wolsey asked for a levy and then in 1525, Henry's attempt to by pass parliament via the amicable grant triggered social riots. These events are interpreted by orthodox historians as a sign of parliament's increasing power.

During Edward's reign, the issue of marriage was irrelevant as he was still a minor, yet despite his age he was still an obstacle between Mary and the throne and furthermore he tried to rearrange the act of succession, excluding Mary and Elizabeth from Henry's will and replacing them with Lady Jane Grey. Despite this coming to nothing the fact that Northumberland was summoning parliament for this discussion as opposed to the king suggests an increase in parliament's powers. The weak economic position of the crown as a result of Henry VIII aggressive foreign policy was worsened by Somerset's campaign in Scotland. As a result recourse to parliament was the only option and the subsequent dissolution of the monasteries was more to do with economic problems rather than religious factors.

Mary's reign also witnessed a lot of discussion on these matters which undoubtedly affected relations between crown and parliament. Mary's marriage to Philip of Spain was met with great disapproval from parliament not only because of the idea of a foreign king but that it could also be financially disastrous. Mary recognising the extent of opposition did not push the matter of Philip's coronation suggesting that even she respected that parliament was the guardian of certain principles she could not overturn. As for the issue of succession, Mary's proposal to exclude Elizabeth from the throne was defeated by parliament. In contrast to her sister, Mary's response to the problems facing her over m/s actually helped secure parliament's place in political and constitutional life. Foreign policy complications that arose during this reign where mainly as a result of Philip's actions. The 2 parliaments in 1558 were quite confrontational as parliament was summoned to deal with the problems of the war with France and the loss of Calais.

During Elizabeth's' reign these issues undoubtably reached their climax. After a near death scare in 1662 both houses submitted

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