Edexcel GCSE History · Option B3

Henry VIII and his ministers, 1509–40

Exam-style questions with answers for Option B3 Henry VIII and his ministers, 1509–40 in Edexcel GCSE History (spec 1HI0). Practise with flashcards, a topic quiz, a random quiz across the course, 5 crosswords, or read every question and answer below.

All questions and answers

Question 1 · Option B3, Key topic 1.1
Describe how England was governed in 1509. [2 marks]
Answer:
The king ruled personally, advised by the Royal Council of nobles and churchmen (1); Parliament met only when called, mainly to grant taxes, and local justice relied on JPs (1).
Question 2 · Option B3, Key topic 1.1
What was Henry VIII’s first action against his father’s ministers? [1 mark]
Answer:
He had Empson and Dudley arrested and executed.
Question 3 · Option B3, Key topic 1.1
Describe Henry VIII's character as a young king. [2 marks]
Answer:
Handsome, athletic and well educated, enjoying jousting, hunting and music (1); he was proud, keen on glory and less interested in daily government (1).
Question 4 · Option B3, Key topic 1.1
State two of Henry VIII's aims as king in 1509. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: to win military glory, especially against France (1); to secure the succession with a male heir (1); to be a magnificent Renaissance prince (1); to keep the nobles loyal (1).
Question 5 · Option B3, Key topic 1.1
Explain Henry VIII's view of monarchy. [2 marks]
Answer:
He believed he was appointed by God and had imperial sovereignty (1); so no one, including the Pope, should have authority over him in his own kingdom (1).
Question 6 · Option B3, Key topic 1.2
Who was Thomas Wolsey? [2 marks]
Answer:
Henry’s chief minister, Lord Chancellor and cardinal (1); he fell in 1529 after failing to secure the annulment (1).
Question 7 · Option B3, Key topic 1.2
State two reasons for Wolsey's rise to power. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: he worked hard and was very able (1); he organised the 1513 French campaign successfully (1); he took on government work Henry did not enjoy (1); he was not a noble, so depended entirely on Henry (1).
Question 8 · Option B3, Key topic 1.2
State two of Wolsey's reforms. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: enquiries into enclosure (1); a new tax, the subsidy, based on wealth (1); making the Court of Star Chamber open to ordinary people (1); the Eltham Ordinances (1).
Question 9 · Option B3, Key topic 1.2
What were the Eltham Ordinances (1526)? [2 marks]
Answer:
Wolsey's plan to reform the royal household and cut costs (1); it reduced the Privy Chamber, removing Henry's favourites who threatened Wolsey (1).
Question 10 · Option B3, Key topic 1.2
What were the Amicable Grant (1525) and its outcome? [2 marks]
Answer:
Wolsey’s demand for a non-parliamentary tax for war with France (1); resistance and riots forced Henry to abandon it (1).
Question 11 · Option B3, Key topic 1.3
State two aims of Wolsey's foreign policy. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: to win glory for Henry (1); to keep England important in Europe as a peacemaker (1); to avoid costly war (1); to support Henry's annulment later (1).
Question 12 · Option B3, Key topic 1.3
What was the Treaty of London (1518)? [2 marks]
Answer:
A peace treaty agreed by over 20 European states, organised by Wolsey (1); it made England and Wolsey appear the peacemaker of Europe (1).
Question 13 · Option B3, Key topic 1.3
What was the Field of the Cloth of Gold (1520)? [2 marks]
Answer:
A lavish meeting between Henry VIII and Francis I of France, organised by Wolsey (1); it was hugely expensive but achieved little, as England soon allied with Charles V (1).
Question 14 · Option B3, Key topic 1.3
Why did Wolsey's foreign policy face difficulties in the 1520s? [2 marks]
Answer:
England could not afford war, as the Amicable Grant failed (1); Charles V became too powerful after Pavia (1525) and ignored England (1).
Question 15 · Option B3, Key topic 1.4
Explain why Henry VIII wanted to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. [2 marks]
Answer:
He had no male heir (1); he believed the marriage was against God’s law (Leviticus) and wanted to marry Anne Boleyn (1).
Question 16 · Option B3, Key topic 1.4
What role did Pope Clement VII play in the annulment? [2 marks]
Answer:
He would not grant the annulment (1); because he was controlled by Charles V, Catherine of Aragon's nephew, whose troops had sacked Rome in 1527 (1).
Question 17 · Option B3, Key topic 1.4
What happened at the Blackfriars court in 1529? [2 marks]
Answer:
Wolsey and Cardinal Campeggio heard the annulment case in London (1); Catherine appealed to Henry in person and Campeggio adjourned the case to Rome (1).
Question 18 · Option B3, Key topic 1.4
State two reasons for Wolsey's fall in 1529. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: failure to get the annulment (1); influence of the Boleyns and nobles who hated him (1); he was charged with praemunire for serving the Pope (1).
Question 19 · Option B3, Key topic 2.1
Who was Thomas Cromwell? [2 marks]
Answer:
Henry’s chief minister in the 1530s (1); he drafted the Reformation statutes and organised the dissolution of the monasteries (1).
Question 20 · Option B3, Key topic 2.1
Describe Cromwell's early career. [2 marks]
Answer:
He was a soldier, merchant and lawyer who travelled in Europe (1); he served Wolsey, became an MP in 1529 and joined the Royal Council in 1530 (1).
Question 21 · Option B3, Key topic 2.1
How did Cromwell solve the annulment problem? [2 marks]
Answer:
He suggested breaking with Rome so the case could be decided in England (1); he used Parliament to pass laws such as the Act in Restraint of Appeals (1).
Question 22 · Option B3, Key topic 2.2
State two reasons for the fall of Anne Boleyn in 1536. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: she had not had a son (1); she miscarried in 1536 (1); she quarrelled with Cromwell over the use of monastic wealth (1); Henry had fallen for Jane Seymour (1).
Question 23 · Option B3, Key topic 2.2
Why was Jane Seymour important to Henry VIII? [2 marks]
Answer:
She gave birth to a son, the future Edward VI, in 1537 (1); but she died soon after the birth (1).
Question 24 · Option B3, Key topic 2.2
Why did Henry marry Anne of Cleves in 1540? [2 marks]
Answer:
Cromwell wanted a Protestant alliance against France and the Holy Roman Empire (1); Henry needed more sons for the succession (1).
Question 25 · Option B3, Key topic 2.3
State two of Cromwell's reforms to government. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: the Privy Council was made smaller and more efficient (1); new courts for royal finance, such as the Court of Augmentations (1); more power to the Secretary (1).
Question 26 · Option B3, Key topic 2.3
How did Cromwell use Parliament? [2 marks]
Answer:
He passed the break with Rome through Parliament as statutes (1); so the changes had the support of the nation and could be enforced by law (1).
Question 27 · Option B3, Key topic 2.4
Why did Cromwell fall in 1540? [1 mark]
Answer:
The failed Cleves marriage and conservative faction attacks led to his execution.
Question 28 · Option B3, Key topic 2.4
What role did the Duke of Norfolk play in Cromwell's fall? [2 marks]
Answer:
He was a religious conservative who hated Cromwell (1); he introduced Henry to his niece Catherine Howard and convinced Henry Cromwell was a heretic (1).
Question 29 · Option B3, Key topic 3.1
What does 'Defender of the Faith' refer to? [2 marks]
Answer:
A title given to Henry by Pope Leo X in 1521 (1); for his book attacking Luther and defending the seven sacraments (1).
Question 30 · Option B3, Key topic 3.1
What was the Reformation Parliament (1529–1536)? [1 mark]
Answer:
The parliament that passed the laws breaking England from Rome.
Question 31 · Option B3, Key topic 3.1
What was the Submission of the Clergy (1532)? [1 mark]
Answer:
The clergy agreed not to make Church laws without the King’s consent.
Question 32 · Option B3, Key topic 3.1
What was the Act in Restraint of Appeals (1533)? [1 mark]
Answer:
It stopped appeals to Rome, so Cranmer could annul Henry’s marriage in England.
Question 33 · Option B3, Key topic 3.1
What was the Act of Succession (1534)? [1 mark]
Answer:
It declared Anne Boleyn’s children heirs and required an oath.
Question 34 · Option B3, Key topic 3.1
What was the Act of Supremacy (1534)? [1 mark]
Answer:
It declared Henry VIII Supreme Head of the Church in England.
Question 35 · Option B3, Key topic 3.1
How did Cromwell enforce the break with Rome? [2 marks]
Answer:
People had to swear oaths accepting the Act of Succession (1); the Treason Act 1534 made it treason to deny the king's supremacy, even in words (1).
Question 36 · Option B3, Key topic 3.2
Who was Elizabeth Barton? [1 mark]
Answer:
The ‘Nun of Kent’ who prophesied against Henry’s marriage to Anne and was executed in 1534.
Question 37 · Option B3, Key topic 3.2
Who was John Fisher? [1 mark]
Answer:
The Bishop of Rochester, who refused to accept the royal supremacy and was executed in 1535.
Question 38 · Option B3, Key topic 3.2
Explain why Thomas More's opposition was significant. [2 marks]
Answer:
He had been Lord Chancellor and was respected across Europe (1); his execution in 1535 showed nobody was safe if they opposed Henry (1).
Question 39 · Option B3, Key topic 3.2
Who was Thomas Cranmer? [1 mark]
Answer:
Archbishop of Canterbury who wrote the Books of Common Prayer.
Question 40 · Option B3, Key topic 3.2
What was the Great Bible (1539)? [1 mark]
Answer:
The official English Bible placed in every parish church.
Question 41 · Option B3, Key topic 3.2
What was the Act of Six Articles (1539)? [1 mark]
Answer:
It reaffirmed traditional Catholic doctrine such as transubstantiation.
Question 42 · Option B3, Key topic 3.3
State two roles of religious houses in local communities. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: caring for the poor and sick (1); giving shelter to travellers (1); providing education (1); employing local people (1).
Question 43 · Option B3, Key topic 3.3
What was the Valor Ecclesiasticus (1535)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A survey of Church wealth carried out for Cromwell.
Question 44 · Option B3, Key topic 3.3
State two motives for the dissolution of the monasteries. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: royal finance (1); removing loyalty to Rome (1); reports of abuses (1); rewarding supporters with land (1).
Question 45 · Option B3, Key topic 3.3
State two groups who gained from the dissolutions. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: the Crown, which received huge sums (1); nobles and gentry who bought monastic lands (1); merchants who bought land and buildings (1).
Question 46 · Option B3, Key topic 3.3
State two groups who lost from the dissolutions. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: monks and nuns (1); the poor who relied on monastic charity (1); local servants and workers (1).
Question 47 · Option B3, Key topic 3.4
State two reasons for the Pilgrimage of Grace. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: anger at the dissolution of the monasteries (1); religious changes (1); taxation (1); dislike of Cromwell and low-born advisers (1).
Question 48 · Option B3, Key topic 3.4
Who was Robert Aske? [1 mark]
Answer:
A Yorkshire lawyer who led the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536.
Question 49 · Option B3, Key topic 3.4
How did the Duke of Norfolk deal with the Pilgrimage of Grace? [2 marks]
Answer:
He did not have enough troops, so he negotiated at Doncaster and promised a pardon and a parliament (1); after a new revolt in 1537, Aske and about 200 rebels were executed (1).
Question 50 · Option B3, Key topic 3.4
What happened in Lincolnshire in 1536? [1 mark]
Answer:
A rising began in Lincolnshire in October 1536 against the commissioners, but it collapsed within two weeks.

← Option B2 The reigns of King Richard I and King John, 1189–1216 Option B4 Early Elizabethan England, 1558–88 →

Henry VIII and his ministers, 1509–40

All questions and answers

More Edexcel GCSE History topics

Cookies on Knowledge Noodles

Cookie settings