urgeois business sense, calculation and greed were merged in his nature so as to guarantee the durability of the new dynasty he founded. [6, p.174] 1488 he passed the law of high treason according to which those nobles who persisted in resisting his absolute power were to be accused of high treason, no matter how highly they were placed and whose support they enjoyed. He also created a special court to deal with cases like this, the so-called Star Chamber. The law proved to be quite effective, and about eight thousand people were promptly found to have been plotting and so were accused of treason, their estates increasing the king «s rapidly growing wealth.he was immensely fond of money, the king was diplomatic enough to share with the new nobles. They were given the titles and some of the lands of the beheaded old nobles. To make assurance doubly sure, the king prohibited the use of cannons by the feudal nobles whose castles were formerly veritable artillery centres. He also depopulated their strongholds by an order prohibiting the practice of keeping retainers. Those of the nobles who persisted on keeping crowds of followers ready to accompany their masters to Parliament intimidating his opponents were severely fined, the money flowing in a gratifying stream in the same direction, the king »s treasury.« S instrument for bringing the nobles to their senses was the Privy Council (the court of Star Chamber represented the Privy Council in its judicial capacity). The role of Parliament was somewhat reduced; the House of Lords had so many of its members persecuted for various offences against the king, and the House of Commons was seldom called to vote taxes and agree to subsidies, for Henry, with his thrifty ways and business approach to the exploitation of his great estate - England, seldom resorted to the Parliament »s financial help. When he did, he might require funds for a war that he never meant to begin, and the money would rest in his coffers; giving the titles and lands of the old nobility to the gentry and merchants he preferred the gratitude of the recipient to be materialized in jingling coin. His motto «cash before all» had gratifyingly palpable consequences: this «warmest» of kings left a lot of money to his son when he died. [3, pp.82-83]
2.4.2 Tudor Parliaments in the 16 th Centurysecond Tudor monarch, Henry VIII (1509-1547), inherited a realm that was quite different from the one his father had wrested from that master of feudal intrigue, Richard III. Peace, the old nobles cowed, and a brimming treasury; Spain friendly, satisfied with English support for Spanish hostilities against France; the Pope mollified by customary tribute and the skillful diplomacy of cardinal Wolsey whom the Pope «s favour made archbishop of York and cardinal while the king» s favour made him chancellor. Like his father, Henry VIII leaned upon the new nobles and the bourgeoisie. His idea was to consolidate his position as absolute sovereign. He reorganized his administrative aids giving more importance to his Privy Council and choosing its members from among civil servants, and not feudal nobles. The Parliament was his obedient tool trusting him to do the right thing though voting the taxes (that cardinal Wolsey, the chancellor of the time, was steadily increasing) with wry faces especially when the cardinal introduced some compulsory loans. [3, p.83] Henry VIII himself did not realize t...
