Edexcel Ã¢Â€Â“ Unit 1 - Access to History 2

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Access to History Online Edexcel Unit 3 – A1 Protest, Crisis and Rebellion in England,1536–88One possible way of structuring an answer to this question would be:Plan• Introduction: list the factors you are going to discuss and provide a briefanswer to the question• The factionalism of Henry’s court in the 1530s• The Privy Council• The issue of succession• ConclusionExaminer’s Exemplar Answer 1Henry VIII, who was the second son of Henry VII,came to the throne in 1509, after the death of hisolder brother Arthur. Henry VII had done much toincrease the power of the monarchy by abolishinglivery and implementing financial reforms. Buthow far did the last decade of Henry VIII’s rulewitness a decline in royal authority? Historianshave debated this issue (1).One way in which Henry’s power declined was hishealth. Historians used to argue that Henry VIIIhad a sexually transmitted disease. However, nowhistorians think that he had diabetes. Either way,as an old man, he was very sick. Even as a youngman he was very fat. He once said to anambassador ‘Look at this, the fattest thigh inEngland.’ One example of Henry’s physical declineis his hunting. As a young man he had enjoyedgoing hunting. As an old man, he was so unfitthat his servants used to drive animals out of thewoods to Henry’s porch where he would be sittingin waiting for them. Because Henry was so unfitwhen he was old, he could not assert his authorityover his kingdom (2).Another way in which Henry’s power declined wasthat he failed to produce a male heir until he wasvery old. Then, when he did produce a male heir,the child was only young when Henry started toget ill. This meant that Henry was afraid that hewould die and leave his kingdom to a baby.Henry’s inability to produce a male heir when hewas younger is one sign that he was losing hispower. Though, of course, Henry blamed his wivesfor the lack of a male heir (3).(1) This introduction sets outthe background to Henry’sreign, and poses the questionrather than answering it.(2) This paragraph correctlyasserts that Henry’s healthdeclined in his final years.However, until the finalsentence, the candidate focuseson Henry’s personal physicalpower rather than his authorityas king of England. In this way,they miss the focus of thequestion.(3) Again, this paragraph makesa point that is of somerelevance, but fails to provideexamples or explanation thatlinks this to his authority asking.Thomas Cromwell was one of Henry’s mosttrusted advisors. He was a bureaucrat and wasvery loyal to Henry. When he was young,© Hodder Education 2011
Access to History Online Edexcel Unit 3 – A1 Protest, Crisis and Rebellion in England,1536–88Cromwell was of great help to Henry in theReformation of the English church. He was a goodadministrator. However, at the end of Henry’s lifeCromwell was imprisoned in the Tower of Londonand executed for treason after his trial. AfterCromwell’s death, he was no longer able tocontrol Henry’s court because he was dead.Cromwell had done a lot of work for Henry whilehe was alive, and so once he was dead, there wasno one to do this work (4).On the other hand, Henry never lost the title ofking and therefore he remained the most powerfulman in England. He also had a lot of wives, whichis evidence that he was very powerful as peoplewanted to marry their daughters to him. He alsowent to war in 1542 and again in 1544 indicatinghow powerful he was (5).(4) This paragraph containssome detailed information aboutthe career of Thomas Cromwell.It is made relevant by the finalsentence which, rathersimplistically, links Cromwell’scareer to Henry’s power withinhis government.(5) In this paragraph thecandidate is attempting toprovide balance by looking atthe alternative point of view.However, the analysis presentedin extremely simplistic.Overall, Henry VIII was still king when he diedand in the decade before he died he did pass anumber of laws which shows that he had power.Henry did not lose power even though he was asick old man.Examiner’s AssessmentThis candidate does understand the focus of thequestion. However, the material used in this essayis of limited relevance and does not really supportthe points that are made. In addition, thecandidate draws conclusions which are highlygeneralised, indicating a simplistic understandingof the period. The essay gets a mark at thebottom of Level 3.Examiner’s Exemplar Answer 2The final decade of Henry VIII’s rule undoubtedlywitnessed a decline in royal authority. Theincreasing factionalism of Henry’s court and themonarch’s inability to control faction-fightingfollowing Cromwell’s fall provides the clearestexample of the diminution of royal authority inthis period. Nonetheless, the creation of the PrivyCouncil during the 1530s slowed down the declinein Henry’s authority and Henry’s final concern,ensuring a smooth succession to Edward, showsthat when it mattered, Henry VIII was still able toensure that his will was done (6).(6) This is a focusedintroduction. It makes a clearjudgement which directlyaddresses the question, andsets out three key areas that itwill address. It would be good tosee a wider range of factorsdiscussed, such as a referenceto the Church and Henry’sauthority over the regions.© Hodder Education 2011
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Edexcel Ã¢Â€Â“ Unit 1 - Access to History 2

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