Chapter 1: Henry VII government and threats to his rule

• Why was Henry VII claim so weak?

  • mother (Margaret Beaufort) was a descendant of Edward III but was female & so held no large claim
  • mother had been born out of wedlock so initially seen as illegitimate (later legitimised)
  • spent 14 years in exile after Lancastrians defeated, so was largely unknown by people & didn't know the country well
  • other nobles with stronger claims, eg. Earls of Warwick and Lincoln
  • support at Bosworth only due to hatred of Richard III
• How was Henry VII's claim strong?

  • Richard III = unpopular ('Princes in Tower' rumours)
  • England = war-weary after Wars of Roses so supported Henry's offer of peace & stability
  • many Yorkists died at Bosworth (inc Richard)
  • dated start of his reign to the day before Bosworth victory so those fighting agst him = traitors -> land seized
  • coronation before parliament met & before marriage (could not be said that he was only king because of them)
  • asked for papal dispensation to marry Elizabeth of York to unite York & Lancaster houses
  • leniency showed to other Yorkists encouraged their support
• Yorkist opposition to Henry VII's rule

  • Lovell & Stafford brothers (1486) - failed
  • Simnel at Battle of Stoke (1487) - failed
  • Warbeck rising (1491-99) - failed
  • de la Pole challenge (1506) - failed
• Lovell & Stafford uprising (1486)


  • supporters of Richard III (Lord Lovell & Stafford Brothers)
  • Midlands & north in spring 1486
  • failed - Henry had spies
  • Lovell fled to Flanders, one Stafford executed, one pardoned
  • Henry's progress in north helped win him loyalty
• Simnel rising (1487)


  • claimed to be Earl of Warwick, Richard III's nephew
  • within a year of Henry's reign, major threat
  • forced into battle
  • Simnel crowned Edward VI in Ireland
  • Simnel received support from Margaret of Burgundy & Earl of Lincoln
  • failed to attract support when they landed in Lancashire
  • Henry showed real Earl of Warwick & raised an army
  • failed - Henry victory at Battle of Stoke
• Warbeck rising (1491-99)


  • claimed to be Richard, Duke of York (prince in tower) = could not be disproved
  • long-term threat
  • support from Burgundy, & France (until Henry signed Treaty of Étaples)
  • support from Holy Roman Empire, but he was more concerned about Italy so ignored Henry
  • Warbeck landed in 1495 but was driven out by militia
  • failed to win support in Ireland & North
  • initially welcomed in Scotland; married James IV's cousin, then abandoned by him
  • tried to coincide w/ Cornish uprising but failed
  • gave himself up in 1497 & was executed in 1499
• de la Pole challenge

  • latter years of Henry's reign
  • 1506 - Philip of Burgundy handed him over
• Henry's "carrots" for nobility support

  • lenience towards those fighting agst him at Bosworth
  • established Order of the Garter (presitigious)
  • gave patronage in return for loyal service, not in the hope for (had to prove loyalty)
  • issued summons to the King's Council (sign of trust)
• Henry's "sticks" for nobility support

  • Acts of Attainder (families lost land)
  • bonds & recognisances (written agreements where those who had offended Henry had to pay money)
  • limited retainers (local forces), needed a licence & were punished with a heavy fine if not
  • Henry held feudal rights over arranged marriages of heirs & exploiting estates of wards)
  • Act of Resumption (1486) took back former royal lands, making him more powerful than other nobles
• noble who did not limit retainers

  Lord Burgavenny, fined £70,000
• no of Acts of Attainder (1504-09)

  51
• no of families involved in bonds & recognisances

  36 out of 62
• How much more land did Henry VII have than Henry VI?

  five times more
• How successful was Henry VII's relationship with the nobility?

  successes:

  • had 5x more land than Henry VI
  • little noble unrest after Simnel defeat
  • no. of over-mighty subjects = reduced
  • no. of new nobles created = limited, so elevation seen as a privilege

  failures:

  • harsh measures causing disquiet amongst nobility
  • possibility of another civil war had he not died
  • no reason why another noble could not do like he did and violently usurp
• types of government under H7

  • central govt
  • regional govt - north & wales & ireland
  • local govt
  • parliament
• Central govt members

  Morton = Lord Chancellor

  Fox = Lord Privy Seal

  Dynham = Lord Treasurer

  + five other members
• Central Council committees

  • Court of Requests = heard cases from the poor & king's servants
  • Court Learned in Law = handled bonds & recognisances
  • Court of the Star Chamber = prosecuted rioting, rebellion, retaining and the corruption of justice
  • Court of Chancery = heard cases on feudal land disputes and complaints about mistakes made by the Crown, gave compensation if necessary
• Regional govt

  • Council of the North = defended Scottish border, Surrey appointed after Yorkshire rising
  • Council of Wales = under Prince Arthur's rule, Henry used Welsh connections & loss of lands of Marcher lords to increase control
  • Ireland = supported Yorkists, only direct royal control over the Pale, attempts to control Ulster failed due to cost & traditional families, eg. Kildare
• Local govt

  • often broken down under WoRs
  • relied on nobles and gentry to ensure laws were enforced
  • Justices of the Peace (JP) chosen to impose economic & social statutes, dispensing justice, upholding order, rewarding informers & arresting poachers (unpopular)
• Justices of the Peace (JPs)

  • lesser nobility & gentry (more likely to be loyal due to less power than great nobles)
  • imposed economic & social ruling, rewarded informers, arrested poachers
  • many were unwilling to act as it made them unpopular
• Parliament

  • not a permanent feature of govt
  • King could summon, prorogue or dissolve whenever
  • met 7 times during H7 reign
  • used to pass Acts of Attainder & uphold claim to throne
  • most meetings were brief
• Why were parliament meetings so rare & brief?

  • Henry wanted to avoid asking for money (caused disquiet)
  • Henry avoided war
  • most Acts of Attainder were at the start or end of his reign
  • parliament's role as a law court was taken up by Council Learned in Law
• How did Henry try to strengthen royal finances?

  • reorganisation of financial administration
  • exploiting sources of ordinary revenue
  • increasing income from extraordinary revenue
• Yorkshire tax revolt (1489)


  • Henry needed money to aid Brittany agst France
  • northern counties objected as they were usually exempt from tax due to cost of defending the Scottish border
  • uprising led to Northumberland (tax collector) being murdered
  • easily crushed but no tax collected (compromise)
• Cornish rising (1497)


  • more serious than Yorkshire uprising
  • Henry wanted the west to pay towards defending from Warbeck invasion
  • rebels gathered at Bodmin & marched to London
  • crushed at Blackheath by a royal army of 25,000
  • rising attracted 15,000 men
  • leaders executed, others fined
• financial administration

  • initially went back to inefficient medieval Exchequer system
  • went back to chamber system in 1487 (dealt with all income except customs duties)
  • increased importance of Treasurer of the Chamber & Gentlemen of the Bedchamber
  • gave Henry greater control
• Ordinary revenue

  • came from crown lands, customs, justice, feudal dues
  • income varied per year
  • crown lands = most exploited
  • less successful with customs income
• How did Henry increase crown lands?

  • Act of Resumption (1486)
  • Acts of Attainder removed the right to possess land
  • income from duchy of Lancaster increased 10x
• Henry VII customs income

  £40,000 (Edward IV = £70,000)

  due to smuggling & international relations influencing trade
• How did Henry exploit the justice system?

  used fines rather than imprisonment

  (eg. Earl of Northumberland, fined £10,000 for raping a royal ward)
• Extraordinary revenue

  • parliamentary taxation (only at times of emergency, & even then caused opposition)
  • asked wealthy subjects for loans, & benevolences (not repaid so not used regularly)
  • raised money from Church & levied money through feudal aid to fund royal occasions, eg. knighting of Prince Arthur
  • amount raised varied & was limited (out of date assessment figures)
• annual income of Henry VII

  £113,000 (solvent by 1509)