henry's priorities

• Henry knew that he had to act decisively before the Battle of Bosworth.
• Henry proclaimed himself King of England the day before the Battle of Bosworth.
• Henry treated all those who fought against him as traitors, giving them the opportunity to either flee the country, be executed, be imprisoned, or be fined a considerable amount of money and placed under a kind of Royal bondage.
• Henry rewarded his supporters with positions in government or in the localities.
• Henry's uncle Jasper became the Duke of Bedford.
• Henry did not give gifts, a trait that continued throughout his reign.
• One of the first things that the Lancastrian King, Henry VII, did was to reorganize the government and use Parliament.
• The Historian, Lotherington, maintains that Henry's main concern was to neutralize opponents, rather than to alienate them.
• Thomas Howard, a Yorkist, stayed in government under Henry VII.
• The new council appointed by Henry VII saw a number of new faces, including John de Vere and Richard Fox.
• The first council was appointed in September 1485.
• Henry VII used parliament a lot at the beginning of his reign and very seldomly at the end of it.
• Henry VII needed parliament to swear an oath of allegiance to him and to raise taxes.
• Taxes could not be raised without parliament's consent.
• Henry VII sought to keep some Yorkists in government, along with his own supporters.
• Henry VII adopted the policy of promoting men of ability, rather than of noble birth.
• Henry VII needed men who could administrate effectively.
• Administration is one of the hallmarks of Henry VII's reign.
• Henry Tudor kept his promise to the Yorkist supporters in Rennes cathedral by marrying Elizabeth of York, the elder sister of the two princes that had disappeared under the guardianship of Richard III.
• Elizabeth Woodville, the mother of Elizabeth of York, had been the driving force behind the match.
• The marriage of Henry and Elizabeth had to be delayed due to the church's objection to their close relationship.
• The Pope granted a dispensation for the marriage of Henry and Elizabeth on the grounds that they were marrying to end the conflicts between the two houses.
• Henry and Elizabeth were married on the 16th January 1486.