Henry VII's Gov:

• Henry's approach to the nobility:

  • He was determined to manage the gov. himself rather than delegating too much power to the nobles.
  • Naturally suspicious due to uprising and his ascension to the throne, and took harsh measures against rivals.
  • More often than not, he chose not to reward nobles to force them to support him or face unwelcome consequences.
  • A visitor to England from Florence summed up his reputation: "more feared than loved".
• The Council had three main functions:

  • To advise the king.
  • To administer the realm on the king's behalf.
  • To make legal judgements.
• The Council Learned in Law:

  • Developed from the Council under the leadership of Sir Reginald Bray.
  • Main function was to maintain the king's revenue and exploit his prerogative rights (his right of privilege). These were powers that he could use without needing Parliament's consent.
  • Henry VII used this council to enforce his will and law across the kingdom.
• The Star Chamber:

  • Created in 1487.
  • A court of law responsible for controlling Henry's leading subjects.
  • Members of the Royal Councils (made up of Henry's favourite advisors) sat on the court to make judgements.
  • Came to be used as a Court of Appeal.
• The Court and Household:

  • Centre of government. Petitioners and foriegn dignitaries would come to visit Henry.
  • This where Henry tended to be.
  • He would use this court to demonstrate his royal ppower and wealth and reward his courtiers.
  • There were several different levels - the Privy Chamber was one of them.
• What was a courtier?

  "a person who attends a royal court as a companion or advisor to the monarch".
• What was the difference between the HOUSEHOLD and the CHAMBER:

  • The Household was to serve Henry VII's needs.
  • The chamber controlled access to the king.
• Why did Henry VII create the Privy Chamber?

  • He wanted a bureacracy to do his will and he didn't trust the nobility.
  • It was full of men that he trusted and implemented his will.
• What specific issue was the STAR CHAMBER set up to deal with?

  • to break the power of the gentry.
  • Helped to keep law and order.
• Who had to meet together in the STAR CHAMBER to enable trials to happen?

  • Judges and Privy Councillors.
  • Henry's councillors (Lancasterians and Yorkists); noblemen, men of law/religion and of the gentry.
• The Role of John Morton in THE COUNCIL:

  • John Morton: He was a churchman and lawyer and was a Lancasterian who served under Edward IV. He worked against Richard III and was promoted by Henry to Archbishop of Canterbury in 1486. In 1493, he was promoted to cardinal.
• The role of Sir Reginald Bray in THE COUNCIL:

  • Sir Reginald: He was a long-time faithful servant of Henry Tudor and led the Council Learned in Law. He was also the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
• Lady Margaret Beaufort's role in THE COUNCIL:

  • Most influential advisor.
  • Held no office, but Henry delegated judicial cases to her and she retained servants on his behalf.
• What was different about the 'Great' Council?

  • Dealt with issues relating to war and rebellion.
  • Gathering of the House of Lords WITHOUT the House of Commons.
  • No clearly defined functions - it was occassional, and not permanent.
  • Met five times in TOTAL during Henry VII's reign.
  • Bound nobility to key decisions relating to national security.
• The Council Learned in Law:

  • Made the systems of bonds and recognisances work effectively.
  • They were able to trap many of the king's subjects as the council was able to bypass the legal system.
  • Expression of the king's will and it was important to maintain his authority.
• Richard Empson - The Council LIL:

  • Member of the king's council from 1494, eventually chaired the Council Learned.
  • Increased Henry's regime (the Council LIL could bypass the legal system, anyone called in front of it had no chance to appeal).
• Edmund Dudley: the Council LIL:

  • Role was to exploit financial opportunities, which made enemies.
  • Took Sir Reginald Bray's place in the council.
  • Because of his enemies, he become vulnerable after losing the king's protection.
• Henry VII and the Pound Coin:

  • first British monarch to use the pound as a form of currency.
  • He consolidated his rule with it - named the pound sovereign, hinting that he was the ultimate power.
  • Included the Tudor rose and full body portrait of Henry wearing an imperial crown.
  • This was given as gift to foreign visitors at court.
• Importance of royal finance:

  Without a steady source of income, Henry could not fufil many of the basic functions, including:

  • law and order.
  • military forces.
  • administrative needs.
  • foreign policy, including war which was argubly the biggest expenditure for any monarch. Knowing this, Henry VII avoided any major confrontation with European rivals.
• The Aims of the Council: (central government)

  • Offer advice to the king.
  • Around to administer the law on the king's behalf.
  • Wanted to control local government.
• Henry VII was at the top of the council, but there was also local councils that ruled over different areas of England.
• How did the Council work? (central government)

  • Made up of a small group of individuals.
  • These individuals had come from the powerful areas of society - nobels, churchmen, laymen.
  • They were a permanent body with a core membership and they would meet seperately when the king wasn't present.
• The Council Learned in Law: (central government)

  • this was a group that were involved in bonds and recognisances, and collecting taxes along with collecting money from the nobility.
  • they were a subgroup of The Council.
  • They would advise the king in terms of war and would collect feudal dues.
  • it became unpopular in 1503 with Dudley (1462 - 1510) and Empson (1450 - 1510).
• The Great Council: (Central government)

  • a meeting of the House of Lords, but NOT the House of Commons.
  • they only met five times between 1485 - 1509 (Henry VII's reign).
  • they had no regulated functions.
• The Regional Government were governments in charge of regional areas of England. There were three main councils:

  • Council of the North.
  • Council of Wales and the Marched.
  • The Council of Ireland.
• The Council of the North (regional government) was led by Thomas Howard, the Earl of Surrey.
• The Council of Wales (regional government) was led by the Duke of Bedford, Jasper Tudor, a relative of Henry VII.
• The Council of Ireland (regional government) was led by Sir Edward Poyning.
• The most important important part of the local government were the counties.
• Within the counties (local gov), there were two different types of officials: Sherifs and JPs (Justices of the Peace).
• Sheriffs (local gov):

  • appointed annually (they had a year term).
  • they acted as the crown's representatives, which gave them certain powers: 1) manage parliamentary elections 2) detain criminals.
• JPs (Justices of Peace)(local gov):

  • dispense justice in local courts.
  • maintain peace in the countryside.
  • detain criminals.
  • they were appointed for life and weren't unappointed unless they voluntarily retired.
  • they governed the local courts that would be held at quarter sessions. there were four court sessions every year that the JPs were required to minister justice in.
• There were two main courts (local gov): The Court of Assize and the Court of King's Bench.
• Court of Assize (local gov):

  • Responsible for the most serious of offences: treason, murder, rebellion.
  • judges of this court were appointed by the king = V important!
• Court of King's Bench (local gov):

  • a bit like the supreme court today.
  • they had the power to override lower courts' decision (the Court of Assize and the quarter sessions).
  • they ruled over all other courts and administered justice and decisions to the Court of Assize and Quarter sessions (JPs).
• Henry VII's Parliament:

  • the king had the power to call and to dismiss parliament.
  • throughout his rule, he only called them seven times. Henry wanted to emphasise that his power came directly from the crown and he though that parliament would signify that his power came from legislations, whereas he believed his authority came from the crown and Gd.
• Parliament:

  • 10% of legislation was called to deal with the powers of the JPs. This highlights Henry's want for control over local areas, as he knew that rebellions tended to come from here.
• These are the dates of when Henry called parliament:

  • November 1485 - March 1486.
  • November 1487 - December 1487.
  • January 1489 - Feb 1490.
  • October 1491 - March 1492.
  • October 1495 - December 1495.
  • January 1497 - March 1497.
  • January 1504 - April 1504.
• Parliament:

  • they started off being called very close together: the first five parliaments were called in Henry's first decade of kingship.
  • This is because HVII was dynastically weak and faced lots of threats. He called parliament to issue Acts of Attainments against the nobility.
  • Henry would often use this instead of execution or inprisonment. Act formally declared a member of the nobility of a certain crime and it meant that Henry got the confiscated money or land. Money gave him power.
  • As his nobility became more controlled, he became more trustful of them and called parliament less.