The Council

• The king ruled with a council of advisors who supported him in making key decisions.
• The working council contained 6-7 members.
• its working functions were to:

  1. advise the king,
  2. administer the realm on Henry's behalf,
  3. make legal judgements.
• there were 3 main type of councillor:

  1. Nobles such as Lord Daubeney, though the working council only rarely included magnates...
  2. Clergymen, such as John Morton and Richard Fox, who often had legal training and were excellent administrators.
  3. Laymen, either gentry or lawyers, who were skilled administrators, such as Reginald Bray and Edmund Dudley.
• Under Henry VII, the council was a permanent body with a core membership, though with no established procedures. Sometimes members also met separately to discuss legal or administrative issues.
• Non-councillors also could advise the king, for example, Henry's mother (Lady Margaret Beaufort) acted as an unofficial advisor.