Domestic Policy

• Wars of the Roses (York vs Lancaster) led to 5 monarchs in 50 years


  1455-1485
• Henry VII prioritised his consolidation of power and domestic policy after the Wars of the Roses
• Henry VII's consolidation of power

  1. Marched to London immediately after Victory at Bosworth

  2. Dated his reign from day before his victory in August 1485, made opposition treasonous
• Henry VII's consolidation of power: Patronage

  • 11 Knighthoods given out
  • Supporters given land and titles
  • Conciliar appointments (Reginald Bray + William Stanley Chamberlain)
• Henry VII's consolidation of power: Removal of Threats


  Edward Earl of Warwick imprisoned at age 10, better claim to throne than Henry VII
• Henry VII's consolidation of power


  1. Held coronation before 1st parliament

  2. Attainted Yorkist opposition through parliament

  3. Granted tonnage and poundage for life
• Henry VII married Elizabeth of York in 1486


  Prince Arthur born in 1486
• Edward Earl of Warwick


  • Threat as had stronger claim to throne (nephew of Richard III)
  • Detained in ToL + Executed in 1499
• Viscount Lovell and Staffords


  • Yorkists
  • Lovell received lots of patronage from Richard III and recruited Humphery Stafford
  • Raised an 'Army' but locals were not interested in uprising
  • Lovell escaped, Stafford captured and executed
• Margaret of Burgundy


  • Married to Duke of Burgundy and, following his death, became the protector
  • Supported many plots against Henry VII with money and soldiers
  • Aunt to the 'White Rose' (De la Poles) and Edward Earl of Warwick
  • Committed Yorkist
  • Died in 1503
• Lambert Simnel


  • 'Pretender to the throne' supported by Margaret of Burgundy
  • Claimed to be 'Earl of Warwick'
  • Crowned as King Edward in Ireland in 1487
  • Trained by John De la Pole and Earl of Lincoln
  • Found out as Earl of Warwick already in ToL
• The Battle of Stoke Field - June 1487


  1. May 1487, Margaret of Burgundy paid force of mercenaries to support Simnel's claim to throne

  2. Simnel fled when HVII paraded real Earl of Warwick around London

  3. Henry reinstated Duke of Northumberland in the North to prevent people from joining the conspiracy

  4. Reinforced costal defences in East Anglia

  5. Rebels attacked from NW in Cumberland, Henry's army marched N from Coventry, Armies met at Stoke Field in Nottinghamshire

  6. Henry VII feared he would be double crossed, Earl of Oxford, who led the Tudor Army, performed amazingly, Earl of Lincoln died
• The Battle of Stoke Field - June 1487


  • Truly ended Wars of the Roses
  • Henry achieved monarchical authority
  • Demonstrated good military leadership
  • Started the use of Bonds of Good behaviour
• Perkin Warbeck


  • Cloth trailer from Tournai
  • Claimed to be Richard Duke of York
  • Attracted patronage from foreign rulers (Margaret of Burgundy) and he was trained in her court
  • France recognised Warbeck as the rightful king of England
• Perkin Warbeck's attempts to claim the throne

  1. 1495 - 1st attempt to land in England, Henry made aware of his attempts by Sir Robert Clifford (Royal Agent), Warbeck quickly defeated and fled to the court of James IV

  2. 1496 - Another weak invasion from Scotland, James IV grew tired of Perkin Warbeck

  3. 1497 - Cornish Rebellion, he was taken prisoner so useless invasion

  4. Henry VII gave him a position in court but after he tried to escape he was put in ToL, He, and Edward Earl of Warwick, tried to escape and were both executed in 1499
• Edmund and Richard De la Pole

  • Brothers of John De La Pole (Earl of Lincoln killed at Stoke Field)
  • Edmund: Fled England in 1499 to Margaret of Burgundy's court, After his return, he was persued by Henry VIIs Agents, He fled for good in 1501 and sought people who accepted his claim to the throne, He was caught in 1506 and put in ToL, Executed in 1513
  • Richard: In exile with Edmund, Fled to Hungary in 1506, Good military reputation, King Louis France declared him King of England in 1513, He was potting an invasion from Denmark in 1517 but then back in Paris in 1522 plotting with King Francis I, Known as 'the White Rose'
• Henry VII's Government (I) - Councils

  Henry didn't want a conciliar government, he wanted to rule himself, However, he still used councils heavily and told them what to do, not the other way around
• The Council

  • Size: 227 men over his reign, 6-7 sat at any one time
  • Purpose: To advise Henry, administer the country on Henry's behalf, to make legal judgement
  • Who: Nobles, Clergy (well educated and often legally trained), Laymen (gentry/lawyers who were not religious or noble… E.G. Bray and Dudley), Other figures including his mother (Lady Margaret Beaufort)
  • Rules/Procedures: No 'established' ones, Would meet separately to deal with different issues, Parts of the council would stay in London to run govt whilst the king and Court were travelling (E.G. Bray and Dudley)
• The Council Learned


  • Main offshoot of king's council
  • Board of laymen set up by Sir Reginald Bray, included Sir Richard Empson and Edmund Dudley
  • Set up in 2nd half of Henry's Reign
  • It's main function was to maintain revenue and exploit Henry's prerogative right
  • Hated, especially by nobility
  • Not an official court and therefore those summoned before it had no legal rights or the right to appeal (Caused fear, frustration or anger as it bypassed the 'normal' system)
  • After Bray's death (1503), Empson and Dudley made extracting money from the nobility an 'art'
  • The king made them use a system of bribery (carrots and sticks) to keep the nobility in check and promote loyalty to the Tudor throne
• Sir Reginald Bray


  • Faithful servant to Henry VII, he helped raise funds for Battle of Bosworth, He was Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Led the Council Learned the law and was the king's 'chief executive'
• Sir Richard Empson


  • Member of King's council from 1494, Went on to chair the Council Learned, Arrested after the death of Henry VII for treason and executed the following year (1510)
• Edmund Dudley


  • Became significant after the death of Bray, His role was to exploit financial opportunities which made him very influential enemies, He was executed in 1510 with Empson
• Henry VII's Government (II) - Household and Court

  Court was the centre of Government, Extravagant (Very French…), Found wherever the King was, Personal Monarchy, access to H7 was the main indicator of power, People who attended known as courtiers, Many had legal training and advised the king, Very skilled in administration
• The Household

  Responsible for looking after the king, guests and courtiers, These personal requirements were supervised by the Lord Steward
• The Chamber

  Looked after by the Lord Chamberlain, Where the king held audiences and public dining, Centre of court communications and patronage, Privy chamber used for work and leisure
• Henry's Government (III) - Parliament

  Very important but not as significant as the role of councils and court, It met infrequently but granted the monarch taxes and passed laws, Only the monarch could call parliament, They would discuss National security, raising of revenue and punishments such as acts of attainder, Henry VII called parliament 7 times throughout his reign (24 years), He called 5 within 1st 10 years of his reign, He would ask for extraordinary revenue, this was eventually denied in 1504, In his later reign this was less important as he had greater wealth from the Council Learned
• House of Lords

  • Lords Temporal (Lords/Nobility)
  • Lords Spiritual (Clergy/Churchmen)
• House of Commons

  • 2 MPs for every county
  • 2 MPs for every borough
  • 2 MPs from Oxford and Cambridge University
  • The right to vote was granted to property owners
• Domestic Policy (I) - LAW + ORDER

  Delicate balance for maintaining law + order: He needed powerful nobles to exercise power on his behalf but also needed to manage this power in order to keep control
• Number of magnates reduced significantly as a result of the wars of the roses and their lands were now controlled by the crown. Henry therefore could not divide the country into 'spheres of influence'
• 3 bodies of nobles who controlled the country

  • Magnates
  • Loyal Nobles
  • Questionable Nobles
• Magnates

  • Earl of Northumberland (NE + Yorkshire) - Eventually murdered
  • The Stanleys (NW)
  • Most of these magnates were found in the North in order to prevent an uprising
• Loyal Nobles

  • Earl of Oxford
  • Lord Daubeny
  • They lacked resources to be magnates but still had huge power/influence
• Questionable Nobles

  • Marquis of Dorset, Henry had to employ spies to ensure they were not traitors
  • Henry had no choice but to use these nobles, E.g Earl of Surrey - Imprisoned in ToL but was released to help him rule N England, Huge risk but he became a magnate in the North
• Justices of the Peace

  • Combined the modern roles of police officer, magistrate, judge and were the 'face' of law in their areas
  • Royal officials or local gentry who wanted to appease the King
  • Rewarded with status, authority and therefore influence
  • Responsible for routine administration: Tax assessment, Alehouse regulation, Could arrest people
  • Met 4 times a year
  • Not a hereditary title and was not for life
  • Henry VII was very fond of JPs
• Bonds and Recognisances


  • 'Organised system of coercion'
  • Debts and agreements signed by the king: People would financially suffer if they broke the bonds/would benefit if they kept them!
  • Meant that king could control
• Marquis of Dorset, Henry had to employ spies to ensure they were not traitors
• Henry had no choice but to use these nobles
• Earl of Surrey


  • Imprisoned in ToL but was released to help him rule N England. Huge risk but he became a magnate in the North
• Justices of the Peace

  • Combined the modern roles of police officer, magistrate, judge and were the 'face' of law in their areas
  • Royal officials or local gentry who wanted to appease the King
  • Rewarded with status, authority and therefore influence
  • Responsible for routine administration: tax assessment, alehouse regulation, could arrest people
  • Met 4 times a year
  • Not a hereditary title and was not for life
  • Henry VII was very fond of JPs