Henry VII

• Henry the Seventh's claim to the throne

  Quite weak
• Henry the Seventh's claim to the throne

  • Came directly from his mother, Margaret Beaufort
  • Margaret Beaufort had royal blood as a direct descendant of Edward III by marriage to John of Gaunt
• Henry the Seventh's claim to the throne

  1. Edward III

  2. John of Gaunt

  3. Katherine Swynford

  4. John Beaufort

  5. Margaret Beaufort

  6. Henry Tudor
• Henry's claim to the throne stretches back to Edward III, even before the Wars of the Roses
• Henry's claim to the throne stemmed directly from his victory at the Battle of Bosworth
• There were others alive at the time of the Battle of Bosworth who had stronger claims to the throne than Henry, such as the Earl of Warwick and Richard III
• The Battle of Bosworth was the key decider in whether Henry would become king and establish his dynasty
• Aims of Henry VII

  • Remain king for as long as possible
  • Break free of dynastic loop of Lancastrians vs Yorkists
  • Establish his own dynasty
  • Create an effective government
  • Maintain law and order
  • Control the nobility
• Henry VII had a weak claim to the throne


  Nobility could challenge him for the throne
• Henry VII's aims underpinned every decision he made as king
• In the next video, we will explore how Henry VII consolidated his power at the start of his reign
• Dated his reign


  Dated his reign before the Battle of Bosworth
• Henry VII dated his reign on the 21st of August 1485, the Battle of Bosworth was on the 22nd of August 1485
• Dated his reign before the Battle of Bosworth


  Anyone who fought against him during the Battle of Bosworth can be considered a traitor of the crown and punished accordingly
• Act of attainder


  A piece of legislation that could be used to formally declare someone guilty of a crime
• Acts of attainder were issued to punish traitors, mainly members of the nobility who fought against Henry VII in the Battle of Bosworth
• One of the main reasons Henry VII called his Parliaments was to issue acts of attainder
• Henry VII's coronation was before his first Parliament


  Signified that his power came from the monarchy and not from his Parliament
• Henry VII's coronation was on the 30th of October 1485, his first Parliament was on the 7th of November 1485
• Henry VII imprisoned the Earl of Warwick and Elizabeth of York, who had Yorkist claims to the throne
• Henry VII imprisoned Elizabeth of York in 1485


  A year later in 1486, he married Elizabeth of York
• The marriage of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York bound the two houses together, ending the Wars of the Roses
• The son born to Henry VII and Elizabeth of York was Prince Arthur, born in September 1486, establishing the Tudor dynasty
• Public rewarding of supporters

  Henry VII issued 11 public knighthoods to nobility who supported him
• King


  At the top of the central government, power comes from God
• Council


  • Offered advice to the king
  • Administered the law on the king's behalf
  • Controlled local government
• Council members


  • Nobles
  • Churchmen
  • Laymen
• Council learned


  Subgroup of the council, responsible for advising on war and foreign policy, collecting feudal dues
• Council learned was unpopular for collecting taxes through bonds and recognizances
• Edmund Dudley


  Key counselor after Reginald Bray's death in 1503, led the council learned
• Great Council


  Meeting of the House of Lords only, no regulated functions, met 5 times 1485-1509
• Regional government


  The regions around England under the rule of Henry VII
• Main councils of regional government

  • Council of the North
  • Council of Wales and the Marches
  • Council of Ireland
• Council of the North

  One of the main regional councils under Henry VII
• Council of the North

  • Led by the Earl of Surrey, Thomas Howard
• Council of Wales and the Marches


  One of the main regional councils under Henry VII
• Council of Wales and the Marches

  • Led by the Duke of Bedford, Jasper Tudor
• Council of Ireland


  One of the main regional councils under Henry VII
• Council of Ireland


  • Led by Sir Edward Poynings
• Henry VII kept his close members and trusted members of the nobility in charge of the regional governments, while taxing and weakening the power of other members of the nobility