Tudor Spec Ev

• Henry VII's reign


  1485-1509
• AQA Q1


  How did Henry develop the Powers of the Monarchy?
• Consolidation of Rule


  1. 21st August 1485 - Henry VII put the beginning of reign at first Parliament to ensure any Yorkists were designated traitors and vulnerable to attainders, charges of treason etc.

  2. 22nd August - Battle of Bosworth, Henry's 6,000 army v Richard III's army of double, Stanley's 3,000 remained on the side-lines.

  3. 30th October - Official coronation at Westminster, before marriage to Elizabeth and first Parliament, to show he was rightfully king.

  4. 7th November - First meeting at parliament - 28 Acts of Attainder against Yorkists. Granted tonnage and poundage for life. Act of Resumption, returned all crown lands given away after 1455 (Beginning of War of the Roses)

  5. Beginning of reign - Annual income at 12,000.

  6. Placed Jasper Tudor as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.

  7. 1486 - Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, made Lieutenant of the North

  8. 16th Jan 1486 - Papal dispensation granted for Henry and Elizabeth's marriage.

  9. 18th Jan - Marriage takes place.

  10. April 1486 - Begins Royal Progression to the North.

  11. 19th September - Birth of Prince Arthur.

  12. 25th November 1486 - Elizabeth crowned Queen of England.
• Controlling the Nobility


  • Carrots: Order of the Garter, Peerage, JPs
  • Sticks: Acts of Attainder, Laws against retaining, Placement, Feudal rights/dues, Bonds, Recognisances
• Securing the Succession


  1. 19th September 1486 - Arthur born

  2. 26th March 1489 - Treaty of Medina del Campo - Arthur and Catherine of Aragon promised.

  3. 28th November 1489 - Margaret Tudor born.

  4. 25th June 1491 - Henry VIII born.

  5. 18th March 1496 - Mary Tudor born.

  6. 27th September 1501 - Catherine arrives in England.

  7. 14th November 1501 - Arthur and Catherine married.

  8. 2nd April 1502 - Arthur dies.

  9. 1503 - Henry VIII promised to Catherine.

  10. 22nd April 1509 - Henry VII dies, Henry VIII ascends.

  11. 11th June 1509 - Henry VIII marries Catherine.
• Rebellions


  1. Lovell Rebellion: April 1486, during Henry's Northern Progression, 3 of Richard supporters had broken sanctuary in Colchester, Viscount Lovell tried to raise an uprising in North Yorkshire, Thomas and Humphrey Stafford tried to raise on in the midlands, rules of sanctuary were altered

  2. Lambert Simnel: Why Earl of Warwick, support from Margaret of Burgundy, raised 2,000 German and Swiss mercenaries, Battle of Stoke - 16th June 1487

  3. Yorkshire Rebellion: 1489, Parliament voted for £100,000 to be raised in taxes for war with Brittany, only £27,000 was raised, Yorkshire hit by bad harvest, rebels led by John Egremont

  4. Perkin Warbeck: Impersonated Richard, Edward's younger son, welcomed by Charles VIII of France but expelled after 1492 Treaty of Etaples, welcomed into Burgundy by Margaret and Philip, 3rd July 1495 - First attempted landing in Deal, Kent, September 12th 1497 - Warbeck arrives at Lands End with 120 men, attempting to exploit the Cornish rebellion and garner support, 1499 - Warbeck and Earl of Warwick conspire to escape, 23rd November 1499 - Warbeck hanged

  5. Cornish Rebellion: 1497, January 1497 - Parliament vote for £120,000 in taxes for war with James IV and Warbeck, 15,000 rebels marched to London, were stopped outside Exeter, 17th September, Battle of Blackheath, Henry's army crush rebels, 1,000 killed

  6. Earl of Suffolk (The White Rose): Edmund de la Pole flees to Calais in 1499, 1501 - Fled to court of Holy Roman Emperor Maximillian, 1505 - Philip's ship wrecked in Port of Weymouth. Agrees to hand over de la Pole, in return Henry paid £158,000, Suffolk imprisoned until 1513, Henry VIII takes over and executes him
• Financial Consolidation


  • Ordinary Revenue: Crown Lands, Feudal Dues, Custom Duties, Legal System and Profits of Justice
  • Extraordinary Revenue: Bonds and Recognisances, Parliamentary Taxes/Subsidies, Clerical Taxes, French Pension, Feudal Obligations, Loans and Benevolences
• AQA Q2


  How was England Governed at this Time?
• Central Government


  1. Parliament: Met 7 times 1485-1509, 227 attended 1485-1509, only 6-7 on the working council, Passed legislation, Passed 138 acts of attainder

  2. The Court: Central to Henry's 'personal monarchy', power dependent on relationship with monarch, not position held, Levels of court: Household Proper, Star Chamber, Privy Chamber

  3. King's Council: 227 Councillors, Incorporated Nobility, Churchmen and Laymen, Core Group: John Morton, Richard Fox, Reginald Bray

  4. Council Learned in Law: Est. 1495, replaced use of Star Chamber, Maintained the Kings Revenue and Feudal rights, and to exploit his prerogative rights, Led by Bray until his death in 1503, 1503 - 1513, ran by Empson and Dudley
• Local Government


  1. Provincial Councils: Wales since 1301 ruled by King's eldest son, Council set up in 1471, revived by Henry in 1493, 7 year-old Arthur appointed nominal head

  2. Ireland: Not ruled by a council, Jasper Tudor Lord Lieutenant in 1485, 1494 - Prince Henry appointed Lord Lieutenant, Sir Edward Poynings Lord Deputy, Set up Poynings' Law

  3. JPs: Appointed on a county-by-county basis, met 4 times annually to administer justice, Powers increased over time

  4. Sheriffs: Managed parliamentary elections, Used for peacekeeping and detention of criminals
• Foreign Relations


  1. 1485: Navigation Act - Forbade English merchants loading goods onto foreign ships unless no English ships were available

  2. 1486: Truce with Scotland, Commercial Treaty with France, Commercial Treaty with Brittany

  3. 1487: Treaty with Holy Roman Empire

  4. 1489: Treaty of Redon - Brittany and England, 6,000 troops under command of Lord Daubeney to defend Breton Independence
• Securing the Succession

  See details under 'Securing the Succession' above
• Truce with Scotland – Henry VII was concerned that if James III of Scotland refused to accept him as King of England there could be problems in the north, where the Yorkists still had support. James died 2 years later and with the succession of 15 year old James IV instability re-emerged.
• Commercial Treaty with France – Removed all restrictions on Franco-English trade. Economically beneficial and helped to bring nations closer.
• Commercial Treaty with Brittany – July 1486. Henry owed Duke Francis II of Brittany a debt of gratitude for providing shelter during his exile from 1471 to 1484. A commercial treaty was signed between England and Brittany in July 1486.
• Treaty with Holy Roman Empire – Better security, less chance of an invasion backed by the Empire.
• Treaty of Redon – Brittany and England. 6,000 troops under command of Lord Daubeney to defend Breton Independence. Anne pleaded to pay for troops, and to not make any alliances without Henry's approval. Failed in 1491, under pressure, Anne married Charles VIII, France took Brittany.
• Treaty of Dordrecht – Holy Roman Empire (under Maximillian) and England. Henry to send 3,000 troops to help Maximillian. Failed, Maximillian did not provide troops for Breton independence.
• Treaty of Medina del Campo – Ferdinand and Isabella recognised Henry VII as King. Ended trade restrictions. CoA promised to Prince Arthur. Agreed to go to war against France to recover Normandy and Aquitane.
• Maximillian makes peace with Charles VIII of France.
• Commercial Alliance with Portugal – Opening up further trade options.
• Treaty with Florence – Allowed English wool to be imported into Pisa, the main Port of Florence.
• Treaty of Etaples – England led 12,000 troops into Brittany in the final stages of the war, agreed to remove troops from all French soil (except Calais). France to pay England 745,000 crowns (£159,000).
• Imposed Tariffs on Venetian Wine – Venetian government lifted import duties.
• Nine Year Truce – Between England and Scotland. Made after pro-English Earl of Angus took control.
• Trade embargo on Burgundy – Massive risk in order to force Burgundy to force Warbeck out.
• Holy League (League of Venice) – Set up to deal with France during the Italian war, England was pressured into becoming entangled in European affairs. Signed between Pope Alexander VI, HRE Maximilian, Ferdinand II of Aragon, Venice, Milan in opposition to Charles VIII of France who invaded Italy in 1494. Forced the French out of Italy in 1496.
• Intercursus Magnus – Free trade deal with Burgundy (except Flanders). By 1509, England was exporting over half of the total cloth exports to Europe. Cloth production 1485-1509 had risen 60%. Philip to not support Warbeck as Margaret had done.
• Treaty of Ayton – Scots stopped supporting Warbeck. Brought an end to the crisis with Scotland. After Warbeck's execution it became a full peace treaty. First agreement of its kind with Scotland since 1328.
• Marriage of Arthur and CoA.
• Treaty of Perpetual Peace – James and Margaret marry in 1503. Truce extended.
• Death of Arthur.
• Henry VIII's marriage to CoA proposed.
• Treaty of Blois – Between Aragon and France. Ferdinand married Louis XII's niece, Germaine de Foix. French helped Aragon fight Philip of Castille.
• Intercursus Malus – Burgundy to give Earl of Suffolk back, failed and Henry had to pay £158,000 and promised not to execute him. Marriage alliances: Henry VII to Margaret of Austria, Prince Henry to Eleanor of Burgundy, Princess Mary to Charles of Burgundy. Allowed English cloth to be exported without duty, seen too generous for England and reverted in 1507.
• League of Cambrai – Louis XII and Spain main players. England isolated from European affairs, with Henry VII's declining health, could be seen as a positive.
• Henry VII dies, Henry VIII ascends

  22nd April 1509
• Henry and CoA marry

  11th June 1509
• Securing the Succession


  • 19th September 1486 - Arthur born
  • 26th March 1489 - Treaty of Medina del Campo - Arthur and Catherine of Aragon promised
  • 28th November 1489 - Margaret Tudor born
  • 25th June 1491 - Henry VIII born
  • 18th March 1496 - Mary Tudor born
  • 27th September 1501 - Catherine arrives in England
  • 14th November 1501 - Arthur and Catherine married
  • 2nd April 1502 - Arthur dies
  • 1503 - Henry VIII promised to Catherine
  • 22nd April 1509 - Henry VII dies, Henry VIII ascends
  • 11th June 1509 - Henry VIII marries Catherine
• England by 1500: Around 2 million commoners in England and Wales, around 50% lived under the poverty line. Many lived in rural areas.