Government

• Henry VII


  The monarch being studied
• Henry VII's government


  • Strengthened the royal grip of power
  • Created secure, stable government
  • Delivered stability, law and order, and prosperity
• Aspects of Henry VII's government

  • Government councils
  • Parliament
  • Justice
  • Finances
  • Domestic policies
• Royal Council


  The group of people Henry VII worked most closely with and who had the most influence
• The Royal Council had 227 councillors, but most were just honorary positions and didn't attend meetings</b>
• Composition of the Royal Council


  • Nobility
  • High-ranking church members (around 50%)
  • Educated, skilled members from the lower classes
• Key figures on the Royal Council

  • John Morton (Archbishop of Canterbury, later Cardinal)
  • Richard Fox
  • Thomas Bray
• Morton's Fork


  A scheme devised by John Morton to extract money from the nobility - if they appeared wealthy, they could afford to lend the king money, and if they appeared poor, they must be hoarding wealth and could also afford to lend the king money
• Other powerful members of the Royal Council

  • Jasper Tudor
  • Earl of Oxford
  • Thomas Howard
• Henry VII sought to exploit Crown lands and needed trained men in auditing and property law to do this
• Council Learned in the Law

  A ruthless, small body of trained lawyers established in 1495 to go after people with money, especially the nobility
• Council Learned in the Law

  • Highly efficient but broke the law due to lack of safeguards
  • Led by Thomas Bray until his death, then by Empson and Dudley
• Empson and Dudley were later executed by Henry VIII for breaking the law, which was largely to win favour with the nobility and people
• The Court


  The group of important people who followed the king around, socialised with him, and could influence him through this soft power
• Levels of the Court

  • Household proper (supervised by the Lord Steward)
  • Star Chamber
  • Privy Chamber (most inner sanctum, established after Stanley's betrayal)
• Parliament


  Only sat when the king wanted it to, and did what the king wanted it to do - it had little real authority
• Parliament only met 7 times during Henry VII's reign, 5 of which were in the first 10 years
• The legislation passed by Parliament was mostly about controlling the provinces and administrative matters, rather than major policy changes
• Parliament in the time of Henry VII only sits when he wants it to, it goes away when he wants it to go away, and it does what the king wants it to do in most cases
• Parliament does not have very much authority under Henry VII
• Parliament met seven times in the reign of Henry VII, five of which were in the first 10 years of his reign
• Legislation passed by Parliament under Henry VII


  • Attainder
  • Temporary statutes
  • Acts related to control of the provinces
  • Acts related to wages and hours
  • Administrative acts
• Henry VII gets Parliament to backdate his reign to the day before the Battle of Bosworth, so people who fought against him are considered traitors
• Henry VII gets all revenue from tonnage and poundage (corn export taxes) and the Act of Resumption (returns Crown lands lost since 1455)
• There were rebellions in 1489-90 and 1497 when Henry VII tried to raise money to fight the French and the Scots
• In 1504, Henry VII asked Parliament for 90,000 pounds for the posthumous knighthood of his dead son, but only got 40,000 pounds, showing he did not have absolute control
• Henry VII appoints trusted people to control the regions, such as the Percys in the North and the Earl of Surrey Thomas Howard
• The March (border area between Wales and England) is not fully controlled by the King, as it has its own separate status
• Henry VII revives the Council in the Marches in 1493, with his 7-year-old son Arthur as its nominal head
• Ireland is a real problem for Henry VII, with only the Pale (area around Dublin) under English control, the rest ruled by Irish chieftains
• Henry VII appoints Edward Poynings as Lord Deputy of Ireland, who brings in Poynings' Law to increase the authority of the Crown
• Cornwall is another area where Henry VII has problems controlling
• Justices of the Peace (JPs)


  Unpaid local officials appointed county-by-county, meeting four times a year to administer justice
• Henry VII expands the powers of the JPs, giving them the ability to arrest poachers, grant bail, and choose juries
• Sheriffs manage parliamentary elections and assist with law and order, as there is no police force at this time
• Henry VII is known as the "miser King" for his careful financial management, which he does not pass on to his son
• Henry VII's major domestic policies are about controlling the nobility, suppressing rebellion, and ensuring stability across his realm