HENRY VII

• Why was Henry VII's claim weak?

  -claim through his mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort, who was a descendant of John of Gaunt, a son of Edward III, illegitimate lancaster line.

  -had the right of conquest through his victory at Bosworth
• Which Yorkists had better claims than Henry VII?

  -Elizabeth of York, eldest daughter of Edward IV

  -Edward, Earl of Warwick (Ed IV and Richard III's nephew by their brother George)

  -John, Edmund and Richard de la Pole, nephews of Ed IV and Rich III by their sister, duchess of Suffolk.
• How did Henry VII claim the throne?

  -Battle of Bosworth (22nd August, 1485) which Henry wins

  -Margaret Beaufort, descendant of Ed III through marriage

  -Elizabeth of York, unites York and Lancaster, Ed IV's daughter

  -Lord Stanley, part of both York and Lancaster houses, Henry's step-dad with 5k troops at B of B
• What happened before Henry VII claimed the throne?


  -A lot of political instability bc of the unsuccessful reign of Hen VI had culminated in 1455 with the outbreak of the War of the Roses between Lancaster and York.

  -1455-85, 30yr intermitten civil war

  -unpopular Yorkist king Richard III
• What was Henry VII's character like?


  -He hadn't been brought up to rule, had lived in exile in Brittany since the age of 14

  -Henry was respected, efficient, intelligent but developed a reputation for greed

  -involved himself in everything, checked all account entries himself

  -didn't trust nobles but had a small group of confidants: Margaret Beaufort, Jasper Tudor, loved his wife but gave her no political influence.
• What were Henry VII's aims?

  To do so he would have to build a financially strong crown.

  1. Consolidate power
  2. Increase trade
  3. secure the Tudor dynasty.
• Who were Henry VII's kids?

  -Prince Arthur, betrothed to Catherine of Aragon in 1489, married in 1501, died in 1502

  -Margaret, married to James IV of Scotland in 1503 for the alliance

  -Mary, betrothed to Charles of Burgundy but called off

  -Henry VIII
• How was the death of Isabelle of Castile impactful?

  -she died in 1504, but Henry VII refused Catherine (or her dowry) to return to spain

  -bad relationship between England and Spain between 1504-09
• How did Henry's reign 'begin' and why?


  -Henry VII dated his reign to 21st of August 1485, the day before the Battle of Bosworth which meant that he could declare all Yorkist traitors and try them for treason, crown could therefore take Yorkist property.

  -coronation on 30th of October 1485, before Elizabeth's to show he had the right not just bc he married her, coronation was highly symbolic event, annointed by God, all nobles took an oath of loyalty to him
• When and why did Henry VII get married?


  -18th January 1486, married Elizabeth of York

  -to unite the warring families of Lancaster and York

  -had a threatening claim to the throne
• What happened in Henry 7's first parliament?


  -7th November 1485, Henry had already been crowned, his authority not dependent on parliamentary sanction

  -Helped Henry consolidate power after Bosworth, Acts of Attainder issued against those who had fought Hen at Bosworth

  -1486, Act of Resumption meant land was returned to crown granted away since 1455.

  -Overall parliament was only called when necessary, as Hen became richer he called them less, but statute law was still stronger than royal proclamations so he used parl to enforce important and unpopular policies.
• What was the Court of Chancery?


  -heard cases on feudal land disputes and complaints about mistakes made by the crown.

  -King couldn't be sued, some mistakes could be acknowledged.
• What was the Star Chamber?


  -created by the Star Chamber Act in 1497

  -established to prosecute rioting, rebellion, retaining and the corruption of justice.

  -also heard petitions against rulings from other courts.
• Why did Henry VII have regional governments?


  -Hen 7 had a stronger hold over areas in the south and east than the north, needed control over potentially troublesome areas and the co-operation of local noblemen.

  -Allowed different systems of government for different regions, relied on Justices of the Peace to maintain order.

  -the great magnates (wealthiest nobles) very powerful in the north of England.
• What was the Privy Chamber?


  -based in most intimate of Henry's rooms

  -Its staff saw to his needs, had access to him and could potentially influence him

  -lower ranking members of the Royal Household relied on it.
• What was the Council Learned in Law?


  -very important in maintaining Henry's authority and raising finances.

  -the council was very unpopular, its aim was to pursue Hen VII's feudal rights, it investigated feudal rights that were forgotten/had lapsed.

  -Enforced bonds and recognisances effectively

  -Increased crown revenues and kept nobles under scrutiny

  -Exploited his prerogative rights

  -Initially under Bray, developed in the second 1/2 of reign, Empson and Dudley took over following his death (1503)
• What were the Justices of the Peace? (JPs)


  Justices of the Peace = responsible for the implementation of laws, government policies and public order, about 18 per county
• What were Bonds and Recognisances?


  -payments made to guarantee good behaviour, usually applied to members of the nobility whose loyalty was uncertain

  -was enforced by Council Learned in Law
• How did Henry VII improve law, order and stability?


  -increased Justice of Peace's powers, could arrest poachers or hunters in disguise/replace bribed jury members

  -used bonds and recognisances to control over-mighty nobles

  -star chamber established to deal with threats to England's stability
• What was illegal retaining?


  -Illegal retention of power

  -Retainers = men who served the leading nobles, wore clothes in the nobles colours (livery)

  -Acts passed against Livery and maintenance
• What was Henry's relationship with parliament like?

  -met infrequently and wasn't central to the government

  -called 7 parls, 5 during first 10 years, 2 in last 14

  -His early parliaments were largely concerned with

  • national security=first 2 parls passed Acts of Attainders
  • Raising Revenue, eg. 1st parl granted tonnage and poundage for life (custom revenues)
• How were royal finances improved?


  -Income from rents on crown lands, around £12,000 per yr at beginning of reign and £42,000 by end

  -Profits from feudal dues and exercises of royal perogative, revenue increased by reviving/extending feudal dues

  -Feudal aid = crown's right to impose taxes for certain services

  -Other sources: legal system, profits of justice, loans and benevolances, parliamentary grants
• What was Ordinary Revenue?


  -Parliament granted custom duties for the monarch's lifetime at the start of the reign

  -Profits of justice, fees for legal docs and fines, feudal dues, rents and sales of crops and resources from crown lands.

  -Hen increased Crown Revenues through:

  • the 1486 Act of Resumption and Attainders to increase crown lands
  • didn't give away land in grants
  • improved management of crown estates, council learned in law pursued feudal dues and bonds & recognisances.
• What was extraordinary revenue?


  -Extraordinary revenue refers to income that is generated from non-recurring or unusual events or transactions.

  -Bonds and recognisances, loans and benevolences (gifts given without expectation of repayment), Feudal dues due on specific occasions, special taxes and the french pension

  Increased through:

  • council learned in law investigated and enforced long-forgotten feudal dues, enforced bonds and recognisances
  • hen also kept a close eye on royal accounts
• How did Henry VII increase Crown Revenue?


  -Used Council Learned in Law to exploit forgotten feudal due

  -increased crown lands through Acts of Attainders and Resumption

  -Improved financial admin through the chamber
• What was the Council?


  The king ruled with a council of advisers, supported him in key decisions (6 or 7 members), the function was to

  • advise the kind
  • administer the realm on the king's behalf
  • make legal judgments

  Non-councilors could advise the king (ie margaret of Beaufort)
• What was the significance of the Chamber?


  -The chamber was the politically important part of the court

  -1495, following the Lord Chamberlain's (Sir William Stanley) involvement in the Perkin Warbeck conspiracy Henry re-modeled the chamber as the Privy Chamber

  -made it more difficult to gain or regain Hen's favour, also cut Henry off from many of the king's traditional contacts at court.
• How did trade and industry change during Henry VII's reign?


  -By end of 15th century, cloth amounted to 90% of English exports exported from London to Antwerp to all over Europe

  -other industries; mining, metal working and shipbuilding

  -Henry was keen to develop English trade to boost wealth through customs duties and taxes to enhance his own position
• What actions were done to improve trade?


  -Navigation Acts of 1485 and 1489 ruled that only english ships could carry certain products to and from English ports to boost English shipbuilding industry.

  -Support for the Merchant Adventurers - English company that controlled the cloth trade

  -Intercursus Magnus (1496) in which Henry and Philip IV ended Hen's 1493 embargo on trade with Netherlands.
• Who was Perkin Warbeck?


  -Warbeck was a pretender to the throne, pretended to be Richard, Duke of York - the younger son of Edward IV who had disappeared in 1483

  -Hen was able to make useful foreign alliances as he dealt with Warbeck
• What was the timeline of Warbeck's impact?


  -Welcomed to france until Treaty of Etaples (1492) and later Burgundy

  -1497, Warbeck allied himself to King James IV of Scotland, landed in England and tried to gather support

  -Executed in 1499 with Edward Earl of Warwick
• How was Warbeck involved with Scotland?


  -summer of 1495, Warbeck was welcomed by King James IV

  -Warbeck given £1,200 per annum pension and betrothed to James IV's cousin

  -1497, James IV and Warbeck invaded England

  -Hen and James signed the Truce of Ayton (1497) which became the Treaty of Perpetual Peace in 1502, in 1503 marriage alliance between Hen's daughter Margaret and James IV
• Who was Lambert Simnel?


  -Pretended to be Edward, Earl of Warwick (still alive)

  -Simnel welcomed in Ireland by Earl of Kildare and crowned king of England there

  -Rebels, led by Earl of Lincoln fought Hen's forces at Battle of Stoke in 1487

  -Leading Yorkists killed, Simnel arrested

  -Hen gained oaths of loyalties from other Yorkists
• What was the Yorkshire Rebellion?


  -1489

  -Caused by Henry VII raising taxes to fund campaign in Brittany

  -Course, tax was met with popular hostility (£29k out of £100k raised), rebels in Yorkshire murdered Earl of Northumberland who was conveying Henry's message that he wouldn't end the tax

  -Rebellion was quashed by forces led by Earl of Surrey

  -Consequence, Hen visited Yorkshire and pardoned many rebels, Earl of Surrey became Lieutenant of Yorkshire
• What was the Cornish Rebellion?


  -1497

  -cause, Henry VII raised a tax to wage a campaign against King James IV of Scotland and Perkin Warbeck

  -Course, Rebels (reaching 15k) marched towards London led by Lords Audley, Joseph and Flanmank

  -Consequence, Henry made an example of all rebels; Audley executed, Flanmank and Joseph hung drawn and quartered.
• Who was Edmund de la Pole


  -had a genuine claim to the throne

  -had grievances with Henry, lost some land to the crown and had to pay relief of £5k, demoted from Duke to Earl

  -He fled to HRE in 1501, Hen then arrested his friends and family

  -1506, Hen negotiated with HRE for Edmund, agreed not to execute him, was sent to Tower of London (is executed in 1513)
• What is the feudal system?


  -the structure of society, an important mechanism of control that prevented social mobility.

  -King, Nobility, Knights then Peasants

  -land, protection and services exchanged between the groups
• What is the Divine Right of Kings?

  That it is God's will for the King to hold absolute power, useful for justifying the King's otherwise dubious legitimacy (usurper)

  -story about Hen finding the crown in a bush in Battle of Bosworth, proof that Hen was chosen by God
• How did Henry VII control the nobles?


  Had to control them bc the War of the Roses had been caused by over-powerful nobles, reason fro end of Richard III's reign. Didn't trust them bc he was raised away from court.

  -Acts of Attainder

  -Acts against retaining in 1487 and 1504, £5 fine for every man retained

  -Use of non-nobles in the PC, make sure of no centralising of power

  -set notion of 'loyalty must be earnt',

  -didn't offer patronage to money noblemen, only made 3 earls

  -bonds and recognisances to guarantee good behaviour
• What was the importance of the nobility?


  -Around 50 noblemen in England

  -All very wealthy and owned large areas of land = political power.

  -King depended on them to maintain law and order in society.