H7 & H8

• The Wars of the Roses between the Lancastrians and Yorkists began in 1455 and lasted until 1485/7. The wars began because of instability, Henry VI was a weak king and his nobles were powerful.
• Under Edward IV and Richard III nobles had built up huge power bases in their local areas, some were able to become ‘overmighty’ subjects. The Earl of Warwick had a private army of 30,000 soldiers in 1485.
• Richard III may have murdered the princes in the tower, the Buckingham Rebellion had attempted to remove him in 1483 and he was deeply unpopular with nobles. He was not a well-liked King.
• Henry only had a weak claim to the throne, through his mother Margaret Beaufort. Others who had a claim through their fathers, or grandfathers, were considered to have a stronger claim. For example the de la Pole brothers.
• Henry had been in exile in France for 14 years, he hardly knew England and his invasion was aided by the French, who were not popular in England.
• However, Henry’s victory at Bosworth gave him the opportunity to prove himself as a soldier and as a leader, both qualities that were respected in a King. Furthermore, the death of Richard III meant that he was no longer around to challenge Henry.
• Only 1 in 4 English nobles fought against Henry at Bosworth.
• Lovell Conspiracy - Henry spent a large amount of time in the North, especially Yorkshire. The North was historically more lawless than the south. It was also largely loyal to Richard III who had spent more time there than any previous King.
• Lovell Conspiracy - After the Battle of Bosworth, prominent Yorkist supporters Francis Lord Lovell and Humphrey Stafford found sanctuary (protection in a Holy place) at Colchester Abbey. Both had been loyal supporters of Richard III and together they began to conspire against Henry.
• Lovell Conspiracy - Sir Edgcumbe and Sir Tyler were appointed to apprehend Lovell, who was forced to flee to Flanders under the protection of Margaret of Burgundy.
• Lovell Conspiracy - The Stafford brothers led a rebellion in Worcester while the King was on his Northern Progress, despite the fact that Henry had mass support in this area.
• Lovell Conspiracy - Henry sent John Barrowman to forcibly remove the Staffords from Culham Abbey on the night of 14 May. They were tried before the Court of King’s Bench. Humphrey was executed, but his younger brother Thomas was pardoned.
• Yorkist Challenges - Earl of Warwick – locked up in the Tower of London (but lived in comfort).
• Yorkist Challenge - Earl of Surrey (fought with the Yorkists at Bosworth) – Kept in prison until 1489 when Henry was satisfied that he would be loyal.
• Yorkist Challenge - Married Elizabeth of York in January 1486, joined together the white rose of York with the red rose of Lancaster to form the Tudor rose.
• Reward Lancastrians - Jasper Tudor (Henry’s uncle) – became Duke of Bedford and chief justice in Wales. 55 with no heirs, so Henry could grant this knowing that his position would not be threatened by Jasper’s heirs.
• Reward Lancastrians - Giles Daubeney – Made Lord Daubeney and Lieutenant of Calais in 1486. Became Chamberlain of the household in 1495.
• Reward Lancastrians - Sir Reginald Bray – Made Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Henry’s chief financial and property advisor.
• Reward Lancastrians - ORDER OF THE GARTER – Special honour reserved for the King’s closest associates, gave them prestige and honour, rather than land or money. 37 appointed, including Giles Daubeney and Reginald Bray.
• Yorkshire rebellion 1489 - Henry Percy (Earl of Northumberland), on the side of northern counties, but he was murdered by Sir John Egremont anyway!
• Yorkshire Rebellion 1489 - Sparked by a parliamentary tax to fund Henry’s expedition to Brittany. Yorkshire thought that they should have to fight off the Scots, not pay the tax (most northerly county to do so). Yorkshire had also suffered bad harvests that year.
• Yorkshire Rebellion - Egremont led an army, which was defeated outside York by the Earl of Surrey and 8,000 troops.
• Cornish Rebellion 1487 - Spring 1497, Henry orders a loan of £120,000 should be repaid by general taxation. This tax is supposed to prepare for a military offensive against Scotland, who were supporting Warbeck
• Cornish Rebellion 1497 - Resentment comes to a head in St Keverne (Cornish Parish). An Gof and Thomas Flamank lead a rebellion.
• Cornish Rebellion 1497 - 15,000 rebels marched via Exeter, Salisbury and Winchester to Kent. This could be considered a genuine danger to the city. Queen Elizabeth, Lady Margaret and the royal children are moved into the Tower of London for their own protection.
• Cornish Rebellion 1497 - An Gof and Thomas Flamank are hanged, drawn and quartered. Parts of their body are displayed in disloyal towns.
• Lambert Simnel - Trained by Yorkists to have excellent manners etc, even though he was of common birth. He pretended to be Edward, Earl of Warwick (leading Yorkist claimant).
• Lambert Simnel - Simnel was supported by Margaret of Burgundy (sister of Richard III). Margaret raised 2,000 mercenaries, led by Martin Schwartz, they set sail for Ireland in April 1487. Many of the Irish magnates accepted Simnel and he got support there too.
• Lambert Simnel - Henry paraded the real Earl of Warwick through the streets of London (he had been locked up in the Tower of London and was not dead as the Yorkists had assumed).
• Lambert Simnel - Simnel’s 8,000 men were easily defeated by Henry’s 12,000 men. Simnel was forgiven and given a job as the King’s falconer. Henry punished some offenders with fines, rarely executions. Only 28 men were attainted.
• Perkin Warbeck - Perkin Warbeck was a young Flemish boy who impersonated Richard IV, the younger son of Edward IV. (The real Richard was already dead so Henry could not parade him like the Edward the Earl of Warwick)
• Perkin Warbeck - Warbeck received the support of Charles VIII at French court. However, after the Treaty of Etaples in 1492 (a peace settlement between England and France), Warbeck moved to Flanders where he had the support of Margaret.
• Perkin Warbeck - In 1493 Henry imposed a trade ban with Burgundy over the harbouring of Warbeck. (The trade in wool and cloth was the most important for England and Antwerp in Burgundy was the most important for the centre for trade in Europe. This meant that good relations with Burgundy were vital for England’s economy
• Perkin Warbeck -Despite this Warbeck was welcomed in Scotland where he was able to marry James VI’s cousin- again foreign support prolonged the challenge to Henry. James provided Warbeck with 1500 troops. Better relations between Henry and James meant Warbeck lost support.
• Perkin Warbeck - Warbeck returned in 1497 to try and capitalise on the Cornish Rebellion (1497), but was unsuccessful. He was put into the tower of London in 1499 and then executed.
• Edmund de la Pole - He was the nephew of Richard III. His brother John had fought against Henry and been killed early in his reign. Edmund was punished by being forced to pay £5,000 just to inherit some of his father’s land. He was also not allowed to inherit his father’s ducal title, which was extremely humiliating
• Edmund de la Pole - On the 19th June 1502, Henry signed the Treaty of Aachen and promised Maximilian 10,000 crowns towards his war with Turkey whilst Maximilian agreed to stop giving refuge to Henry’s enemies, notably Edmund de la Pole. He was not captured until 1506 when Philip of Burgundy was shipwrecked in England with de la Pole on board. HENRY SUSPENDED ALL TRADE WITH BURGUNDY in January 1505.
• Edmund de la Pole - Philip blew onto the English coast in a freak storm and Henry was able to negotiate the return of de la Pole. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London.
• Dealing with nobility - Patronage – Earl of Oxford (became major land owner in East Anglia), Jasper Tudor (made Duke of Bedford, restored to his Welsh estates) Giles Daubeney (promoted to peerage), Reginald Bray (land over 18 counties, worth more than £1000 a year), Edmund Dudley (made a King’s councillor)
• Dealing with the nobility - King’s Council – Treasurer position was held first by Lord Dinham, then by the Earl of Surrey. Richard Fox became Keeper of the Privy Seal in 1487, he kept this position until 1516.