1) Henry VII: Consolidation Of Power + Control Of The Nobility Flashcards
What is a weak monarch susceptible to?
Over mighty subjects
What were Henry VII 3 objectives?
. Establish + secure his right to the throne
. Strengthen royal gov by better control of nobility
. Strengthen monarchy + kingdom by ensuring a strong financial foundation
Why did Henry VII predate the start of his reign to 21st august 1485?
. So he could declaim Richard’s supporters as traitors
. Act of attainder meant their lan + property was confiscated
Why does Henry VII have his coronation before summoning parliament?
To make it look like he had gods approval before parliaments approval, making him appear to b the correct chosen king
When does Henry VII have his coronation?
30th October 1485
When does Henry VII summon his 1st parliament?
7th November 1485
When does Henry receive Papal Dispensation to marry Elizabeth of York?
16th January 1486
When does Henry marry Elizabeth of York?
18th January
Why does Henry VII have his coronation before marrying Elizabeth of York?
So he is recognised as the legitimate king rather than only becoming king because he married her as she has royal blood
When does Henry begin his Royal Progress to the North?
April 1486
What is a Royal Progress?
a tour of the country
When was Prince Arthur born?
19th September 1486
When was Elizabeth crowned Queen of England?
25th November 1487 (2 years after Henry)
How did Henry VII reward his supporters?
. John de Vere - earl of oxford + granted lands in east anglia
. Lord Stanley - earl of derby + control of Lancashire + Cheshire
. (Uncle) Jasper Tudor - Duke of Bedford, chief justice of wales + lord lieutenant of Ireland
. Sir William Stanley - lord chamberlain
. John Morton - lord chancellor + Archbishop of Canterbury
How did Henry VII treat his enemies?
. Edward earl of Warwick - sent to live in TOL (stronger claim than H)
. John de la pole earl of Lincoln - showed loyalty + was forgave, became member of kings council (stronger claim than H)
. Earl of Surrey + earl do Northumberland - sent to prison
LORELL + STAFFORD UPRISING
What happened?
. Trouble broke out in an unruly area whilst the king was on royal progress
. Lovells plan was to ambush + capture king Henry VII
. Stafford’s plan was to stir up rebellion
LORELL + STAFFORD UPRISING
How successful was Henry’s response?
. Successful
. Rebels dispersed - calculated mercy; rebels either disperse + seek pardon or fight + get defeated
. Stafford was sent to the TOL
. Henry carries on with progress showing he doesn’t fear the rebels
. Army doesn’t have to fight
PRETENDER LAMBERT SIMNEL (1486-87)
how did the lambert simnel affair begin?
. Preist Richard Symonds took advantage of confusion of what happened to earl of Warwick
. He took a 10 year old apprentice to Ireland where many Irish nobles were willing to proclaim Simnel as king
. Margret of Burgendy supported Simnel + sent money + 3000 mercenary soldiers
PRETENDER LAMBERT SIMNEL (1486-87)
what happened during the plot?
. Irish Nobel’s claim Simnel as new king Edward VI in Dublin may 1487
. Henry VII brought the real earl of Warwick out of the tower to expose Simnel
. Earl of Lincoln (Yorkist claimant) Margaret of burgundy + lord Lovell travel to Ireland to join Simnel
. Henry knows an attempt to overthrow him is being planned
PRETENDER LAMBERT SIMNEL (1486-87)
What happened at the battle of stoke 1487?
. Simnel + supporters land in Lancashire + march to stoke
. Henry sent an arm to defeat the yorkists
. Lincoln + Lovell killed
. Simnel + Symons captured
. Considered to be the last of the wars of the roses (an for Henry)
LAMBERT SIMNEL (1486-87)
What happened after the Simnel affair?
. Many rebel killed
. Symons sent to life imprisonment
. Simnel given a job in the royal kitchens
. 28 nobles were attained (declared guilty + had land taken off them)
LAMBERT SIMNEL (1486-87)
What is the significance of the rebellion?
. Henry still had control of the real earl of Warwick
. Elizabeth was crowned queen in 1487, unitising the nation
. Ireland remained. Platform where invasion could be launched
. An imposter had been able to gather 8000 troops, could happen again
. Still Yorkist threats
What was the ‘problem’ of the nobility in Henry’s reign?
. Gov came close to collapse
. Actual authority of gov + the nobility was questionable
. Bastard feudalism
. Nobles had lots of wealth + territorial power
. Uneven control of the crown; stronger in more populated south, but looser in the boarder lands
. Poor finances of the crown (caused by wars at home + abroad)
. Winning the support of the nobles
What were 2 ways Henry could win the support of the nobles?
. Buy their support by rewarding them with land + titles
. Force them to support him by showing the unwelcome consequences of opposition
What was the positive use of the nobility?
. Nobles helped Henry maintain law
. Fortunate he faced very few ‘overmighty’ subjects
. Some powerful noble families could be easily controlled (Stafford family Edward inherit tile at 7)
REWARDS FOR LOYALTY
What is patronage?
. A method where Henry could gain loyalty - it involved giving money or titles to create a bond of loyalty
. Titles + important jobs were given to members of he gentry to reward their service to him
. They were dependant on Henry for their position of power (As these weren’t nobles)
. Henry became the biggest land owner in the country
REWARDS FOR LOYALTY:
What was order of the garter?
. Significant honour reserved for the kings closest servants
. Henry created 37 knights of the garter
. It was the ultimate mark of respect from the king
REWARDS FOR LOYALTY:
What was the kings/ great council?
. Membership on the kings council was a sign of trust from the king
. Summons to council was a great honour
. Cleaver way to ensure support for Henry’s policies, once agreed it was very hard to criticise it
. The great council were called when Henry needed urgent advice
. Had 50-70 members
What were Acts of Attainer?
. An attained family would loose its right to inherit its land - loss of land caused disaster for a noble family
. However the attainer could be reserved if good behaviour was proven
. First established in 1321
. 138 acts of attainer were passed in Henry’s reign (e.g. Thomas Tyrell had to pay £1,738 to reverse his + his fathers lands)
What was the policy where Henry was prepared to forgive past mistakes if loyalty was demonstrated?
Cat + mouse policy
CASE STUDY THOMAS HOWARD EARL OF SURREY
Why did Henry forgive Thomas Howard?
. Thomas was imprisoned in TOL because of fathers fighting for Richard III
. Acts of attainer passes to remove land + possessions
. Thomas resisted in a plot for him to escape TOL
. Henry rewarded this loyalty by releasing him + put him in charge of maintaining law + order in the north
. Reversed acts of attainer (not all land given back)
What was the positives of bonds + recognisances?
. Could remove disloyal nobles power completely
. Effective at bringing back loyalty
. Effective in discouraging disloyal nobles due to large sums
What were the negatives of bonds + recognisances?
. Henry sometimes asked for recognisances for personal reasons (demanded £10,000 from viscount Beaumont + earl of Westmorland as guarantees for future loyalty)
. Those who fell behind on payments were harassed by the kings officials (partic from council of learned law)
EXPLOITING FEUDAL DUTIES:
How did Henry exploit warship?
Warship was when the land of underage nobles was placed under royal authority until they were 21, this gave Henry the opportunity to exploit his power over the land in order to maximise income from it
EXPLOITING FEUDAL DUTIES:
How did Henry exploit mariage?
He had control over nobles marriages, giving him the ability to stop nobles from becoming too powerful through advantageous matches
(E.g. katherine woodville married sir Richard wingfield + were fined £2000 for not asking Henry’s permission)
EXPLOITING FEUDAL DUTIES:
How did Henry exploit livery?
This is the number of servants a noble could employ, but an act in 1487 placed restrictions on the numbers employed
(E.g. a duke could have 120, an earl 80 etc)
RETAINING:
Why could retaining be a significant threat to Henry?
. Large groups of loyal followers could be used to threaten the kings status
RETAINING:
What did Henry introduce in 1504 whereby nobles had to apply directly to the king?
A licence system, failure to obtain a licence could result in financial ruin for a noble family ensuring further control by Henry over the nobility
CROWN LANDS:
Why were the crown lands important?
How did Henry VII increase the crown lands?
Land equalled power so Henry tried to ensure as much land was returned to the crown as possibleIt’s estimated Henry increased crow land by 5x in his reign . Lands formally held by Yorkists (e.g. earl of Warwick + dukes of Clarence + Gloucester were all taken back to the crown
. 1486 act of resumption recovered all crown land taken away since 1455
RETAINING:
How did Henry prevent over mighty subjects?
. Henry was fearful of the rising power of Stanley family so bishop Stanley was fined £245,000 for illegal retaining in 1506
. 1506, lord bergavenny was fined £5 per month per retainer amounting to £70,550 (acted as a warning)
Who were Henry VII 5 advisors?
Sir Edward poyninings
Sir Henry Wyatt
Sir Thomas Lovell
Edmund Dudley
Sir Henry Marney
