1) Henry VII: Royal finances, local gov, regional gov, relations with the nobility Flashcards
Why did Henry change the govt?
Following the chaos of Wars of the Roses Henry wanted to restore the gov and enforce law and order.
- Royal power was restored and centralised so thoroughly that it developed into despotism in Henry VII’s later reign
Give historians view as Henry as a ‘New Monarch’
- Pollard (1914): Origin of New Monarchy shifted forward to Henry VII – organised, centralised, tightly controlled government, employing “new men” from gentry and professional classes; succeeded in suppressing overmighty subjects, lawlessness and disorder
- Gunn ((2016): Focus on “new men” rather than institutional “New Monarchy”
Argues Henry introduces a new way to rule different from Edward
Give historians view of Henry as a traditional monarch
- Elton (1950s): Restoration of monarchical power shifted forward to Henry VIII – “Revolution in government”, led by Thomas Cromwell
- Chrimes (1964): New Monarchy shifted back to Edward IV
- Thompson (1985): Many of Henry’s “innovations” based on Edward IV ‘s practice, although more successful
Argues that Henry is little different from Edward before him
Overall was Henry a ‘new monarch’?
Henry broadly a conventional medieval monarch, although working relationship with nobility arguably more strained than at any time since Magna Carta (1215).
Innovation mostly a question of degree rather than of type, including extent of king’s personal attention to detail
- Yorkist kings had used “new men”, although Henry’s reliance greater
- Henry’s use of bonds and recognisances increasingly oppressive and arbitrary
- Henry (eventually) adopted and extended Edward IV’s use of Chamber to administer finance
What were Henry’s aims for his central gov?
Control nobility
Maintain law and order
Restore royal finances
Who were the key figures in Henry’s government?
not includint the new men
Clerics:
- John Morton (d.1500) – Archbishop of Canterbury,1486-; Lord Chancellor, 1487-
- Richard Fox (d.1524) – Bishop of Winchester, 1501-; key advisor after Morton’s death
Lancastrian nobles:
* Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford (d.1495) – king’s uncle; ran Wales (fought for Henry in WoR)
* Earl of Oxford (d. 1513) – first military general (Bosworth, Stoke)
Yorkist nobles:
* Lord Stanley, Duke of Derby (d.1504) – king’s stepfather
* John de la Pole, Lord Lincoln (d.1487) – king’s cousin; backed Simnel
* Earl of Surrey (d.1524) – ran North until 1499
* Lord Dynham – Lord Treasurer 1486-150
Who were Henry’s ‘new men’?
- Lord Daubeney (d.1508) – former Yorkist; rare new peer in 1485, so king must have really rated him; second military general (Blackheath)
- Sir Reginald Bray (d.1503) - Chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster, 1485-; chief financial advisor
- Sir Thomas Lovell (d.1524) – Chancellor of Exchequer; Treasurer of Chamber to 1492
- Sir John Heron (d.1522) – Treasurer of the Chamber from 1492
- Sir Richard Empson (d.1509) – lawyer; led Council Learned from 1503
- Edmund Dudley (d.1509) – lawyer; assisted Empson on Council Learned
What was the change/ continuity of the King’s council under Henry?
- Henry developed the Yorkist use of regional councils in the north, Wales and Ireland
- The members of the northern council were closely watched by the Council in London and Henry ensured the members were appointed by him, not Surrey.
- Henry revived the Welsh Council in 1493.
- Sir Edward Poynings was appointed by Henry as his deputy of Ireland. But he failed to bring control and order so the Earl of Kildare was restored as Lord Deputy.
- Earl of Oxford was in the government of east Anglia, where most of his estates were located
- Earl of Shrewsbury and Northumberland had power in the north and Earl of Surrey served Henry in the same area.
- The duke of Bedford (his uncle Jasper Tudor) and the Stanleys had extensive regional power in Wales and the northwest
- But Margaret Beaufort was new. The Countess of Richmond was given enormous powers over the midlands.
- Little change within the King’s council.
Were Henry’s changes to the king’s council a success?
- There was not much change between these people as Henry trusted them and they did the job up to par.
- This also increased the loyalty of Henry’s subjects and strengthened his reign.
- Henry used his nobility the same way his predecessors had
- Great success with these members as Henry rewarded them with greater titles due to a long reign of service. e.g, Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey was made Lord treasurer 1501 by Henry for his service.
What was the change/ continuity of the conciliar committees and courts under Henry?
conciliar- council meetings especially including clerical matters
- More extensive use of specialist courts and committees of the Council, eg. Court of Requests, Court of General Surveyors and especially **Council Learned **(set up by Bray, 1495, led by Empson and Dudley after 1503)
Were Henry’s changes to the conciliar committees and courts a success?
- Committees and courts improved efficiency of King’s Council
- However, increasing extortion by Council Learned possibly counter-productive, as it alienated increasing numbers of nobles and others.
What was the change/ continuity of the Great council under Henry?
- A traditional, informal medieval consultative body comprising nobility and key burgesses (town gentry)
- Henry VII called five sessions, usually to secure support for military action (e.g. during Breton Crisis, 1498-9), but died out after his reign
Were Henry’s changes to the Great council a success?
Not particulary influential, but also didn’t cause problems- useful tool to attempt to gain military support
What was the change/ continuity of the Parliament under Henry?
- Henry established a court of Requests, Court of General Surveyors, and the Council Learned in the Law. He developed the office of Justice and Peace, to combat over mighty subjects that ignored royal command.
- JPs’ (workhorses of the administration. Between 30-60 local landlords were appointed for each county. They were magistrates, responsible for enforcing royal proclamations) role widened significantly. For example they could grant bail and dispense justice and try criminals
- The Council differed little from the Yorkists’, as most were members of nobility or the church.
- Henry did not rely on particular families, but drew his chief advisors from lesser landowners, or professional classes (particularly lawyers). This saw the rise of men like Reginald Bray and Edmund Dudley.
- The most notable of changes was the establishment of committees
- Parliament only called 7 times during Henry’s reign and 5 during the first decade, usually used for funding and taxes. The problem with calling parliament for help was that parliament wanted a favour back, so as long as Henry didn’t run out of money he avoided calling parliament at all costs. Not very innovative
Were Henry’s changes to Parliament a success?
- The council learned in law was hated by many because of its links with bonds and recognisances, supervising their collection. In 1504 Empson and Dudley ensured that royal rights were thoroughly enforced causing even further resentment. And eventaully were executed by Henry VII
- The previous problems with the system of law had been lessened through Henry’s changes.
- Although the power of JPs increased they were still dependent on lower officials bringing criminals to them. And locals were often reluctant to act, in fear of becoming unpopular. Henry was reliant on the morality of his people to do the right thing
What conclusions can be drawn about Henry’s changes to central government?
Innovative?
Success?
Innovation?
* Henry used more ‘new men’ than his predecessors had, as his predecessors (Edward IV and Richard III were wealthy men who came from close knit noble families).
* Henry changed the way Parliament was led and gave more power to JPs
Success?
* Henry’s methods of utilising ‘new men’ was successful because Henry chose people he trusted to serve under him. However, it was unsuccessful because Henry could not supervise them all at once and feared that he would miss meetings and the orders given. Meaning he was left on the side-line of England’s goings on.
* JPs were reliant on the morality of his people, meaning that offenders often ran free. But most JPs carried out Henry’s wishes and as a result meant they were more loyal to Henry.
* Great council was a success because it forced key nobility to make decisions
* Parliament was very successful, but he didn’t call it very often. However every time he was granted tax by parliament there was a rebellion e.g Yorkshire and Cornish
Give an overview of Henry’s regional government
- Henry inherited model of regional government that relied on small number of very powerful local magnates, which had created instability from “overmighty subjects” (e.g. Warwick the Kingmaker) during Wars of the Roses
- In his early years, he continued to rely on magnates, using a mixture of moderate Yorkists (e.g. Stanley, Northumberland) former Lancastrian nobles (e.g. Jasper Tudor, Oxford, Devon) and the occasional new man (Daubeney)
- Regional councils introduced in Wales (1493), Ireland (1494) and the North (1499)
Regional gov: Who was in charge of the North East?
Important as it defended border with Scotland
Pre 1483:
* Richard, Duke of Gloucester
* Earl of Northumberland
After Yorkshire rising:
- Ealr of Surrey
Regional gov: Who was in charge of the North West?
Pre 1483:
* Thomas, Lord Stanley
Regional gov: Who was in charge of the Ireland?
Problem as it supported Yorkist claim to the throne
Ealr of Kildare
What was the change/ continuity of the role of JPs under Henry?
- Modest expansion of role, e.g. 1487 authority to take bail and 1495 to judge non-capital offences without juries
- Also concerned with local administration, e.g. at Quarter Sessions enquired into conduct of mayors and sheriffs
- In total 21 Acts related to JPs, but mostly focused on trying to enforce status quo
Were Henry’s changes to the JPs a success?
- 1489 Act rails against JPs’ corruption and negligence (exacerbated by lack of salary)
- Constables appointed by JPs unpopular and of limited effectiveness
- Very little evidence of enforcement of retaining laws
- Tudor England a “paradise for the criminal” (Elton), but widespread disorder rare
What was the change/ continuity of the role of nobels under Henry?
- JPs taking over business from manorial courts and noble-appointed sheriffs- tried to rely less heavily on nobels and more who was best for the job
- However, mixed picture. In some areas (e.g. Stanleys in North West), traditional magnate model survived
Were Henry’s changes to the nobels a success?
- In some areas, mistrust of regional nobles weakened local law and order e.g. Northern Marches; gentry factions in Warwickshire;
- Mistrust of the local liability was counterproductive (Henry mistrusted the locals, who controlled things like the armies, meaning that things took longer to get done)
