2 Henry VII's Government

Question 1

Who made up the King’s Council?

Answer 1

227 councillors in total under Henry, fell into 3 categories:
Nobility
Clergy (Lord Chancellor John Morton and Lord Privy Seal Richard Fox)
Laymen (Gentry/lawyers e.g. Sir Reginald Bray)

Question 2

What were the 3 functions of the King’s Council?

Answer 2

1. To advise the King
2. To administer the realm on the King’s behalf
3. To make legal judgements

Question 3

What was the purpose of the Council Learned in Law?

Answer 3

To maintain the King’s revenue and fully exploit his rights as owner of Crown lands

Question 4

Who was famously hated for running the Council Learned?

Answer 4

Empson and Dudley as they were feared for their ability to extract nobles’ money, sometimes with shady tactics

Question 5

What were the different levels of the King’s Court?

Answer 5

The household, responsible for looking after the King
The political level, acted as the centre and was presided over by the Lord Chamberlain

Question 6

How did H7 use Parliament?

Answer 6

Called 7 times, 5 times in the first 10 years to strengthen his position, mostly concerned with national security and raising revenue via Acts of Attainder

Question 7

Who were the Justices of the Peace (JPs)?

Answer 7

Used to maintain law and order in countryside, responsible for tax assessments and dealing with complaints, effectively replaced sheriffs

Question 8

What forms of extraordinary revenue were used by H7?

Answer 8

Parliamentary grants, loans, pension from the Treaty of Etaples

Question 9

What ordinary revenue did H7 have?

Answer 9

Crown land revenue (£42k pa by end of reign), bonds + recognisances, feudal obligations, customs duties

Question 10

What did David Starkey emphasise in H7’s governance?

Answer 10

The originality of establishing the Privy Chamber