2) Henry VII's government Flashcards
What was Henry VII’s councils and court like
King ruled with a counsellor of advisors who supported him in making key decisions
Around 227 men were recorded to have attended the council
Actual working council was smaller with around six or seven members
What were the main functions of Henry VII’s court
To advise the King
Administrator of the realm on the Kings behalf
To make legal judgements
Who are key members of Henry VII’s council
Members of the nobility such as Lord Dynham
Churchmans such as John Martin and Richard Fox Who often had legal training and excellent administrators
Claimant either gentry or lawyers skilled in administration such as Sir Reginald Bray
What was the influence of Henry VII’s court
A permanent body with a core membership
Members could meet without the presence of the King to deal with administrative concerns
Professional counsellors such as Bray and Dudley met in London to deal with legal and administrative matters in London
Importance of the council depended on its key members and it’s offshoot council learning
Not essential for people to hold office as counsellors in order to advise the king for instance Lady Margaret Beaufort, Henry VII’s mother was the most influential advisor according to historians
What is the importance of the council Lerned in the law
Developed during the second half of the rain under Reginald Bray
Historian John guy describes as a specialist board.
Function was to maintain the kings revenue and to exploit his prerogative rights
Seen as rather ‘shady’ operations by historians
Historian Thomas Pen as argued that the council learned caused fear, frustration and anger as it bypassed the normal legal system
Important for the maintenance of the kings authority as well as raising finances
Epsom and Dudley made a great combination of able and conscientious bureaucrats who raised the extraction of money to a fine art
What does the problems associated with the council learned in the law
Created enemies amongst some of the kings key advisors such as Bishop Fox and Sir Thomas Levell
Remove the council after Henry‘s death
Both about rejoice in the streets, showing how I feel and unpopular their financial controls became
What was the importance of the court and the household
Heavily dependent on the Royal Court
Centre of government
Focus of personal monarchy and a place for royal ceremony
It showed wealth and power, so the court was Magnificant and grandeurs
Henry VII was influenced by examples of Royal Courts especially in Burgundy and France
Power of the monarch demonstrated to all the courtiers in attendance
Through the courtrewards and status was distributed
What are the different levels of court
The household had the responsibility of looking after the king, courtiers, guests and others.Personal and catering requirements were supervised by the Lord Stewart
Politically important part of the system was the chamber. Presided over by the Lord Chamberlain.The position of the Lord Chamberlain was both powerful and a map of trust therefore conspiracy at court discovered in 1495 that Henry VII’s Lord Chamberlain so William Stanley had been involved in a treasonous clock with pretender Perkin Warbeck
What was the privy chamber
In response to the conspiracy at court Henry created the privy chamber
Changed the character of the courtby making it more difficult for those out of favour to regain the kings support
What were the functions of Parliament
To pass laws
To grant extraordinary revenue
Dealing with local issues and grievances by passing them on to the kings officials through MPs
How did Henry VII use Parliament
Only the king could call Parliament and Henry demonstrated his right to rule by calling his first Parliament early in his reign.
Henry called Parliament a total of seven times in this reign, five in the first 10 years of the rain and two for the remaining 14 years
Early parliaments were largely concerned about the issue of national security and raising revenue.
For example
first 2 Parliaments granted acts of attainder - found people guilty without going to court if alive, if dead The property was seized
His first Parliament granted tonnage and poundage
His later Parliament granted extraordinary revenue by taxing using fifteenths and tenths
What has historians said about Parliament during Henry’s time
Parliament operated effectively, the king respected institutions and there was a number of private acts passed in response to local demand for improvement
Little evidence to show the king try to manage Parliament through his ministers
How did the king maintain order and justice
Like traditionally relied on the nobility but was aware that if they got too powerful they could have become a challenge to his authority.
Uprisings and rebellions could have been exploited by Henry’s potential enemies to challenges his authority
What was the problem that Henry had with magnates to maintain order
Henry had less magnates to control important land in comparison to Edward IV therefore he could not have the same amount of influence
The Stanleys in the north west
The Earl of Northumberland in The North East and Yorkshire after his murder the Yorkist Earl of Surrey who was imprisoned after the Battle of Bosworth took over. This was a problem as Yorkshire and the north-east was a Hartland for Richard but Surrey proved to be loyal
What was the importance of justices of the peace
Any relied on these people to maintain order and law in the countryside
Met four times a year to administer justice through a quarter session
Became more important in administration such as tax assessments
Did it there’s a way of a sense of duty or because they provided a way to better positions
