#5 Reducing the power of the nobility

Question 1

What were the seven methods Henry VII used to reduce the power of the nobility?

Answer 1

1. Order of the Garter
2. King’s/ Great Council
3. Acts of Attainder
4. Bonds and recognisances
5. Limiting retainers
6. Feudal rights
7. Restoration of crown lands

Question 2

Why was it important Henry controlled the nobility?

Answer 2

As a usurper he was vulnerable to a powerful noble attempting to overthrow him

Problems of the 1450s-60s had been at least partly caused by the powerful nobility exploiting the weak king

Spent years in exile - needed their help and advice to govern, enforce law etc

Could provide leadership and sufficient force for a rebellion e.g. Lovell

Question 4

How many knights of the Garter did Henry VII create?

Answer 4

37

Question 5

Why was grating land as a reward for loyalty not a great idea?

Answer 5

Created ‘super nobles’

Took land and thus power away from King as meant giving away crown lands

Question 6

Why was creating Knights of the Garter effective?

Answer 6

1. Rewarding respect without losing land
2. Position highly coveted
3. Rewarded loyalty and thus encouraged loyalty

Question 7

How did Henry change the relationship of patronage and way was this effective

Couple of examples of who he granted it to

Answer 7

Instead of giving patronage in hopes that it would inspire loyalty, given to those who had already proven loyalty

Highly prestigious

1. Earl of Oxford for support at Bosworth
2. Non-nobles such as Reginald Bray and EMpson Dudley

Question 8

In what two ways was a summons to the King’s/Great Council effective at controlling nobilty?

Answer 8

1. Greatest honour for the most loyal
   
   1. 5 key councillors had supported him before Bosworth
2. Once a policy had been agreed, and nobles had given their support, difficult to criticise the policies

Question 9

Why were Acts of Attainder effective?

Answer 9

Reduced power of threatening nobles by bringing them into social and economic delcine - stick

Encouraged loyalty so as to reverse the Attainder - carrot

Attaching conditions to reversed Attainders gave Henry even more control over the nobility

Question 10

Henry passed __ Attainders

reversed __

but attached condition to __ of them

Answer 10

Henry passed 9 Attainders

reversed 5

but attached condition to 4 of them

Question 11

What were bonds and recognisances?

Reasons they were effective?

Answer 11

Written agreements whereby nobles who offended the king either paid for their offense or paid money for security of future good behaviour

1. Very effective at discouraging potentially disloyal nobles
2. Raised money adn thus increased influence for the crown

Question 12

Example of a bond/recognisance?

Answer 12

£10,000 for the Marquess of Dorset

Question 13

Problems with Acts of Attainder?

Answer 13

Caused some unrest e.g. Edmund de la Pole resented Henry for stripping him of inheriting his father’s dual title etc and became a troublesome claimant

Question 14

Problems with bonds and recognisances?

Answer 14

Grew in harshness through reign, and if Henry has lived much longer might have eventually lead to rebellion ^{_{(he didn’t though)}}

Question 15

What evidence is there to suggest that Henry was effective in limiting retainers?

Answer 15

Absence from records of any illegal retaining suggests policy was at least partially successful

Raised funds for Henry

Question 16

What two legal things did Henry do to limit retainers?

Answer 16

1. 1485 - made Lords and Commons swear not to retain illegally
2. 1504 - issued proclamations that ensured nobles needed a licence to retain, underpinned by threat of heavy fines

Question 17

Why was it so vital that Henry controlled retainers?

Answer 17

If troops were deployed against the King were a serious threat as he did not have a stadning army - perhaps the greatest threat posed by the nobility

Question 18

Example of limiting retainers

Answer 18

Lord Burgavenny in 1506

Cost him over £70,000

Question 19

How did insisting on his feudal rights strengthen Henry’s control over the nobility?

Answer 19

1. Constant reminder of King’s authority
2. Nobles lost power and wealth
3. King gained wealth and thus power

Question 20

Explain the feudal rights of the King associated with:

Marriage

Wardship

Relief

Livery

Answer 20

Marriage

King could exploit this so as to profit from arranged marraiges of heirs

Wardship

Estates of minors placed under royal control, exploited for royal gain

Relief

Payment to king when land was inherited

Livery

Payment to king to recover land form wardship

Question 21

Problems with insisting on feudal rights?

Answer 21

May have caused some resentment especially during final years as king when HEnry really cracked-down

Question 22

Most notable measure in restoration of crownlands?

Answer 22

1486 Act of Resumption

Recovered land granted away since before the Wars of the Roses

Question 23

How did Henry grant land without it eating away at his own land?

Answer 23

Wherever possible granted land from estates that had been taken by attainder from other nobles

Question 24

What has Steven Gunn estimated about the amaount of land Henry got as a result of his stinginess?

Answer 24

About five times as much as the crown had at the end of Henry VI’s reign

Probably his most successful area

Question 25

Overall judgement on Henry’s control of the nobility?

Answer 25

There was little noble unrest after the defeat of Simnel

Numbers of ‘over-mighty’ subjects definitely reduced

BUT

Because Henry was so repressive towards the end if his reign he might have started a new civil war if he had not died in 1509

PLUS he never rested easy…