Changes made to the structure and function of the Household, 1485 - 1603 Flashcards
Why did the Privy Chamber grow in importance under Henry VII?
Increasingly feared betrayal from those he trusted and the Chamber was used to restrict access to the monarch
What did Henry Tudor create for the Household?
Yeomen of the Guard
Yeomen of the Guard:
Acted as his personal bodyguards and guarded the entrance to his private rooms
What did Henry use the Chamber to store?
Royal income, which he monitored personally
Advantage of the Chamber finance:
Henry always had access to ready money
Disadvantage of the Chamber finance:
Reliant on the monarchs ability and interest in controlling royal income
Chamber finance after Henry VII:
Following Tudor monarchs did not have the time or inclination to follow this system and the use of Chamber finance lapsed
Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber:
The Chamber’s staff
The most important role in the Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber:
Groom of the Stool
Groom of the Stool:
In charge of the royal commode or toilet
Under Henry VII, who were members of the Chamber filled by?
Henry’s most trusted friends, who were usually men from the nobility or gentry
Why had member of the chamber also acted as advisers of Henry and often also employed in more ‘formal’ areas of government?
Because of their daily intimate and physical contact with Henry
Between 1520 and 1525, where were Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber sent?
On diplomatic missions to France and on a military expedition against the Scots
Dry stamp:
Stamp made of the monarch’s signature
How did possession of the Dry stamp give the holder considerable power? (2)
- Control over aspects of government such as grants of land, offices and titles
- Always aware of what is going on
Who led the faction in 1540?
Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford and John Dudley
What did the 1540 faction achieve?
Gained control of the stamp which enabled them to make alterations to the king’s will in their favour in 1547, which bought them increase power and influence in government
Role of the Privy Chamber under Mary and Elizabeth
Filled with more women rather than men as it required close, physical contact with the monarch
Mary’s dry stamp:
Kept under lock and key and never to have allowed its use by her administrators
Why didn’t the Chamber lose political importance entirely under Mary?
Mary’s female attendants were her former servants who had Catholic sympathies and were married to male members of Mary’s Household
Members of Mary’s Chamber: (2)
- Frances Waldegrave
- Frances Jerningham
Why did the Chamber continue to decline in political importance?
Reforms carried out in 1559 meant that members of her Household were also members of the Council. Therefore major decisions were determined through the formal channels of her Council, rather than through the informal route of the Chamber
The role of the Royal Council: (2)
- More formal body to advise the monarch
- Day-to-day running of the country and could act as a judicial court when there were high-profile legal cases which could not be solved through the normal courts of law
Who chose the members of the Council
The Monarch
Role of the Royal Council under Henry VII:
Larger, more informal body than under Henry VIII
How many men attended Council meetings between 1485 and 1509?
Over 200 men
Who was included in Henry’s Royal Council: (2)
- 22 men who had served Edward IV
- 20 men who had served Richard III
Why was the Royal Council crucial to Henry in securing the throne?
Henry was an usurper, with no experience of government and who had lived most of his life in exile, and so such men were important to establish and secure his position on the throne
John Morton:
Served a long and distinguished career in the Royal Council
Royal Council importance on the mood of the country:
Important in gathering opinion about popular opinion and the moos of the country to advise him on the best policy to ensue
Great Councils:
Special gatherings of all members of the nobility and his councillors, mostly on war and taxation
How many Great Council meetings did Henry VII hold between 1487 and 1502;
5
How did Henry manipulate the use of these Great Council meetings?
It made it seem as if he were including all the nobility in his decisions, though in fact he had already made up his mind on what to do
How did Henry VII use the Great Council meeting on ending the invasion of France?
In 1492, when he wanted to end his invasion of France, he made sure that he consulted all the nobility and made them sign a contract agreeing to retreat
When Henry VIII came into power, how was the Royal council left? (2)
- Help the 18 year old Henry to govern
- Made up of experienced administrators, such as the Archbishop of Canterbury, William Warham and the Bishop of Winchester, Richard Fox.
What policy of Henry VII did William Warham and Richard Fox support that conflicted with Henry VIII’s policy?
Not engaging in expensive foreign was
Who were William Warham and Richard Fox replaces by and why?
Thomas Wolsey as he was able to give Henry what he wanted - war
Thomas Wolsey:
First of the king’s chief ministers and was responsible for undertaking much of the day-to-day running of government in which Henry had no interest
Members of the Royal Council under Wolsey:
40 members whom would not attend on a regular basis
What did Wolsey plan to put forward in 1526?
Eltham Ordinances - to reduce the number of men in the Royal Council to 20 men who would meet daily
When was the Privy Council created?
1540
