Changing Relationships between the crown and nobility Flashcards
What was the role of the medieval monarch?
Maintain inward and outward peace - foreign policy and justice
How did a king demonstrate their authority?
Military ability - leading an army either in England or in foreign ventures
Assert position as a judge - head of the legal system
What is key in terms of kingship?
Personality
Who was a bad king in terms of personality?
Henry VI - delegated posts and authority to noblemen didn’t do much
What is the Exchequer?
Dealt with royal finance and headed by the treasurer - collection of revenues - taxes.
What is the Chancery?
Legal section - clerks wrote up legal documents - royal charters.
What is the Great Seal?
Required to authenticate documents
Who was the head of the Chancery?
Chancellor and for most of the period - held by a bishop - importance of the church in government.
What is the Office of the Privy Seal?
Developed in the early 14th century - reflected the growing bureaucratisation of the Chancery - now held the Great Seal almost permanently
What was the key official in the Office of the Privy Seal?
Keeper of the Privy Seal and throughout the late medieval period this role was held by a senior clergyman - canon, dean or bishop
Where was the Office of the Privy Seal based?
London but tended to travel with the king
What did the King’s Chamber originally refer to?
King’s private rooms
Who headed the King’s Chamber?
Chamberlain - considerable control over who could see the king and how royal finances were spent.
What was the Great Council?
Made up of any of the lords who served in parliament and who were available at the time - often a large body
How many Lords would be in the Great Council?
Upwards of 125
What was the advantage of the Great Council?
Called at shorter notice with less formality - speedy to deal with emergencies
What was the disadvantage of the Great Council?
Record keeping less complete - patchy sources - king usually had a greater influence over individuals who could be called to these meetings
Why was the Great Council usually called?
War or key government decisions
What was the Continual Council?
Smaller group of closest advisers - dealt with everyday governance
When did the Continual Council become more formalised?
1377 - fixed post of Clerk was established
What was a key role of the main offices of state?
Advising the King - considered crucial that the king listen to a wide set of views
What would make a king less popular?
If he played favourites with higher lords
What happened in 1405?
Henry IV was criticised of playing favourites and he was pressured into removing knights and esquires from the council
Who sought advice of lesser men?
Edward III
Who dominated Henry VI?
Suffolk and Somerset
What is another role of the offices of state?
Communicating the King’s will to the regions - via royal proclamations - legally binding through messengers
Who enforced laws?
Lords and lesser landowners - gentry
Who acted as law enforcement?
Lords and Gentry - sheriffs or Justices of the Peace
What can the king call?
Parliament - summonses sent around the country for attendance
Who decided if the King could raise taxes?
Lords and the parliament
What was the only acceptable to raise tax?
Defense
Who were regular clergy?
Monks, nun, friars - the religious - lifelong vows of chastity, poverty and obedience - religious order
What was the secular clergy?
Priests and deacons - lived in parishes - cathedral chapters - mixing with the population more freely.
What could clergy claim?
Tax exemptions on income - caused friction between the crown and church
What did the clergy run?
Their own law courts and had legal privilege
What was legal privilege for the clergy?
Request trial in church not in court. Subjected to abuse - no death penalty - avoid extreme penalty of the law.
What were all churches?
Roman Catholic - first allegiance to the pope not the king
What was the benefits of papal approval?
1985 - Henry Tudor - assisted by Pope Clement VII - in the eyes of god, Henry was the rightful king
What was papal dispensation?
Giving permission to marry your cousin
Who tended to seek high ranking church positions?
Those seeking a public career - gentry
Example of gentry using the clergy to get public career?
William Wykeham - Bishop of Winchester and then Chancellor
Who advanced their career through the church?
John Morton - became a canon lawyer and then moved into royal service - Chancellor following Bosworth and made Archbishop of Canterbury
Who was put in the church to develop their careers?
Henry Beaufort and Thomas Bourchier
What are overmighty subjects?
Potential rivals to the king who acted as a key prop to the power of the crown
When are overmighty subjects an issue?
When there is an under-mighty king
What was the impact of the usurpation of Richard II?
Undermine future kings’ claims to the throne for three generations.
When was the Southampton plot?
1415
What was Henry IV successful in doing?
Leaving a relatively secure throne for Henry V
What happened in the first two years of Henry V’s reign?
Resurgence of Anti-Lancastrian sentiment
What was the aim of the Southhampton plot?
Aimed to kill Henry and replace him with Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March
Who was at the head of the Southampton Plot?
Richard Conisburg - Earl of Cambridge - Henry Scrope, Baron of Masham - and Sir Thomas Grey
Who else was dissatisfied with the Lancastrian regime?
Scottish and Welsh rebels, earl of Northumberland and Lollards
Who supported the regime?
French
Who betrayed the rebellion and why?
Mortimer - they didn’t tell Henry - offered a pardon by Henry
Who was the most dangerous threat to Henry VII’s throne?
Edward Earl of Warwick - he was thrown into the tower of London to stop any issues
When was the Lambert Simnel Conspiracy?
1486
Who manipulated Simnel?
Richard Symonds
Why did the Irish support Simnel?
EoW - grandson to RDoY - popular in Ireland since his lieutenancy in 1447.
Who wanted to cause difficulties for the new king?
Walter Fitzsimmons - Archbishop of Dublin and the earl of Kildare
Who else supported the rebellion?
Margaret of Burgundy - sent 2000 men
When was Simnel crown king in Dublin?
1487
Who was arrested?
Anyone with Yorkist cvonnections
Who was arrested specifically?
Elizabeth Woodville and the Marquis of Dorset
What did Henry VII do?
Parade the real EoW
When was the Battle of Stoke?
1487
What happened at Stoke?
Leaders killed - Simnel pardoned - worked in the palace kitchens - highlighted the fragility of the Tudor claim and indicated early unease.
Who did Perkin Warbeck pretend to be?
Richard of Shrewsbury
Who supported Warbeck?
Yorkists, French and Margaret - also Scots
Who did Perkin Warbeck marry?
Catherine Gordon - cousin of James IV of Scotland
How many times did Warbeck try to invade?
3 times
Where and when did Warbeck manage to raise a rebel army?
1497 in Exeter
When did he turn himself in?
August 1497 - did try to escape and was plotting with Ed
When was Warbeck and Ed killed?
November 1499
What was the expectation of Lords in traditional feudalism?
Provide to vassals not only with the use of the fief but also protection.
What is a fief?
Land granted to the vassal
What was traditional feudal relations based on?
Hereditary
When were anti-retaining statutes passed?
1468 and 1504
Who coined the term bastard feudalism?
McFarlane and Plummer
Why was traditional feudalism problematic?
Estates divided through inheritance and marriage, lords did not always have property to provide numerous vassals with land and feudal holdings descended through the vassal’s family line
What did Lords start doing?
Money - cash payments in return for military and non-military service
What is a retainer?
Men who served the Lord - made up a retinue or affinity
What is a livery?
Distinctive badge or item of clothing - advertise their link to a lord
What did bastard feudalism focus on?
Personal relationship between a man and his Lord - sometimes a written contract = indenture
What was the advantage for Lords?
easier to stop paying a disobedient retainer than to confiscate land - gave lord and retainer more control over whom they chose to bind themselves to
Why should the flexibility of bastard feudalism not be overstated?
Men in a retinue had to have someone act as their protector
What lead to overmighty subjects?
Liveries and retaining - basically private armies
What were retinues needed for?
Provide the necessary number of armed men for the king’s wars
What did Ed IV do in1468?
Outlawed the practice of retaining except for legal advisers, domestic servants, estate officials and those in lawful service
What happened in 1504?
Lords receive written permission in the form of a licence from the king to retain men and provide a list of retainers for his approval - disobedience was liable to be fined - enormous sums were levied on those who retained men illegally - loyal associate - Thomas Lovell - could develop extensive affinities.
Where were the Nevilles and the Percies?
Yorkshire, Lake District and Northern countries
When did the Nevilles and the Percies gain prominence?
14th Century
Who was Hotspur?
Henry Percy - Earl of Northumberland
How did the Nevilles gain power and prestige?
Involvement in wars against the Scots
What did Richard Neville become by the 15th Century?
Earl of Salisbury
What meant that the Nevilles and Percies would inevitably be rivals?
Close estates
How were the Percies set back?
1403 - Hotspur leads a rebellion against Henry IV and dies
What happened following the Battle of Shrewsbury?
Precise had to forfeit estates to the crown
How did the Percies get the lost land back?
1416-1440 - Hotspur’s grandson managed patient negotiations
What was Richard’s position in court?
Member of the King’s council and important
What was the Earl of Warwick called?
Kingmaker
How did the Earl of Warwick get his title?
Inherited through his marriage to Anne Beauchamp
What increased Percy resentment towards the Nevilles?
The growing ascendancy of the Nevilles
Who was a key Percy?
Lord Egremont
What was the main trigger of conflict in 1453 and 1454?
Marriage of Thomas Neville to Maud Stanhope
Why was this marriage an issue?
Maud was the niece and co-heiress of Lord Cromwell who inherited two former Percy manors or Wressle and Burwell
Who was actively hostile in June and July 1953?
Egremont and John Neville
What did Henry VI try to do?
Summon them repeatedly - weak and ineffective solution - they just ignored him
What happened in Summer in 1453?
Henry goes Catatonic
When was the Stanhope marriage?
24th August 1453
What happened at the wedding?
Nevilles returning from the wedding party - ambushed by the Percies - attempted to assassinate Salisbury and the newly weds
How many Percy retainers were named?
710
Who do the Nevilles support?
Richard Duke of York - marriage to Cecily
What happened in Early 1454?
Tension local and national = high - Jan - leading noble opponents arrived in London for parliament - armed - significant and threatening show of strength
Who was made chancellor?
Richard Salisbury
Who else tried to gain support for an armed rebellion?
Egremont and Exeter
When was Love Day?
1458
Where were the Bonvilles and Courteneys?
South West
Who was the prominent member of the Courtnays?
Earl of Devon
Who was traditionally dominant in the Bonville v Courtenay feud?
Courtenays
Who were the Bonvilles?
Lords of Harrington
When did the Harrington tides change?
15th century
What happened to the earls of Devon?
Amongst the poorest families of their rank by 1430
What happened in 1437?
King appointed Boville as Royal Steward in Cornwall for life
What did Courtenary see this appointment as?
Serious threat to regional authority.
What happened in the late 1430s and early 1440s?
Bonville increased influence at court and supported the duke of Suffolk and Margaret in politics
What happened in 1449?
Alliance succeeded in gaining Bonville his elevation to peerage - Baron Bonville of Chewton
What was Courtenay’s response to this elevation?
Rallying with the rival faction - led by York
What did Devon do in the Summer of 1451?
Placed Taunton under siege - only stopped by York’s intervention
When and where did Bonville exercise dominance?
1452-55 in West Country - had the full support of Henry - stayed with them in 1452
What cemented the Bonville support of York?
1455 - marriage of Katherine Neville to Bonville’s grandson
What happened on the 23 October 1455
Murder of Nicholas Radford - lawyer.
What happens in 1458?
Courtenay find favour with the queen - pushed Bonvilles further to York
What happens in 1460?
Both William Bonville’s son and grandson fight at Wakefield and die.
What battle occurs in 1461?
Second Battle of St Albans
Who were the Pastons?
Upwardly mobile gentry family in Norfolk - considerable significance - letters.
Who was John Paston?
Lawyer who made a advantageous marriage to Margaret Mauteby - became a confidante and legal adviser to local Knight - John Fastolf
What happened when the knight died?
John claimed to be the main beneficiary thanks to a nuncupative will - said then written later.
Who opposed the inheritance?
Howes and Yelverton - dispute descended into violence - got out of hand cause of Edward usurping.
Who had territorial interests in the estates?
Mowbrays and the de la Poles
What did the Mowbrays and de la Poles use to their advantage?
The crown’s weakness and the upheaval as an opportunity to further their own claims.
What castle did Norfolk seize in 1461?
Caister Castle
What did Suffolk do in 1465?
Laid claim to two disputed Norfolk manors of Hellesdon and Drayton - men attack and rob the properties - considerable damage.
Where did Paston end up?
Fleet Prison in London
Who did Paston ally with?
Yorkists - didn’t prevent Lord Scales claiming his property in the king’s name in Jan 1466
Who was John II?
In the King’s household and well connected
What happened in 1468?
Yelverton and Howes sold their rights to Norfolk - took advantage of the northern crisis and besieged Caister for five weeks - forcing the defenders to surrender.
What happens in 1470 June?
Meeting between Warwick and Margaret, brokered by Louis XI of France, and agreement that Prince Edward would marry Anne Neville in return for Warwick fighting to reclaim Henry’s throne, and the English would enter into an alliance with France against Burgundy.
What happened in September 1470?
Warwick, Clarence, Jasper Tudor and the Earl of Oxford sailed from Normandy and landed in Devon. They then marched to Coventry, raising an army in the king’s name, and were joined by earl of Shrewsbury, Lord Stanley and John Neville (Montague)
What happens to Edward?
Edward, trapped between his opponents, fled England for Burgundy; the Queen went into sanctuary, where her son, Edward, was born in November
What happens in October 1470?
Henry taken from the Tower and returned to the throne, after being being ‘re-crowned’ publicly in Westminster Abbey – the readeption
How much help does Edward get from Charles the Bold?
£50,000
What happens March 1471?
Edward set sail and landed at Ravenspur. He swiftly gained entry into York, Tadcaster, Wakefield,
Doncaster, Nottingham, Leicester, Coventry.
What happens April 1471?
Edward headed south and Clarence switched sides to join him at Banbury.
Where does Edward head?
ondon (the Londoners decided to support him); he entered the city triumphantly and sent Henry VI to the Tower.
When was the Battle of Barnet?
1471 Easter Sunday
What is the result of the Battle of Barnet?
Edward triumphant; Warwick and John Neville killed
Where do Margaret and Edward go in April 1471?
Weymouth and head for Wales
When was the Battle of Tewkesbury?
May 1471
What was the result of the Battle of Tewkesbury?
Edward triumphant; Prince Edward killed, Somerset pulled from sanctuary and executed; Margaret taken prisoner a few days later
When is Henry VI killed?
21 May 1471
What did Ed create?
Local and regional councils
Where was the most significant council?
Council of the North - based in Sheriff Hutton and later in York
What did the Council of the North do?
Established to co-ordinate protection for the area from the Scottish threat. Northern counties noted for their lawlessness.
Who lead the council of the North?
Gloucester
What did the Welsh council do?
Needed to ensure strong, loyal local leadership - prone to rebellion - Lancastrian stronghold - principality of Wales as well as the marcher lordship - counties on the modern Anglo-Welsh border
Who ruled the Welsh Council?
The king’s eldest son - infant son - ruled by noblemen. Edward Prince of Wales and earl of Chester in June 1471.
