Chapter 6- Henry VII's Rule in England (Finances, nobles and government)

Question 1

Why were overmighty subjects a problem for Henry?

Answer 1

He was a usurper, another noble could do the same to him.
Nobles like Northumberland in the north-east, Stanleys in the north-west and Norfolk in East Anglia, owned a lot of land so had be controlled.
Henry had been exiled for a lot of his life so needed noble’s advice to govern.
Many nobles still supported Yorkists, like Stanley with Warbeck.

Question 2

What carrots did Henry use?

Answer 2

Patronage, Order of the Garter, King’s Council, Great Council and Acts of Attainder.

Question 3

What sticks did Henry use?

Answer 3

Act of Attainder, bonds and recognisances, feudal dues, retaining and crown lands.

Question 4

Describe Patronage

Answer 4

Henry used patronage to reward not promote good service.
Rewarded Oxford, Jasper Tudor, Thomas Lord Stanley and Robert Lord Willoughby de Broke for their loyalty at Bosworth.
Rewarded Earl of Shrewsbury, Giles Lord Daubeney, Sir Reginald Bray and Edmund Dudley for their good service.

Question 5

Describe the Order of the Garter

Answer 5

Created 37 Knights of the Garter including the Earl of Oxford, Giles Daubeney, Robert Willoughby and Reginald Bray. It was effective because it gave people prestige but not land.

Question 6

Describe the King’s Council

Answer 6

Chancellor= John Morton (1486-1500) and William Warham (1504-09).
Treasurer= Lord Dinham (1486-1501) and Earl of Surrey (1501-22).
Keeper of the Privy Seal= Richard Fox (1487-1516)
His five councillors were Reginald Bray, Giles Daubeney, Richard Guildford, Thomas Lovell and John Riselly

Question 7

Describe the Great Council

Answer 7

Where noblemen met to discuss high matters of state. If nobles were involved in decisions, they couldn’t oppose them.
Five meetings:
1485- Henry’s marriage announcement
1487- response to Simnel threat
1488- authorise a subsidy for Brittany campaign
1491- authorise French war
1496-grant a £120,000 loan for Scottish war

Question 8

Describe Acts of Attainder

Answer 8

He made them reversible so that they were a carrot and a stick. For example, Thomas Howard (Earl of Surrey) was imprisoned in 1486 but refused to escape during the Simnel plot in 1487, he took an oath of allegiance in 1489, was put in charge of the north where he crushed the Yorkshire rebellion and was returned his estates in full in 1492.

Question 9

How many Acts of Attainder did Henry pass and reverse?

Answer 9

Passed 138, reversed 46.

Question 10

How many acts of Attainder did Henry pass and reverse against nobles?

Answer 10

9 passed, 5 reversed

Question 11

Describe bonds and recognisances

Answer 11

Bonds were written agreements of a promise to pay money if they failed on their promise.
Recognisances were a formal acknowledgment of a debt.
For example, Thomas Marquis of Dorset had sided with Richard in 1485, in 1492 he had t transfer all land except 2 estates to trustees, give a recognisance of £1000 and find others to give £10,000. By 1499, he had proved his loyalty and the agreements were cancelled.

Question 12

Describe feudal dues

Answer 12

Henry established his rights as king over:
Wardship- controlled minor’s estates taking the profits until they came of age.
Marriage- profitted from arranged marriages of heirs and heiresses

Question 13

What were the feudal dues?

Answer 13

Henry established his rights as king over:
Wardship- controlled minor’s estates taking the profits until they came of age.
Marriage- profited from arranged marriages of heirs and heiresses
Livery- he was paid to reclaim lands from wardship.
Relief- received money as land was inherited.
Escheats- payments made when land reverted to the Crown

Question 14

Give an example of feudal dues

Answer 14

Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Buckingham was fined £7000 in 1496 for marrying without the King’s licence.
Her son, Edward, Duke of Buckingham was fined £7000 for entering into his inheritance without the King’s licence in 1491.

Proceeds from wardship and marriage rose from £350 in 1487 to £6000 in 1507.

Question 15

Describe retaining

Answer 15

Nobles recruiting gentry followers.
1485- the Lords and Commons had to swear to not retain illegally.
1504- nobles had to obtain a licence to retain, had a £5 per month per retainer fine which was applied to Lord Burgavenny in 1506 for £70,500

Question 16

Describe Crown lands

Answer 16

Lands formerly held by Warwick and Clarence were almost all retained by Henry.
The 1486 Act of resumption recovered all lands given away since 1455.
Where possible, Henry rewarded supporters with forfeited lands which meant attainted people often had to fight to get lands back.

Question 17

How many councillors were there during Henry’s reign?

Answer 17

Over 200

Question 18

Who was in Henry’s inner group?

Answer 18

Morton (Lord Chancellor), Fox (Lord Privy Seal), Dynham (Lord Treasurer and five others.

Question 19

What did Henry’s inner group do?

Answer 19

Did most of the practical government work, many of them came from gentry and professional classes.

Question 20

What specific committees did Henry create?

Answer 20

The Court of Requests, the Curt of General Surveyors an the Council of the Learned in Law.

Question 21

What the the Court of Requests do?

Answer 21

Dealt with individual requests from ordinary people so gained the nickname ‘Court for Poor Men’s Causes’.

Question 22

What did the Court of General Surveyors do?

Answer 22

Checked the revenue from the crown lands and lands which the king was feudal overlord for.

Question 23

What did the Council of the Learned in Law do?

Answer 23

Deal with problems concerning royal lands and rights. It was staffed by men with legal expertise and was important in enforcing bonds and recognisances. It was feared and hated by the end of Henry’s reign.

Question 24

Who originally controlled the north for Henry?

Answer 24

The Earl of Northumberland

Question 25

Who replaced Northumberland in the north and why?

Answer 25

The Earl of Surrey replaced him because he was killed during the 1489 Yorkshire tax rebellion.

Question 26

What was the Council of the North’s responsibilites?

Answer 26

Defend the country from the northern border an use its administrative and judicial power to enforce the law quickly.

Question 27

How did Henry control the Council of the North?

Answer 27

He had the Council in London monitor its activities closely and ensured all members were appointed by him, not Surrey.

Question 28

How did Henry control Wales?

Answer 28

He revived the Council of Wales in 1493, led by his son, Arthur. His control increased due to the death and loss of lands by a number of Marcher lords.

Question 29

How did Henry attempt to control Ireland?

Answer 29

Passed ‘Poynings Law’ of 1494 that said that Irish Parliaments could not be called and pass laws wih the King’s permission.

Question 30

How did Henry attempt to control Ireland?

Answer 30

Passed ‘Poynings’ Law’ of 1494 that said that Irish Parliaments could only be called and pass laws with the King’s permission. He also replaced the Earl of Kildare as Lord Deputy with English Sir Edward Poynings causing Kildare to resist.

Question 31

What did Henry do with Ireland following his failures?

Answer 31

He restored Kildare to his position of Lord Deputy saying “If Ireland cannot control Kildare, then maybe Kildare should control Ireland.”

Question 32

How many Parliaments were called during Henry’s reign

Answer 32

7

Question 33

Why didn’t Parliament meet much?

Answer 33

Henry wanted to avoid asking for money due to the unrest it caused.

Question 34

Who ran the Council of the Learned in Law after 1504?

Answer 34

Empson and Dudley, they were so unpopular that Henry the 8th had them executed hen he became king in 1509.

Question 34

Who ran the Council of the Learned in Law after 1504?

Answer 34

Empson and Dudley, they were so unpopular that Henry the 8th had them executed hen he became king in 1509.

Question 35

Why was it difficult for Henry to enforce the law?

Answer 35

He lacked paid officials so had to rely on nobility and gentry such as the Earl of Shrewsbury in the West Midlands and Lord Hastings in the north Midlands.

Question 36

How did Henry improve law enfrcement?

Answer 36

He introduced Justices of the Peace who were appointed annually. Henry chose second rank landowners so that their loyalty was more assured.

Question 37

What was the role of JPs?

Answer 37

Implement social & economic statutes
Implement justice & try criminal cases
Uphold public order
Replace suspect jury members
Act in non-capital offences without a jury
Reward informers
Arrest and question poachers
Grant bail

Question 38

How much of an issue was Crown income?

Answer 38

In his first year, he only gained £11,700 from his lands (Richard had got £29,000).
He had to take out loans to fund his coronation and marriage
In 1487, there wasn’t enough money for celebrations for the feast of St George.

Question 39

What were Henry’s aims regarding finance?

Answer 39

Reorganise the financial administration, exploit sources of ordinary revenue and increase income from extraordinary revenue.

Question 40

How did Henry change financial administration?

Answer 40

He resorted back to the exchequer but by 1487, began to restore the Chamber System.

Question 41

What did the Chamber System manage by the 1490s?

Answer 41

Crown lands, feudal dues, profits from justice and the French pension.

Question 42

What did the Exchequer control?

Answer 42

Custom duties

Question 43

Give examples of ordinary revenue.

Answer 43

Crown lands, customs, profits from justice and feudal dues.

Question 44

Give examples of extraordinary revenue.

Answer 44

Taxation or borrowing in emergency times.

Question 45

How did Henry improve Crown land finances?

Answer 45

Increased its revenue from £11,700 to £42,000 after the 1486 Act of Resumption.

Question 46

How did Henry maximise feudal dues’ income?

Answer 46

He received £30,000 from knighting his son, Arthur. He also gained from the marriage f his daughter, Margaret to James IV of Scotland.

Question 47

What happened to custom duties?

Answer 47

They fell from £70,000 per year under Edward IV to £40,000 due to the problem of smuggling.

Question 48

How did Hnery gain from the justice system?

Answer 48

He preferred fines to punishment, for example, he fined the Earl of Northumberland £10,000 for raping a royal ward.

Question 49

What happened to feudal dues?

Answer 49

Henry fully exploited income from marriage, livery, relief, wardship and escheats. Subsequently, its income rose from less than £350 pa in 1487 to over £6000 in 1507.

Question 50

What showed the unpopularity of taxation?

Answer 50

The Yorkshire (1489) and Cornish (1497) tax rebellions so Henry was cautious with asking for money.

Question 51

How much income did Henry get from loans?

Answer 51

£203,000 but he did have to repay the loans

Question 52

Did Henry use forced loans (benevolences)?

Answer 52

In 1491, to fund a French expedition bringing in £48,500.

Question 53

Did the Church contribute to royal finances?

Answer 53

In 1489, for a French expedition, the church raise £25,000

Question 54

When and how did Henry achieve an annual pension?

Answer 54

In 1492, from the Treaty of Etaples, he got a pension of £5,000 a year.

Question 55

How much were royal revenues by the end of his reign and how did it compare to the French king?

Answer 55

£113,000 compared to France’s £800,000