Consolidation of Power Flashcards

Henry VII's character and aims, establishing the Tudor dynasty

1
Q

When was the Battle of Bosworth and who was is fought between?

A
  • 22nd August 1485
  • Henry Tudor (Lancaster) vs. Richard III (York)
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2
Q

Who were the key individuals?

A
  • Henry Tudor
  • Richard III
  • Lord Thomas Stanley
  • Sir William Stanley
  • Rhys ap Thomas
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3
Q

What were the key events of the battle?

A
  • Henry gained Welsh support
  • Henry’s army of 5000 men met Richard III’s royal army
  • the Stanleys were reluctant to support Richard
  • the two sides fought, and the Duke of Norfolk (Yorkist) was killed
  • Henry asked the Stanleys to join him
  • Richard III attacks Henry
  • William Stanley takes action
  • Richard III killed
  • Henry becomes king
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4
Q

What is the overall significance of the Battle of Bosworth?

A
  • Henry could be challenged in the future as he usurped the throne from Richard, so could get usurped himself
  • Yorkists could challenge his authority as they may not view him as the rightful king
  • Henry gained the support of the Stanleys
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5
Q

What are the 7 characteristics of Henry VII?

A
  • fearful that he would be usurped, especially as he had many enemies
  • careful with money (spent to benefit himself or the country)
  • “preferred peace to war”
  • kept power to himself to act as insurance
  • ill experienced in government, but governed effectively
  • level headed
  • stranger to England due to his exile to Brittany
    • no reliable, trusted nobles that he was close to
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6
Q

What was Henry’s main aim at the start of his reign?

A
  • to consolidate his power
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7
Q

What were Henry’s immediate actions after the Battle of Bosworth? (1/2)

A
  • dated his reign from 21st August 1485 to ensure the Yorkists would be traitors
    • shows his authority as can and will punish those against him
  • publicly rewarded many supporters
    • gain popularity
  • detaining Elizabeth of York and Earl of Warwick, each who could be greater claimants
    • to ensure Henry’s security
  • appointed Sir William Stanley as Chamberlain of the Household, and made Sir Reginald Bray Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
    • gain popularity with powerful people
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8
Q

What were Henry’s immediate actions after the Battle of Bosworth? (2/2)

A
  • coronation to take place before his first Parliament
    • right to throne based on hereditary not just because of Parliament, therefore strengthen his claim
  • Acts of Attainder against Yorkists in Battle where their property was forfeit to the Crown, increasing royal income
    • enhanced more when Henry granted tonnage and poundage for life
    • land = money = power
  • Jan 1486 Henry married Elizabeth of York, able to ensure his assumption of the Crown was not due to his wife’s claim
    • also able to exploit union of the houses
      • less chance of future conflict
  • September 1489 Prince Arthur born, securing the Tudor dynasty with an heir
    • certainty
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9
Q

Who was Edward, Earl of Warwick?

A
  • last male member of House of Plantagenet
  • nephew of Richard III and Edward IV
  • became Earl of Warwick in 1478
  • after Battle of Bosworth, was brought to London and imprisoned in the Tower
    • due to threat of his claim
  • remained a prisoner for the rest of his life
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10
Q

Who was Sir William Stanley?

A
  • fought on Yorkist side in 1459
  • Richard III rewarded him with land
  • switched to support Henry in 1485
  • helped Henry secure Battle of Bosworth victory
  • Henry made him Lord Chamberlain and Chamberlain of the Exchequer
  • 1495 convicted of treason and executed for his support of pretender Perkin Warbeck
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11
Q

What is parliamentary sanction?

A
  • official confirmation/ratification of a law given by Parliament as the acclaimed body of the State
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12
Q

What are Acts of Attainder?

A
  • declared the landowner guilty of rebelling against a monarch
  • the noble would lose his title, lands and sometimes his ilfe
  • heirs were disinherited
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13
Q

What is tonnage and poundage?

A
  • the right to raise revenue for the whole reign from imports and exports
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14
Q

Why was Henry’s position extremely insecure?

A
  • many Yorkists still regarded him as a usurper, despite his marriage to Elizabeth
  • several potential Yorkist claimants
  • appearance of pretenders to the throne who pretended to be either Edward V or Richard (princes in the Tower)
  • Henry fearful of Margaret of Burgundy’s influence (Edward IV and Richard III sister)
    • had access to funds enabling her to encourage Yorkist claimants
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15
Q

What were the key events in Henry’s consolidation of power in the years 1485 - 1499?

A
  • 1485
    • Henry wins Battle of Bosworth and is crowned king
  • 1486
    • Lovell rebellion
    • Prince Arthur born
  • 1487
    • Lambert Simnel conspiracy
    • Battle of Stoke field
  • 1495
    • Warbeck in Kent
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16
Q

When was the Lovell rebellion?

A

1486

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17
Q

What were the events of the rebellion by Viscount Lovell and the Staffords?

A
  • Viscount Lovell (key Richard III supporter) and Stafford tried to raise a rebellion in North Riding of Yorkshire, heartland of Richard III support
  • at the same time, Stafford tried to raise forces against Henry in the Midlands
  • Lovell escaped from the king’s forces
  • Stafford captured and executed
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18
Q

What is the significance of the Lovell and Stafford uprising?

A
  • little enthusiasm at this stage for a Yorkist rising
  • easily suppressed
  • first (although minor) rising against Henry
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19
Q

When was the Lambert Simnel conspiracy and rebellion of the Earl of Lincoln?

A

1487

20
Q

What were the causes of the Lambert Simnel/Earl of Lincoln rebellion?

A

-leading Yorkists realised a change in strategy was needed to be successful against Henry
- needed a figurehead who could claim to be a Yorkist prince
- needed financial support to generate significant military threat

21
Q

Who was their figurehead?

A
  • Lambert Simnel
  • being passed off as the Earl of Warwick, who had been imprisoned by Henry
22
Q

Who was the conspiracy put together by?

A

John de la Pole, the Earl of Lincoln
- also a potential Yorkist claimant

23
Q

What was Henry VII’s response to the conspiracy?

A
  • the real Earl of Warwick was exhibited in London
24
Q

What were the immediate consequences of the conspiracy?

A
  • Lincoln fled from Henry VII’s court and joined Lord Lovell at the court of Margaret of Burgundy in the Netherlands
    • both persuaded Margaret to support Simnel’s claim and so pay for a force of mercenaries to invade England
      • however, Henry had plenty of notice of the planned rebellion and so was able to prepare
25
Q

How did Henry VII prepare for the rebellion?

A
  • reinstated Earl of Northumberland to power in the north
    • neutralised Richard III’s old base of power
    • ensured the traditional Yorkist Howard family had no intention to join the conspiracy, as Northumberland was one of their descendants
  • reinforced coastal defences in East Anglia
26
Q

What did the rebels actually do?

A
  • landed on northwest coast of England (in Cumberland)
  • crossed Pennines in order to increase support from Richard III’s old heartland in North Riding of Yorkshire
27
Q

What was support for the rebels like?

A
  • Yorkist gentry reluctant to commit fully until they were sure who would win
28
Q

When was the Battle of Stoke Field?

A

1487

29
Q

What were the events of the Battle of Stoke Field?

A
  • Henry gathered group of advisors in the south and Midlands
    • included close relatives and former Yorkists who’d been victims of Richard III
  • the two armies met at East Stoke, near Newark
  • but Henry feared he would be double crossed, like Richard was at Bosworth
  • Henry’s army led effectively by Earl of Oxford
  • Earl of Lincoln killed in battle
    • as he’d been unable to add sufficient supporters to the army of mercenaries
30
Q

What is the significance of Henry’s victory at the Battle of Stoke Field?

A
  • this battle brought a proper end to the War of the Roses
  • Henry’s position became safer, though not completely secure
  • mild in his treatment of the rebels
    • won over some Yorkists who’d opposed him
  • began to develop policy of using bonds of good behaviour
    • ensure landowners were well-behaved, as might face financial ruin otherwise
31
Q

Who was Perkin Warbeck?

A
  • cloth trader from Tournai
  • claimed to be Richard, Duke of York over period of 8 years
  • was able to attract support from foreign rulers
    • made him a more serious threat to Henry
    • demonstrated the fragility of Henry’s rule considered to be by other rulers
32
Q

When and where did Warbeck first impersonate Richard, Duke of York?

A
  • 1491
  • in Ireland
  • was forced to flee from France, so went to court of Margaret of Burgundy
    • trained as a potential Yorkist prince
    • began to draw English courtiers into his conspiracies
33
Q

When was Warbeck’s first attempt to land in England?

A

1495

34
Q

Why did Warbeck’s first attempt prove to be a fiasco?

A
  • Henry had been informed of what Warbeck was going to do by Sir Robert Clifford (one of his royal agents)
  • Warbeck was quickly defeated
35
Q

What were the consequences of Warbeck’s first attempt failing?

A
  • Warbeck fled to the court of James IV of Scotland
36
Q

If it hadn’t failed, why would there have been serious implications for Henry?

A
  • Warbeck had Sir William Stanley, who was in the heart of Henry’s government, as an accomplice
  • Lord Chamberlain was also a potential traitor
    • but also Henry’s step-uncle and headed the royal household
      • especially important as a household government was the political model of the time
37
Q

When was the second attempt made on Warbeck’s behalf?

A
  • 1496
38
Q

What were the events of the second Warbeck invasion?

A
  • small Scottish force crossed the border
  • but quickly retreated
  • Warbeck’s interests were soon sacrificed when James gave in to Henry’s offer of marriage to his daughter, Margaret
39
Q

When and why did Warbeck make his final attempt on the English throne?

A
  • tried to exploit the uncertainties created by the Cornish Rebellion in 1497
40
Q

What were the consequences of this third invasion?

A
  • Warbeck’s forces were crushed
  • Warbeck eventually surrendered to Henry
  • Henry was initially lenient, allowing Warbeck to stay at court
    • however, confined him to the Tower after an attempt to escape
  • after allegedly trying to escape with the Earl of Warwick, Warbeck was accused of treason
    • both were tried and executed in 1499
41
Q

Why was it convenient for Henry that Warbeck’s attempts led to the execution of the Earl of Warwick as well?

A
  • most obvious Yorkist claimant to the throne
  • was accused of plotting with Warbeck against Henry and beheaded
  • removes a serious threat to Henry
42
Q

What was the significance of Edmund de la Pole (Earl of Suffolk) and Richard de la Pole (‘The White Rose’)?

A
  • final piece of dynastic security concerned them
  • they were the younger brothers of the Earl of Lincoln
43
Q

What were the events from 1498 to 1525 concerning the Earl of Suffolk and ‘The White Rose’?

A
  • 1498, Suffolk had fled to Flanders
    • was persuaded to return after short exile
  • 1501, fled again, but to the court of Emperor Maximilian
    • as long as Margaret of Burgundy was opposed to Henry VII, Suffolk was safe
  • 1506 Treaty of Windsor
    • friendly relations restored
    • Maximilian agreed to give up Suffolk, who was then imprisoned in the Tower of London
  • Henry took no further action against him
    • however, Henry VIII had him executed for treason in 1513
  • 1525, Richard de la Pole eventually killed whilst fighting for the French at Battle of Pavia
44
Q

What was Henry also concerned about, having consolidated his power in the short-term?

A
  • concerned about long-term dynastic stability
  • wanted Tudors to have legitimate claim to throne
45
Q

What were his aims for long-term consolidation?

A
  • ensure succession
  • ensure law and order through control of nobility
  • improve Crown finances
  • stabilise dynasty by securing recognition from other powers
46
Q

INCLUDE HOW SUCCESSFUL CONSOLIDATION WAS WHEN YOU HAVE NOTES

A