Domestic Policies Flashcards
What were the aims of Henry’s domestic policies?
To control the nobility - did this through attainders, curbing retaining and rewarding good service
2. Cooperate with the church - Henry offered the church his patronage and protection and in return they upheld his God given right to rule. The Pope supported Henry
3. Control law and order - Jps and sheriffs kept order and were trusted by noble governors who worked through regional councils yo bring the kingdom under control
How did Henry VII create a new monarchy?
Reduced the power of the aristocracy
Established a financially independent monarchy
What effect did the council learned have on the nobility?
In the last years of Henry’s reign the nobility found themselves under financial threat from the King
In the absence of an army and the machinery of government how did Henry govern?
Made effective use of the nobility and gentry to control the regions
Gentry acted as JPs to enforce his will in the localities
Parliament passed laws which increased the scope of the gentries powers
Who was Sir Reginald Bray?
Faithful servant
Helped Henry raise funds for the battle of Bosworth
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Led the council learned in law
Thomas Penn described him as the Kings chief exec
More powerful than most nobles
Who else advised Henry?
His mother Margaret Beaufort
What was the Great Council?
A gathering of the House of Lords, not the commons
No defined function
occassional not permanent body
Met 5 times in H reign
Focussed on war and rebellion - issues of national security
Who developed the council learned in law?
Bray
What was the function of the council learned?
To maintain the King’s revenue and exploit his prerogative rights
How did the council learned entrap the King’s subjects?
Summoned people to appear and used the bonds of behaviour
Caused fear, frustration and anger
Bypassed the legal system and was seen as shady
Helped the King maintain authority and raised taxes
Who was Bray’s associate on the council learned?
Richard Empson an ambitious lawyer who was ruthless
Who replaced Bray on his death on the councile Learned?
Edmund Dudley
How did the council learned develop under Dudley?
Able and conscientious bureaucrats who were adept at extracting money from the King’s subjects
Who were their enemies>
Bishop Fo nd Thomas Lovell who had Dudley and Empson removed on the death of Henry VII. Empson was executed
How did people react when Dudley and Empson were emoved from the King’s learned council
There was rejoicing on the streets - shows how unpoular the King’s financial control was
What were the different levels of Henry’s court?
The household proper - looked after the King
The Chamber
What was the role of the household proper?
To feed and entertain the King
Supervised by the Lord Steward
What was the role of the Chamber?
Preseided over by the Lord Chamberlain
Made up of powerful and trusted courtiers
It was a blow to Henry to discover that his Lord Chamberlain Sir William Stanley ws involved in a treasonable plot with Perkin Warbeck in 1495
How did henry respond when Sir William Stanley Lord Chamberlain betrayed him?
He remodelled the chamber into a new privy i.e private chamber
This made it difficult for those who were out of favour to gain access to the King
Which was more mportant the House of Lords or Commons?
The Lords (Bishops and nobility)
Who were in the House of Commons?
2 MPS for each county, 2 MPs for each borough, reps from Oxford and Cambridge
What was the purpose of the first 2 parliaments of Henry’s reign?
Security and raise revenue
Acts of attainder were granted - these declared individuals guilty without a trial
Whether alive or dead their property had to be forfeited to the crown
Granted tonnage and poundage (custom revenues for life)
What was the purpose of later parliaments?
To raise extraordinary revenue for wars which were taxes imposed on the tax payers goods known as fifteenths and tenths
The final parliament of 1504 managed to limit the demand for extraordinary revenue and an undertalikng that he King would not seek more revenue than he needed
How far did Henry create a new monarchy?
he continued with the work of his Yorkist predecessors
However he made local and national govt more efficient
He modernised the monarchy by creating the privy chamber
Some say he was a ruler of modest ability who left things t the beaurocrats Bray and Empson. Others say he ws deepy involved in governance
What were Henry’s problems re. maintaining peace?
The number of magnates were reduced in the last years of the wars of the Roses and their lands had fallen into the hands of the church
How did Henry solve the problems of being without a great magnate to exercise power?
He released the Earl of Surrey from the Tower and sent this known supporter of Richard to rule the North, It could be high risk
Surrey proved his loyalty for 10 years.
He used the Marquis of Dorest who he did not trust.
To counter the lack of trust he used a spying network to report on magnates and impose bonds
What did JPs do to maintain law and order?
Met 4 times a year
What did Sir Edmund Dudley say the purpose of bonds were?
So the King could have many persons in danger at his pleasure.
He used bonds to enforce behaviour and order
