Henry's government, judiciary and finance Flashcards
Important people
John Morton - Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Chancellor
Richard Fox - Bishop of Winchester, Lord Privy Seal
Sir Reginald Bray - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Role and structure of the King’s Council
Dealt with disputes between nobility as well as politically sensitive cases (e.g Lord Dudley brough before council for rioting)
Made up of gentry, churchmen and nobility
Small council - efficient
King sat in on important sessions
1497 - post of Lord President of the Council created to oversee when Henry was busy
Role and structure of the Great Council
Advised the King on important matters of foreign policy and internal security (e.g. authorised 1496 grant of £120,000 for war in Scotland)
Big council - around 200 people
Council Learned in Law
Dealt with fines and bonds and recognisances
Headed by Empson and Dudley
Ruthlessly efficient, hated by the nobility
Court of the Star Chamber
Introduced in 1487 with the aim to reestablish law and order after the Wars of the Roses
Acted as a court of appeal for victims of crime (e.g dealt with many cases of enclosure)
Local government
Henry tried to reassert royal authority in the counties by reintroducing sheriffs and JPs
Parliament
Henry VII didn’t use Parliament much - only 7 times in his reign, compared to 46 times under Edward IV
Recognised his entitlement to the throne, granted tonnage and poundage, passed Acts of Attainder, voted on taxes
Court of the King’s Bench
Highest and most important court in the kingdom and could override judgements by any other court
Mainly dealt with land disputes
Not very effective, met for no more than 3 months a year, 3 hours per day
Court of Chancery
Expanded under Henry VII
Dealt with contracts, land holding and interpreting wills
Cases assessed by one of the King’s ministers, asserting royal authority
Usually quick in decision making
The Assizes
Travelling criminal court held in each county once every six months
Very inefficient, cases could take years to be completed
Shire Courts
Run by JPs, held 4x a year
Main criminal courts under Henry VII
Manorial court
Local, low-level court settling civil matters like cattle wounding or damage to crops
JPs
About 18 per county, given more power by Henry VII
1487 - could grant bail to people awaiting trial
1495 - could vert juries and replace those they thought to be bribed
Regional councils
Council of the North - sat in York, headed by Reginald Bray
Council of Wales - ensured royal law upheld, headed by Jasper Tudor and Prince Arthur
How much money was Henry VII bringing in from his estates in 1486?
Only a little over £12,000 in comparison to Richard III’s £25,000
How did Henry reform his financial system from the end of 1487?
Restored the chamber system as the heart of financial administration.
What did Henry’s Privy Chamber deal with in terms of finance?
Transfer of revenue from crown lands, feudal dues, profits of justice and the French pension (from T of Etaples)
Treasurers of the Chamber under Henry VII
Sir Thomas Lovell (until 1492), then Sir John Heron
How did Henry VII use the Church as a source of revenue?
Gave Henry £25,000 at the start of his reign
Henry was able to sell off positions (e.g. Archdeaconry of Buckingham for £300)
When a bishop died, Henry could leave the position vacant for a while to take the revenue himself - got £6,000p.a from this
What were commissioned loans and how did Henry VII use them as a source of revenue?
Loans usually collected from the nobility.
Henry borrowed approximately £203,000 from nobles during his reign.
How did Henry use customs duties as a source of revenue?
Tonnage and poundage granted in first Parliament
Henry got around £40,000p.a. for this (however, EdIV got £70,000 - not really Henry’s fault as there was an increase in smuggling in this period)
How did Henry VII use benevolences as a source of revenue?
Forced loans from nobility to the king.
e.g. 1491 - Henry raised £48,000 in benevolences due to war w/ France
How did Henry use wardships as a source of revenue?
Took payment from inheritance, could sell wardship, when the child becomes an adult, they have to pay the king to recover their coat of arms/livery
How did Henry use special feudal tax?
Tax paid by nobles on special occasions
e.g. nobles paid £30,000 when Prince Arthur was knighted in 1489
Effect of 1486 Act of Resumption
Rents from crown land increased from £29,000 in 1485 to £42,000 in 1509
How did Henry use controlling marriages as a source of revenue?
Katherine, dowager Duchess of Buckingham, fined £7,000 for remarrying without the King’s permission
Examples of profits from the legal system?
Earl of Northumberland fined £10,000 for rape charge
In aftermath of Cornish rebellion, Cornwall, Devon and Somerset fined £15,000
Example of bond and recognisance?
Thomas Grey signed recognisance for £1,000
36/62 noble families signed these
Overall (annual) crown income by 1509?
around £113,000
comparatively, the King of France got around £800,000 per year
How much revenue was there from crown land by the end of Henry’s reign?
£40,000 (compared to £12,000 at start of reign)
What lands were part of Henry’s crown lands?
All lands of the Houses of Lancaster and York, Earldoms of Richmond, March and Warwick and the Principality of Wales
Annual income rose from £29,000 in 1485 to £42,000 in 1509
Who was appointed Master of the King’s Wards?
Sir John Hussey
Wardship income subsequently rose from £350 in 1487 to £6,000 in 1507
How much did Henry’s income from customs duties rise in his reign?
From £33,000 to £40,000
Example of profits from illegal retaining (incl in profits from justice)
1507 - Lord Burgavenny fined £70,450 for retaining 471 men
How much did receipts of bonds and recognisances rise?
£3,000 in 1493 to £35,000 in 1505
Example of profit from parliamentary taxation?
Gross yield from a tax of fifteenths and tenths was around £31,000 throughout the reign
Special taxes for wars in Brittany and Scotland caused 2 rebellions
Example of a clerical gift?
£25,000 as a gift from the convocation for the war with France
Income from the French pension?
£159,000/750,000 crowns
How many times did Parliament meet?
7 times in the whole reign (5 times in the first 10 years - shows Henry used Parliament to consolidate control but gradually stopped relying on them)
What happened in Henry’s first Parliament?
Nov 7th 1485 - passed 28 acts of attainder, granted tonnage and poundage, Act of Resumption passed at the end of this Parliament
Examples of Parliament defying Henry’s wishes?
1504 - only granted £40,000 of the £90,000 Henry had requested in taxation
What was set up after Stanley’s betrayal to make access to the King more difficult?
the Privy Chamber
How many councillors on the Great Council?
227 (around 50% of which were clerics)
Examples of appointments to the King’s Council for loyal service?
Earl of Oxford made Great Chamberlain
Thomas Howard made Lord Treasurer in 1501
What other small committees were set up
Committee to implement Acts of Livery
Council of General Surveyors (who audited the revenue from crown lands)
How was Ireland governed?
Irish chieftains ruled most of Ireland (English influence strongest in the Pale)
Earl of Kildare (one of the most important Irish nobles) stripped of the title of Lord Deputy in 1492
Sir Edward Poynings made Lord Deputy in 1494 - set up Poynings’ Law, which gave much more authority to the Crown
However, expense of ruling Ireland was too high, so Henry reinstated Kildare as Lord Deputy
What was the role of sheriffs in Henry’s England?
Managed Parliamentary elections
Used for peacekeeping and the detention of criminals
How much did his income increase in total?
52000 –> 142000
