Henry Tudor’s consolidation of power- 1485-1509

Question 1

Claim to the throne:

Answer 1

Henry Tudor’s claim to the throne was weak.

> Henry’s claim came through his mother, Margaret
Beaufort, who was a direct descendant of Edward
III by the marriage of his third son, John of Gaunt,
Duke of Lancaster, to Katherine Swynford. However,
the fact that John and Katherine’s son, John Beaufort
(Margaret’s grandfather), had been born prior to their
marriage weakened any future claim to the throne by
this line of descent.

> Henry inherited royal blood from his father, Edmund
Tudor. Edmund’s French mother, Catherine, had
been married to Henry V before she became the wife
of Edmund’s Welsh father, Owen. Edmund was the
half-brother of the king, Henry VI. Henry VI raised
his half-brother to the peerage by creating Edmund,

> Earl of Richmond. Therefore, Henry VII was the half-
nephew of the king of England and a member of the
extended royal family.

> In reality, Henry’s claim to the throne rested on his
victory in battle. That he had defeated and killed
king Richard III was regarded as a sign that God had
approved of Henry’s assumption of power.

Question 2

Aims:

Answer 2

Henry VII’s aim was to remain king and establish his
dynasty by handing on an unchallenged succession to his descendants. His policies at home and abroad were shaped and dictated by this aim. Therefore, his goals were simple:

-to secure and strengthen his dynasty. He knew that if he was to prove himself a strong king and retain full control of his realm he would have to:
>establish effective government
>maintain law and order
>control the nobility
>secure the Crown’s finances.

He would also need good advice, friends abroad and a
considerable amount of luck.

Question 3

Character:

Answer 3

> The character of the king was important because the
ruler was responsible for policy and was closely involved in the business of government. Because monarchy was personal, everything depended on the monarch’s energy, interest and willingness to work.

> Historians have been more concerned with Henry’s aims and achievements than his character, which explains why they tend to disagree about what he was like.

Question 4

Establishing and consolidating the

Tudor dynasty:

Answer 4

> Henry dated the beginning of his reign from the
day before the battle of Bosworth: 22 August
1485. Therefore Richard and his supporters could
be declared traitors, which meant that their estates
became the property of the Crown by Act of
Attainder.

> Henry deliberately arranged his coronation before the
first meeting of parliament. Thus it could never be said
that parliament made him king.

> He married Elizabeth of York, the daughter of Edward
IV. This united the Houses of Lancaster and York and
dissuaded many Yorkists from challenging Henry.

> The birth of a son and heir, Arthur, early in the reign
(September 1486) helped to establish the dynasty.

> Henry enlisted the support of the Church and gained
control of the nobility.

> He secured the support of the Pope and the kings of
France and Spain, who recognised the legitimacy of
his kingship.