Henry V11 - Government Flashcards
How did he establish the Tudor dynasty?
Coronation, Marriage, Parliament, Handling of Supporters/Opponents, Propaganda
Why was coronation ceremony so important to establishing rule?
Legitimise claim to throne, God’s approval, church’s approval, nobility swears oath of loyalty to King
When and where was Henry’s coronation?
1485, Westminister Abbey (ancient, respected.)
What did the speed of the coronation symbolise?
Safety measure to symbolise legitimacy, not just successful in battle
Why was coronation before parliament was called?
To ensure no one could say Parliament helped Henry become King
What did the coronation do socially?
United public after years of turmoil and struggle - celebrations, bonfires, crowds
Who carried Henry’s train at his coronation?
Earl of Oxford - loyal to Henry, sends positive message
What did the Archbishop claim Henry was at the coronation?
Rightful and undoubted inheritor by the laws of God and man
Why was Henry’s marriage to Elizabeth essential?
Symbolises reconciliation between House of York and Lancaster
Who was Elizabeth of York daughter to?
Edward IV
How did decorations at coronation show his legitimacy?
Wasted no expenses, Welsh red lions in gold thread on red velvet to show legitimacy and power
When was Arthur born and what did he do?
1486, gave Tudor dynasty a degree of permanence
How did Elizabeth of York compensate for Henry’s weak claim to throne?
Plantagenet blood compensated, satisfied Yorkist supporters
When was parliament summoned?
After coronation in 1485
When did Henry embark on royal progress?
1485 to the North
What is royal progress?
Tour of kingdom by monarch and court to hear petitions and grant favours, win respect of public
Why was royal progress important?
To encourage loyalty to King, to secure new dynasty, rebuild relationships after conflict
How did Henry travel to North/Midlands?
Magnificently, proudly, wanted to be heard
Examples of Henry rewarding supporters (3)
Jasper Tudor became Duke of Bedford
John de Vera became Earl of Oxford
John Morton became Lord Chancellor (later Archbishop of Canterbury)
What was Jasper Tudor given?
royal authority over Wales, played leading role in suppressing rebellions in 1486-7
What did rewarding supporters do?
Stabilised government because supporters now in control of areas across England (Midlands, North, Wales)
How many people were granted office for supporting Henry in exile?
74
What did Henry give to loyal supporters?
Land from forfeited lands of opponents
What were royal nobles rewarded with and what was it?
Order of Garter, gave nobles status
How many nobles received Order of Garter during his reign?
37
Why did Henry date his reign a day before the Battle of Bosworth? (21 August 1485)
So opposition could be branded as traitors to the crown
What did Henry do with Earl of Warwick and why?
Imprisoned him, better claim to the throne
What did Henry VII do to opposing nobles?
Stripped them of land/power and titled
What did Henry also implement to gain favour?
Calculated mercy - e.g revering attainders for good behaviour
What did Act of Attainder do?
Henry can punish traitors by confiscating land, coercive tool, no trial
Why did Henry VII destroy Titilus Regius?
Identified Queen as bastard, recognised Richard III title. Historians assume other favourable documents to Richard III were also destroyed
What did Henry create to represent peace after 50 years of civil war?
Tudor Rose - combination of York and Lancaster
What first thing did Henry VII create?
First English pound as a coin
What did English pound do?
Put into circulation to spread message (especially to foreign visitors)
What does the English pounds feature?
Henry’s body, Imperial crown on head, Tudor rose, coin used as mass media
How much of Henry’s council were clerics?
50% - John Morton, Richard Fox
Examples of nobles on the council?
Jasper Tudor, Yorkist Earl of Surrey and Earl of Oxford
What kind of educated professionals were in the royal council and why?
Lawyers, needed men trained in auditing and property law. Skilled men so little regard for social class
How many royal councillors?
227 but usually a consistent group of 24 members met regularly under Henry VII
What did royal council advise Henry VII on?
Judicial capacity, matters of state
How did Henry use committees with members of royal council?
Each had its own area of expertise such as Court of Requests and Court of General Surveyors
What did Court of General Surveyors expertise in?
Crown lands
What was Council Learned in Law?
Small and highly professional legal committee to defend Henry’s position as feudal landlord
Was parliament called regularly?
Infrequent meetings, less called after Henry stabilised his reign
What was purpose of parliament?
10% of all statutes dealt with by parliament involved responsibilities of JP’s and their control within provinces
What was House of Lords?
made up of senior clergy and peers, Henry would converse directly
What was House of Commons?
made of lawyers, merchants, Henry recognised their significance, communicated through Speaker of Commons
How was privy chamber set up?
Henry chose 7 members - particularly those with legal background to support his rights
What was Court of King’s Bench and was it effective?
Heard variety of civil cases, only met three months a year for three hours per day so was ineffective
What did Henry do for JP’s?
Increased the workload and number of JP’s, made them answer to him directly, dealt with poaching, riots and manual sent to JP’s in 1506
What did Court of Star Chamber?
Oversaw operations of lower courts, members were privy councillors of judges
How did Star Chamber become powerful?
When it became a separate entity in 1487, supervisory body
Why did Henry want financial solvency?
To tackle threats, to increase his power, to ensure a smooth succession
Who controlled finances during henry’s first two years as king and why?
Exchequer, Henry needed to focus on security as a monarch
What financial entity was restored in 1487?
Chamber System (estate worth reduced to 12,000 pounds in 1486) which dealt with all income
What was the annual turnover in 1490’s?
100,000 pounds
Types of revenue?
Crown lands, Feudal dues, Custom duties
Act of Resumption 1486
Reclaimed crown lands which had been granted away since War of Roses
How did Henry exploit feudal finances?
To ensure good behaviour from nobles
Feudal dues rose - 350 pounds in 1487 to 6,000 pounds in 1507
How did Henry update custom duties?
Updates book of rates twice, custom duties rose to 40,000 from 33,000 pounds
How did Henry increase legal dues?
Increased use of fines and attainders
What was average number of JP’s per county?
18
What did JP’s do every three months?
Met at quarter session
What power did Henry VII give to JP’s?
1487 - given power to grant bail to those awaiting trial
JP’s allowed to reward informers
Regional Government
Thomas Howard - Council of North
Jasper Tudor - Council in Wales and Marches
Sir Edward Poyning - Council of Ireland
How did local government work?
Sheriff - management of parliamentary elections and peacekeeping
JP’s - governed and dispensed justice in Courts
What did Henry do regarding parliamentary taxes?
Avoided them, unpopular and triggered rebellions
