Henry VII 1485 - 1503 Flashcards
What was Henry’s claim to the throne?
Maternal claim through his mother, Margaret Beaufort who was a direct descendant of Edward III through John of Gaunt
Who won the Battle of Bosworth?
Henry
Why was Henry crowned 2 months after Bosworth in October 1485?
Crowned quickly to prove legitimacy
Why did Henry say his reign started the day before Bosworth?
- Richard was the “usurper” and Henry was the “rightful king”
- Those who supported Richard branded traitors
- Parliament approved the back-dating
Why did Henry marry Elizabeth of York?
- To help secure reign
- Red rose (Lancaster) and white rose (York) combined to form Tudor Rose
Outline the Simnel plot 1487
- Pretended to be Edward, Earl of Warwick
- 2000 German mercenaries provided by Margaret of Burgundy
- Simnel taken to Ireland, supported by Earl of Kildare (Yorkist supporter)
- Simnel crowned king in Dublin in 1487
- Henry showed real Earl of Warwick in London to expose Simnel
- John De La Pole involved with plot so fled to Flanders, led to Battle of Stoke in 1487
- Simnel pardoned and worked in royal kitchens
What happened at the Battle of Stoke?
- John De La Pole had 8000 men, Henry had 12,000
- John De La Pole defeated
- Could have been a repeat of Bosworth (what John De La Pole wanted - usurp throne from Henry)
Was the Simnel plot a threat to Henry’s reign and why?
- Yes - had powerful support (Margaret of Burgundy, De La Pole, Earl of Kildare)
- Yes - Stoke could have been a repeat of Bosworth
- No - Henry easily defeated De La Pole
- No - Simnel had very little English support
What year was Lovell and Stafford affair?
1486
What was the Lovell and Stafford affair?
- Henry went on royal progress up north to gain Yorkist support
- Lord Lovell and Stafford brothers in sanctuary after Bosworth
- Broke sanctuary - Lovell headed north to ambush Henry, Staffords headed west to stir up rebellion
- Henry sent an army to deal with Lovell and the Stafford brothers
- Lovell fled to Flanders
- Staffords went back into sanctuary - pulled out by Henry since he believed traitors shouldn’t be given sanctuary twice
- Humphrey executed, Thomas pardoned and remained loyal
When was the Yorkshire rebellion?
1489
What was the Yorkshire rebellion?
- Henry planned to aid Brittany with £100,000 granted by Parliament paid by tax
- Tax caused widespread hatred - raised as sort of income tax
- Yorkshire struggled to pay tax due to bad harvests
- Earl of Northumberland tried to negotiate with Henry but failed - Northumberland killed by rebels
- Earl of Surrey defeated Yorkshire rebels - Henry appointed him lieutenant in that area as a reward
When was the Cornwall rebellion?
1497
What was the Cornwall rebellion?
- Tax raised to pay for resistance to invasion by James IV and Warbeck
- Cornish refused to contribute
- Rebels set out from Bodmin, but only significant leader was Lord Audley
- Rebels confronted by royal army - 1000 rebels killed, the rest fled
- Audley executed
When was Perkin Warbeck a threat?
1491 - 1499
What was the Warbeck plot?
- Pretended to be Richard, Duke of York
- Charles VIII of France welcomed Warbeck to French court but due to Treaty of Etaples, Warbeck had to leave France, so fled to Flanders where Margaret of Burgundy accepted him as her nephew
- Unlikely that Margaret believed him but wanted to defeat Henry
- HRE recognised Warbeck as Richard IV in 1494 but did not have resources to invade England
- James IV supported Warbeck and gave him his cousin, Lady Catherine Gordon to marry - stopped supporting him after Treaty of Ayton peace treaty
- Warbeck stayed at Henry’s court but was imprisoned in the Tower of London after escaping and was executed in 1499
Was the Warbeck plot a threat and why?
- Yes - powerful foreign support that could have compromised Henry’s reign
- Yes - Henry’s step-uncle involved, frightened Henry that people so close to him could betray him
- No - HRE couldn’t invade and Scottish and French peace treaties prevented prolonged support of Warbeck
- No - little English support so fled to sanctuary
Why were nobles important to Henry?
- Needed them to represent him in local areas of England
- Needed their support to secure his reign against Yorkist opposition
What two methods did Henry use to control the nobles?
- Inducements
- Sanctions
What two methods did Henry use to control the nobles?
- Inducements
- Sanctions
What were inducements?
- Rewards or offers given by Henry
- E.g. Order of the Garter - only for a small number of trusted nobles
- Handed out patronages in return for good service
What were sanctions?
- Restrictions, e.g. taking away or restricting land owned by nobles
- Acts of Attainder - issued in Court of Star Chamber (economically damaged the nobility)
Why were secure finances important to Henry?
- Allowed him to raise armies to defeat rebellions and uprisings
- Helped to secure his throne
How did Henry try to strengthen finances?
- Tried to reorganise the financial administration
- Exploited sources of ordinary revenue
- Increased income of extraordinary revenue
What was the first system of financial administration that Henry VII used?
- He used the Exchequer but he rejected it in 1487 and went back to the Chamber system
- This gave Henry greater control but also gave the Treasurer and the Gentleman of the Bedchamber more control
What was ordinary revenue?
Regular income that the Crown could rely on to finance the monarchy (crown lands)
When was the Act of Resumption passed?
1486
What did the Act of Resumption do?
Restored crown lands, which increased Henry’s income
What is extraordinary revenue?
- Money raised by the king from additional sources such as one off payments when faced with emergencies, e.g. war
- Also raised money through the Church for events
When was the Earl of Suffolk affair?
1499 - 1506
What was the Earl of Suffolk affair?
- Suffolk was angry he hadn’t been promoted because of his loyalty
- In 1501 he fled to Flanders to raise an army against Henry
- Philip and Margaret of Burgundy had to take refuge in England after a storm and Henry persuaded them to surrender Suffolk and they did
Was the Earl of Suffolk affair a threat?
- No - Henry arrested all rebels and allies of Suffolk to prevent further uprising
- No - Suffolk had little English support, and negotiations with Margaret of Burgundy were easy
What were Henry’s aims for his administration?
Restore law and order
What was the function of central government?
- Small group of councillors (e.g. Lord Privy Seal and Lord Chancellor)
- Used smaller committees e.g. Council Learned in the Law to handle bonds and recognisances - made Empson and Dudley unpopular as they tried to enforce them
What were bonds?
- Written contract of good behaviour
- If they failed a task given to them, they lost the money associated with the bond
What was a recognisance?
A formal acknowledgement of a debt or an obligation that already existed, with the understanding to pay money if this was not met
What was the regional government?
Yorkist system of regional councils where royal authority was less strong
What was the Council of the North?
- Defended the border with Scotland
- Members appointed by Henry so were loyal
What was the Council of Wales?
Re-established in 1493 - Henry used his connections to increase control
What was the role of local government under Henry?
- Henry wanted his laws to be passed but didn’t have the men to do it, so had to rely on nobles and gentry
- Created the Justices of the Peace who upheld order and took charge of economic issues, but were unpopular