Henry VII 1485-1509 - Henrys Tudor Consolidation Of Power, Character And Aims, Establishing The Tudor Dynasty Flashcards
Advantages of henry not having many relatives/ supporters and few links with the nobility in England
Able to observe court politics as an outsider
Learnt a lot about courts in all that time waiting for the Duke
He was brought up as an heir to a great noble title
Henry aged 14 was the best hope the Lancastrians had to regain the throne
Didn’t owe loyalty
Disadvantages of henry not having many relatives/ supporters and few links with the nobility in England
Unusual upbringing
Henry out under the guardianship of William Herbert who groomed him to marry one of his daughters
From age 14-27 henry was in Brittany, part of the time a prisoner
How strong was Henry’s claim to the throne
Edward prince of Wales had a stronger claim but he died.
His royal blood comes from both sides
Elizabeth has the strongest claim so he married her
What’s a revisionist historian
Someone who challenges original views of historians
What were Henry’s biggest problems in 1485 and how did he deal with them
- Parliament hadn’t officially recognised him as king
- henry called his first parliament of his reign on 7th nov 1485 demonstrating his new authority - The pope hadn’t officially recognised him as king
- henry had Archbishop Morton visit time to secure papal support for henry at Bosworth - Hadn’t officially been crowned king
- crowned on 30th October 1485 which created a powerful impression to his subjects - No heir to the throne
- Elizabeth gave birth to Arthur, Margaret, henry and Mary - Other Yorkist nobility with a potential claim to the throne
- ensured Elizabeth’s sisters were married to Lancastrian to unite both houses - Many people considered him as an usurper
- predated his reign to the 21st august 1485, the day before Bosworth, meaning he could punish traitors - Hadn’t married Elizabeth of York yet so house of York is still an enemy
- securing papal support paved the way for a papal dispensation to marry Elizabeth of York. Doesn’t let her become queen until 1487 - Had to decide what to do with opponents, including those who fought against him at Bosworth
- developed his personal protection squad (Yeoman of the Guard) - Supporters from Bosworth expected a reward for helping you gain the throne
- gave them titles instead of land
When did henry marry Elizabeth of York
18th January 1486
What did henry do in March 1486
He began a progress through his new kingdom, enabling him to be viable to his subjects and to use propaganda to glorify his new reign
When did henry call the first parliament of his reign
7th November 1485
Parliament weren’t allowed to meet unless they were invited by the king.
Therefore simply calling them to meet was a demonstration of Henry’s new authority
Why did henry have to act with wisdom when it came to those who fought against him at Bosworth
To act too harshly may turn more of the nobility against him
To be too lenient may make him seem weak
Luckily for henry, less than a quarter of the temporal lords (lords who weren’t clergy) had fought against him at Bosworth and many of these had been killed on the battle field
How was no expense spared at Henry’s coronation
The aim was to surpass the festivities held when Richard was crowned.
£8 per yard was laid for good cloth and the purple velvet for the kings robes cost 40 shillings per yard
Why did henry deliberately not marry Elizabeth until January 1486
He wanted to have himself crowned king first and he wanted to rule in his own right for a period of time first
This was to prevent there being confusion about his claim to the throne as he did not want any of his subjects to believe that his only claim to the throne was because he was married to the Yorkist heiress
When was Elizabeth of York officially crowned at queen
November 1487
What happened during parliaments first meeting with henry
They quickly obliged henry and formally recognised his position as king
How was Jasper Tudor ( Henry’s uncle) rewarded for his loyalty
He was elevated to peerage ( a landed title) end became the duke of Bedford
Also made Chief Justice of Wales, constable of all the royal castles in Wales and lord lieutenant of Ireland
Why did henry predate his reign to the 21st august 1485
To allow him to claim that all those who fought against him at bosworth were traitors and he could therefore punish them as traitors
He could legally confiscate the lands and property of Richard III and his supporters thus legally increasing his own income and security
How was sir William Stanley rewarded
He was made lord chamberlain - a powerful position at Henry’s court as a reward for siding with henry at the last minute
How was the ten year old Earl of Warwick a threat to Henry
What did henry do
He was the nephew of Richard III so was a direct threat to henry
Henry had him sent to the tower of london but allowed him to live in relative comfort
Why was John de la pole (Earl of Lincoln) a threat to henry
What did Henry do about it
He was a nephew and heir of Richard III
Henry allowed him to swear loyalty to him and eventually invited him to join his council
How was Thomas, lord Stanley (Henry’s step father) rewarded
He was made Earl of derby
How was bishop fox rewarded and what was his history with henry
Made keeper of the privy seal
He was a lawyer who had been in exile with henry in France
Why was henry keen not to reward his subjects with too much land
He was aware that the creation of over mighty subject had led to issues for his predecessors.
Also it would limit his own income if he gave away lots of crown lands to his supporters
What happened to the Earl of Surrey after he fought for Richard at bosworth
Henry kept him in prison until 1489 when he was satisfied he was no longer a threat
What happened to the Earl of Northumberland after he was with Richard at bosworth despite not fighting for him
Henry released him from prison in 1485 and was given control of the north as an opportunity to prove his loyalty to henry
When was the battle of bosworth
2nd august 1485
How strong was the monarchy under henry vii
Initial weakness due to usurper status, lacked legitimacy
Monarchy as an institution made stronger by Henry’s policies of consolidation and his personal style. The york marriage, bringing control of lands as well as dynastic assurance and reconciliation with a key enemy was a crucial first step
Henry dealt with yorkists left as figure heads swiftly
Recognised that involving former enemies in his work would limit their likely threat
Monarchy strengthened by his standing as a military leader demonstrated at bosworth and stoke in 1487
Strengthened by the clearer relationship between the monarch and elite
Henry put the English monarchy on a sound financial footing although resources couldn’t match the funds of European monarchs
What were some threats to the monarch
Tax rebellions in Yorkshire and Cornwall threatened the kings peace but they were contained
Dynastic threats as his usurper status laid the crown open to counter claims and these were serious when backed by foreign powers
Both the 1489 Yorkshire rebellion And the 1497 Cornish rebellion stemmed from discontent about taxation
Henry seems to have felt vulnerable after 1502 due to the death of his heir leaving the succession less secure
Who did henry owe much of his success to
To his mother, Margaret as she helped arrange his marriage, supply him with money and organise the 1483 rebellion
What is the traditional perspective of how much praise henry deserves for the way he consolidated his position
Henry deserves credit for the way he consolidated his position after the battle of bosworth through his skill and decision making
What is the revisionist perspective of how much praise henry deserves for the way he consolidated his position
Inherited a lucky set of circumstances.
His consolidation owes just as much to the circumstances out of his control than to his own skill and decisions
