Henry VII 1485-1509 - Henrys Tudor Consolidation Of Power, Character And Aims, Establishing The Tudor Dynasty

Question 1

Advantages of henry not having many relatives/ supporters and few links with the nobility in England

Answer 1

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

Question 2

Disadvantages of henry not having many relatives/ supporters and few links with the nobility in England

Answer 2

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

Question 3

How strong was Henry’s claim to the throne

Answer 3

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

Question 4

What’s a revisionist historian

Answer 4

Someone who challenges original views of historians

Question 5

What were Henry’s biggest problems in 1485 and how did he deal with them

Answer 5

1. Parliament hadn’t officially recognised him as king
   - henry called his first parliament of his reign on 7th nov 1485 demonstrating his new authority
2. The pope hadn’t officially recognised him as king
   - henry had Archbishop Morton visit time to secure papal support for henry at Bosworth
3. Hadn’t officially been crowned king
   - crowned on 30th October 1485 which created a powerful impression to his subjects
4. No heir to the throne
   - Elizabeth gave birth to Arthur, Margaret, henry and Mary
5. Other Yorkist nobility with a potential claim to the throne
   - ensured Elizabeth’s sisters were married to Lancastrian to unite both houses
6. Many people considered him as an usurper
   - predated his reign to the 21st august 1485, the day before Bosworth, meaning he could punish traitors
7. 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
8. 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)
9. Supporters from Bosworth expected a reward for helping you gain the throne
   - gave them titles instead of land

Question 6

When did henry marry Elizabeth of York

Answer 6

18th January 1486

Question 7

What did henry do in March 1486

Answer 7

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

Question 8

When did henry call the first parliament of his reign

Answer 8

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

Question 9

Why did henry have to act with wisdom when it came to those who fought against him at Bosworth

Answer 9

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

Question 10

How was no expense spared at Henry’s coronation

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Why did henry deliberately not marry Elizabeth until January 1486

Answer 11

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

Question 12

When was Elizabeth of York officially crowned at queen

Answer 12

November 1487

Question 13

What happened during parliaments first meeting with henry

Answer 13

They quickly obliged henry and formally recognised his position as king

Question 14

How was Jasper Tudor ( Henry’s uncle) rewarded for his loyalty

Answer 14

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

Question 15

Why did henry predate his reign to the 21st august 1485

Answer 15

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

Question 16

How was sir William Stanley rewarded

Answer 16

He was made lord chamberlain - a powerful position at Henry’s court as a reward for siding with henry at the last minute

Question 17

How was the ten year old Earl of Warwick a threat to Henry

What did henry do

Answer 17

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

Question 18

Why was John de la pole (Earl of Lincoln) a threat to henry

What did Henry do about it

Answer 18

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

Question 19

How was Thomas, lord Stanley (Henry’s step father) rewarded

Answer 19

He was made Earl of derby

Question 20

How was bishop fox rewarded and what was his history with henry

Answer 20

Made keeper of the privy seal

He was a lawyer who had been in exile with henry in France

Question 21

Why was henry keen not to reward his subjects with too much land

Answer 21

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

Question 22

What happened to the Earl of Surrey after he fought for Richard at bosworth

Answer 22

Henry kept him in prison until 1489 when he was satisfied he was no longer a threat

Question 23

What happened to the Earl of Northumberland after he was with Richard at bosworth despite not fighting for him

Answer 23

Henry released him from prison in 1485 and was given control of the north as an opportunity to prove his loyalty to henry

Question 24

When was the battle of bosworth

Answer 24

2nd august 1485

Question 25

How strong was the monarchy under henry vii

Answer 25

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

Question 26

What were some threats to the monarch

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Who did henry owe much of his success to

Answer 27

To his mother, Margaret as she helped arrange his marriage, supply him with money and organise the 1483 rebellion

Question 28

What is the traditional perspective of how much praise henry deserves for the way he consolidated his position

Answer 28

Henry deserves credit for the way he consolidated his position after the battle of bosworth through his skill and decision making

Question 29

What is the revisionist perspective of how much praise henry deserves for the way he consolidated his position

Answer 29

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