Henry VII Flashcards
When did Henry VII become king?
22 August 1485
Why was H7’s grasp of power insecure?
He won the Battle of Bosworth which terminated the Plantagenet rule in England and saw the establishment of a new dynasty. He had no discernible claim to the throne and he had enemies.
Why was H7’s claim to the throne weak?
- He descended through a line of females represented by this mother (Lady Margaret Beaufort)
- The line came from John of Gaunt’s third wife: their son John Beaufort had been born before their marriage and was illegitimate. H became the Lancastrian claimant because there was no one else to fulfill the role.
What peculiar skill helped H7’s political training as a ruler?
His ability to think like a fugitive.
How did H7 consolidate power in his reign?
-Dated his reign from 21st August 1485, day before Battle of Bosworth, ensuring anyone who fought on the Yorkist side could be designated a traitor.
-Publicly rewarded key supporters (conferring 11 knighthoods)
-Arranged supporters to detain Elizabeth of York and Earl of Warwick (both relatives of Edward IV) as they had a strong claim to the throne.
-Key appointments to his council and household.
-Arranged his coronation a week before the first parliament meeting to show his right to the throne was hereditary, not the parliaments sanctioning.
-Acts of attainder against Yorkists ensured that their property was forfeit t the crown, increasing crown income.
-January 1486 he married Elizabeth of York- could exploit royal propaganda
-Birth of an heir Prince Arthur.
Who was H7’s biggest threat to the tudor dynasty?
Margaret of Burgundy (Sister of Edward IV and Richard III) never reconciled to the tudor takeover and, as the dowager duchess of burgundy, she has access to funds which enabled her to encourage the ambitions of Yorkist claimants.
What was the first rising against H7 and when?
Easter 1486, Viscount Lovell and the Staffords.
What happend in the Lovell and Staffords rising?
Lovell tried to raise a rebellion in Richard III’s heartland of support in the North Riding of Yorkshire. Stafford tried to raise forces against H in the Midlands. Lovell escaped the King’s forces but Stafford was captured and executed.
What was significant about the Lovell and Stafford rising?
How little enthusiams there was at this stage for a Yorkist rising in thier traditional heartlands.
Rebellion of the Earl of Lincoln:
What 2 key aspects did they need for a successful uprising?
A figurehead who could claim to be a Yorkist prince and, secondly, financial support to create a significant military threat.
Rebellion of the Earl of Lincoln:
Who was their figurehead and who did he pretend to be?
Lamber Simnel, being passed off as the Earl of Warwick, who was imprisoned by H, and was even crowned King Edward in Ireland May 1487.
Rebellion of the Earl of Lincoln:
What went wrong in Earl of Lincoln’s plan?
John de la Pole (Earl of Lincoln), put the conspiracy together, but when H exhibited the real Earl of Warwick in London for all the see, Lincoln fled with Lovell to Margaret of Burgundy’s court .
Rebellion of the Earl of Lincoln:
What Lincoln and Lovell persuade Margaret to do?
Support Simnel’s claim and pay for a force of mercanaries to invade England.
Rebellion of the Earl of Lincoln:
What was H’s response?
-Gave Earl of Northumberland power in the North to help neurtalised Richard’s power basze and ensure the traditional Yorkist Howars family did not join the conspiracy as they were related to Northumberland.
-Reinforced coastal defences in East Anglia, however the rebels landed on the northwest coast.
What year was the Battle of Stoke Field?
1487
Battle of Stoke Field:
Who did H7 gather in his army?
A group of advisors which included the close relatives of former Yorkists who had been victims of Richard III.
Battle of Stoke Field:
Why was H7 not confident?
Feared that he would be double crossed just as Richard had in the Battle of Bosworth.
Battle of Stoke Field:
Who won?
H7’s army led effectively by the Earl of Oxford, help firm and the Earl of Lincoln was killed, having been unbale to add sufficient followers to the army of mercanaries whem he landed in England.
Battle of Stoke Field:
Why was H7’s victory significant?
It was this battle that really brought an end to the Wars of the Roses, and H’s position bcame safer but not secure.
Who was Perkin Warbeck?
A cloth trader from Tournai in Flanders, he was a persistant irritant to H7 over a period of 8 years, durong which he claimed to be Richard, Duke of York.
What made Perkin Warbeck a potentially serious threat?
His ability to attract patronage from foreign rulers. It demonstarted how fragile H’s position was considered to be by other rulers.
Why couldn’t Warbeck land in England in 1495?
H had been informed of W’s intentions by one of his royal agents, who had infiltrated Warbeck’s retinue. W fled to the court of James IV of Scotland.
What led to the defeat of Warbeck in 1497?
W’s interests were sacrificed when James gave in to H’s offer of marriage to his daughter Margaret. W made a final attemtp tot seek the English throne but trying to exploit the uncertainties caused by the Cornish Rebellion but his forces were crushed and he surrendered to the King. H allowed him to stay at court, but confined him to the tower when he tried to abscond. Having allegedly tried to escape with the Earl of Warwick he was tried and executed.
What happened to the Earl of Warwick?
He was potentially the most obvious Yorkist claimant of the throne. Warwick was in many respects an innocent victim of hthe political manouverings in this period. He was 10 in the Battle of Bosworth, spent most of life in confinement and was beheaded in 1499 for plotting with Perkin Warbeck against H.
Approximately how many men attended council in H7’s reign?
227 but in practice H’s actual working council was a smaller affair of 6/7 members.
The council under H7 had three main aims:
-Advise the King
-Administer the realm on the King’s behalf
-To make legal judgements.
What year was the war of the roses?
1455-185, fighting for the english throne
Who was the war of roses between?
House of York and the House of Lancaster.
How did the war of the roses end?
Henry VII became king and united the two families.
What did H7 do when he was the last Lancastrian claimant?
He fled England for Brittany
Where did H7 grow up and who raised him?
Brittany, raised by his uncle, Jasper Tudor.
What two key skills did H7 learn at a young age?
To be cautious and calculating.
What ten character traits was H7 known for?
-Brave
-Decisive
-Excellent memory
-Gracious/kind
-Very religious
-Greedy
-Clemency
-Harshness
-Politically wise
-Loved his wife.
What were H7s main aims as King?
-To secure & strengthen his dynasty.
-To establish effective government
-To maintain law and order
-To control the nobility
-To secure the crown’s finances.
What happened to the nobles after the war of the roses?
Half had been destroyed, but those who remained became very powerful.
What house was created after the war of the roses?
The House of Tudor
What writer got inspiration from the war of the roses?
Shakespeare
What did H7 create to unite the houses of York and Lancaster?
The new Tudor rose.
How did Henry Tudor become H7?
By defeating King Richard III at the battle of Bosworth.
What date did the battle of Bosworth end?
22nd August 1485
How did H7 win the battle of Bosworth?
His step uncle, Sir William Stanley betrayed Richard and swapped sides during the battle.
What had H7 gained due to the many nobles dying in the battle of Bosworth?
Their lands had returned to the crown which was very valuable.
Which three groups supported H7 as they wanted peace?
The gentry, merchants and landowning farmers.
What would discourage threats towards H7?
His success rate in battle.
What was the benefit of H7 having no family?
No one to usurp him.
Why did H7 have few personal enemies?
He spent years in exile in France.
What about H7s claim to the throne would encourage opposers to fight?
His claim was weak.
Many didn’t see H7 a a king, instead ______ _______?
Another usurper
Why was the House of York still a threat?
The De La Pole brothers (John, Earl of Lincoln and Edmund, Earl of Suffolk) had a claim to the throne as strong as H7.
Which female was a large threat to H7’s claim?
Margaret of Burgundy, she was married to England’s biggest trading partner- Duke of Burgundy.
What benefits were there to H7 pre-dating his reign?
Any nobles on Richard’s side were guilty of treason. This gave H an excuse to confiscate their land and improve finances.
When did H7 pre-date his reign to?
21st of August 1485.
Why did it matter when H7 married Elizabeth of York?
They married after he was crowned king to show he did it in his own right.
Why did H7 wait to call his parliament until after his coronation?
Helped him show that his kingly authority stemmed from his own power rather than it being granted by parliament.
What rights did H7 grant in his first parliament meeting?
Poundage and tonnage rights- right to collect customs duties
What did H7 make the nobles do?
Swear an oath of loyalty to him.
What did H7 do with Yorkist, Edward, Earl of Warwick?
Imprisoned immediately.
What did H7 do with Yorkist, John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln?
Became a member of the King’s council.
When did the Earl of Lincoln stop being loyal to H7?
Spring 1487, when he fled the court and joined the pretender Lambert Simnel. Lincoln was killed at the battle of Stoke in June 1487.
What did H7 do with Yorkists, Thomas Howard, Earl of surrey & Henry Percy ( Earl of Northumberland)?
All pardoned.
