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.
What did H7 do with Yorkists, Francis, Lord Lovell, Humphrey, Sir Thomas Stafford, and Edmund de la Pole?
All executed.
How did H7 control the power of nobles?
Banning the nobles from raising armies themselves.
Limiting the number of new lords.
Keeping land that belonged to peerage families, e.g Yorkist families
What were bonds?
Bonds were written agreements from people who promised to pay Henry money if they didn’t carry out their promises.
What were recognisances?
Recognisances were formal acknowledgement of a debt or an obligation that already existed and an agreement to pay money of the obligation is not met.
How many nobles gave bonds/recognisances to H7 during his reign?
36 out of 62 noble families.
What was the Star Chamber?
Run by men loyal to H7, and could severely punish any noble who angered him.
It started with administrative cases but soon became a court, relieving H7 from dealing with the cases personally.
What was retaining?
The long-held noble practice of recruiting gentry followers. Lords would recruit those of low social status.
Why did H7 not like retaining?
There was a chance that nobleman could become more powerful than the King, H was not prepared to take that risk, banning retaining in 1487 and 1504.
What punishment did Lord Burgavenny for illegally retaining in 1507?
Fined £70,000.
What were attainders?
Passed by parliament and dealt with nobles guilty of treason without need for a trial. Attainders stripped nobles of their titles and lands.
How many attainders H7 pass and how many did he reverse?
138 attainders passed (51 from 1504-1504).
Reversed 46 to secure gratitude and loyalty.
Who ran H7’s council learned?
Sir Richard Empson and Sir Reginald Bray (later Edmund Dudley) who were hated by the people.
Acted without a jury and advanced the position of the king.
What did the Council learned deal with?
All crown lands, wardship, marriage, all the king’s tenants and collection of feudal dues.
What was patronage?
H7 could reward gentry with titles and land but he rarely did so, he only rewarded a few key followers.
What were the Justices of Peace?
Maintained law and order in the countryside where they dealt with anything except treason.
JPs were given authority to impose bonds on sheriffs.
Often reports of corruption in JPs.
What was the Royal Council?
The council advised H7, administered the realm on H7s behalf and made legal judgements.
There were no rules or procedures only advice.
Who made up the Royal council?
Nobles, churchmen and laymen.
Empson, Dudley, John Fox and John Morton were members.
How many parliaments did H7 call and why?
7 parliaments mainly for money and national security, he called 5 in the first 10 years.
What was the parliaments role to H7?
Pass laws and taxes, passed acts against illegal retaining for H7. They generally gave H7 what he needed.
What is ordinary revenue?
Income which H7 received annually.
By 1509 how much ordinary revenue had H7 received?
£42,000pa from Crown lands and £42,000pa from customs duties.
He got income from ‘feudal dues’ like wardship and marriages of nobles.
What is extraordinary revenue?
Made up of parliamentary grants, loans & benevolences, clerical taxes, feudal obligations % a French pension.
How much extraordinary revenue had H7 collected by 1491?
£48,000 for war by collecting more tax.
What were H7 foreign policy aims?
-Improve national security.
-Secure the Tudor dynasty.
-Earn more money.
-Improve trade links
How did H7 feel towards Brittany?
Why?
He felt loyal towards them.
France had financed H7’s fight against Richard but Brittany had taken him in.
What did H7 do when France tried to conquer Brittany?
Signed the Treaty of Redon promising to send troops to Brittany paid for by Anne of Britanny.
What happened when Anne of Brittany surrendered in 1491?
Married Charles VIII, as a result France took over Brittany.
What was H7 aims towards Spain?
Strengthen links with powerful Spain.
What treaty formed in 1489 gave H7 much security and recognition?
Treaty of Medina Del Campo.
What was the treaty of medina del campo?
Agreed the marriage of Prince Arthur and Catherine of Aragon, England and Spain would not make friends with France and wouldn’t help pretenders.
Overall how were relations between H7 and Spain?
Good but the instability from the Warbeck affair threatened the marriage.
What happened when Prince Arthur died in 1502?
Catherine & Prince Henry were betrothed and papa dispensation was gained however they didn’t marry until 1509.
Who was Englands most traditional enemy?
Scotland.
Who was Scotland’s biggest alliance with?
France who would always protect them against enemies.
How did James IV make relations worse between scotland and england?
He helped Perkin Warbeck.
What 1497 treated ended the conflict causing Warbeck to flee?
Treaty of Ayton.
What treaty said James IV would marry H7’s daughter Princess Margaret?
The 1502 Treaty of Perpetual Peace, they married in 1503.
Why were relations difficult with Burgundy?
Margaret of Burgundy, Richard’s sister hated H7
What did the 1489 Treaty of Dordecht promise H7 would do?
Promised Maximilian to send troops to Burgundy which he failed to do.
What worsened relations between Burgundy and England?
Margaret helped threats including, Perkin Warbeck.
What did Intercursus Magnus do?
Signed in 1496 to remove trade barriers with Burgundy.
What did Intercursus Malus do?
Removed all duties from english textile exports.
In 1506 H7 persuaded who to the Treaty of Windsor?
Philip when he and Joanna were forced to take shelter in England en route to Spain.
France had _ times the amount of manpower and revenue as England?
Three
Why was France a great threat to H7?
Nearest country and was a gathering place for opposers of H7.
What worsened H7’s relations w/ France?
H7 supported Brittany’s fight for independence.
How did France retaliate to H7’s support for Burgundy?
Receiving pretender Perkin Warbeck at court and sending more troops to Brittany.
H7 was granted money through extraordinary revenue and raised _____ troops to fight France…
12,000
What is the treaty of Etaples?
France and England signed which granted Henry a hefty pension from France of 50,000 Crowns a year. (1492)
What treaty secured H7s international reputation ?
Treaty of Etaples.
Who was Ireland ruled by?
Independent ‘chieftains’ apart from an area in Dublin known as ‘the pale’.
Why did H7 remove the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland?
Yorkist supporter who supported Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck.
Who became the next Lord Lieutenant of Ireland?
Sir Edward Poynings and passed Poynings Law, Irish laws had to be approved by England fist.
What was ‘The great chain of being’?
Belief that everyone had a specific place in the strict hierarchy of society and it was his/her duty to remain there. Law prevented changes.
How many commoners were there in England during H7s reign?
Nearly 2 million commoners.
Who were commoners?
Ranged from labourers to vagrants.
Why dod commoners suffer in H7s reign?
Enclosure and engrossment.
How many nobles could sit in the house of lords?
50-60 nobles, H7 was reluctant to create new peers.
Who did churchmen have alleigance to?
The Pope and the monarch.
Which religious figures did H7 help pick?
Archbishops and bishops, he preferred lawyers or administrators.
Who looked after commoners?
Parish priests
When was the Yorkshire rebellion?
1498
How much money did parliament vote H7 in his quest to support Brittany?
£100,000
Why were people angry in Yorkshire for paying extra tax?
H7 was a Lancastrian King and they had suffered a bad harvets.
Why did the people of Yorkshire murder the Duke of Northumberland?
He failed to talk H7 around on the taxes.
How put down the Yorkshire uprising?
Earl of Surrey, Lord Faremont fled to Flanders.
What % of people lived in rural communities through H7s reign?
90%
How many residents did London have in H7s reign?
60,000 residents.
In 1485 what did peasants become?
Serfs- they were legally bound to their lords with no freedom.
What happened to peasants in 1509?
They were free to move around the country as they liked.
How did women grow up?
Thinking they were inferior to men and that was ordered by God, girls grew up to obey men.
What rights did a husband have over his wife?
Full rights by law, she was his property.
What now crime was common with women, and whose fault would it be seen as?
Wife beating was common and blamed on the women.
Few women had rights, who was one?
Margaret Beaufort.
Who did Perkin Warbeck claim to be?
Richard, Duke of York (one of the princes in the tower)
Where did Warbeck stay until the treaty of etaples?
Charles’ court in France.
Where did Warbeck go after france?
Fled to Burgundy under Margaret’s protection.
Why did Warbeck’s attempt to land in england in 1495 fail?
H7 found out.
In 1496 why did Warbeck flee after he tried to invade England with the Scots?
James made peace with Henry and agreed to the Treaty of Ayton.
Where was Warbeck when he gave himself up, and what year was it?
Cornwall in 1497.
What punishment did H7 give to Perkin Warbeck?
H7 allowed him to stay at court, until he tried to flee so he was sent to the tower. He was executed in 1899.
What were the three councils H7 ruled through?
-Council of the North
-Council of Wales
-Council of Ireland.
How did the War of Roses change the structure of society?
Nobles had grown very powerful, H7 had to reign them back in.
H7 kept peerage numbers down to limit power.
What year was the Cornish rebellion?
1497
What started the Cornish rebellion?
Parliament voted for a tax to finance the Perkin Warbeck campaign, the Cornish refused to pay for a campaign in the north which had no impact on them.
How many people were involved in the Cornish Rebellion and who led them?
15,000, led by Lord Audley.
Where did H7 withdraw his troops from to easily quash the cornish rebellion?
Scotland.
How were the cornish rebels treated?
Leaders were executed and the rest of the rebels were treated leniently.
How did the Cornish rebellion make H7 in the long term?
More cautious about foreign conflict.
Overseas trade was significant in development but not ________?
Planned, H7 capitalised on opputunities.
H7 built a merchant ship to rival who?
The rest of Europe.
What did the navigation acts (1485-86) do?
Promoted the use of English ships.
H7 supported the Merchant Adventurers but who did he try to break the monopoly of?
The Hanseatic League
For ever foreign treaty signed what did H7 insert?
A trade clause to increase his revenue.
What did the 1940 treaty with Florence mean for trade?
English merchants could trade in the Mediterranean.
What did H7 believe wealth from trade would help?
Secure his dynasty.
Woollen cloth made up what % of exports?
90%
What % did cloth exports increase by under H7?
60%
Where was english cloth exported to?
Europe, mainly London to Antwerp.
Where made the most cloth in the country?
Yorkshire, East Anglia, the west country.
In 1487 what cloth related ban did H7 put in place?
Banned the export of unfinished cloth and wool in order to encourage its finishing process.
What trade treaty did H7 make with France in 1486?
Treaty that removed all restrictions on the Franco-English trade but it only worked until 1497.
In 1489, what what agreed in the Medina del campo relating to trade?
Spain and England agreed very favourable import duties.
In 1490 a treaty was signed that provided English wool to be imported to where?
Pisa
Where did H7 restrict the sale of wool to and what did they do previously?
Venice, they had previously lifted import duties on English goods
What did the treaty signed in Denmark (1489) give to english fishermen?
The right to fish in icelandic waters.
Where was tin and lead mining concentrated in H7s reign?
Cornwall and the pennines.
Where was coal mined and where was it shipped to in england?
Mined in Durham & Northumberland, it was shipped from Newcastle to London to meet demand.
Who were the low countries?
Flanders, Belgium, Netherland and Burgundy.
Which of the low countries was Englands enemy? Why did they continue to trade?
Burgundy, trade with the low countries was crucial to England’s commercial development.
Why was there a trade embargo between Burgundy and England between 1493-1496?
They hosted Perkin Warbeck.
What caused trade to improve with the low countries?
Margret of Burgundy’s death.
How did H7 treat John and Sebastian Cabot? What did the Cabots do?
Patronised them.
They claimed land in North America for England.
England was an agricultural land, what percent of people lived off the land?
90%
What was the main form of farming?
Arable farming, however pastoral farming was becoming popular.
What was enclosure?
The fencing or hedging of land for private use that had previously been common land.
What was engrossment?
When several farms were joined together to make one more profitable unit.
At its worst what did enclosures do?
Forced tenant farmers off their land and removed land for peasants to graze their animals which sometimes caused whole villages to disappear.
What percent of land was enclosed in H7s reign?
3%
