Henry VII Flashcards

1
Q

What year did HVII become King?

A

1485

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Which royal house was he from?

A

Lancastrian

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Why was HVII unsuited as a King?

A

Was not raised to be King
He had loyal support from his uncle Jasper and small but impressive group of knights but no wider support
He was dependent on the support of the Stanley family- he had no guarantee their support would materialise
He was dependent on troops from Brittany and France

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

How many times had the crown changed hands in the 25 years before HVII took over?

A

Five

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

How did Henry reward Jasper Tudor for his support at Bosworth?

A

Made him Duke of Bedford and Chief Justice of Wales and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
Jasper was 55 with no children so these titles would eventually revert to crown control

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

How did Henry reward Lord Stanley (his step-father) for his support during Bosworth?

A

Made him Earl of Derby

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

How did Henry reward Bishop Fox for his support during Bosworth? Bishop Fox was a lawyer who was exiled in Brittany with Henry

A

Made him keeper of the Privy Seal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

How did Henry reward William Stanley for his support during Bosworth? William Stanley famously changed sides during the battle which was the decisive moment for Henry

A

He was made Lord Chamberlain- he was not pleased with this

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

When did Henry marry Elizabeth of York?

A

Jan 1486- 5 months after winning the crown

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is patronage?

A

The giving of positions of power, lands and titles in return for loyal service

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Give 3 examples of nobles who benefitted from the patronage of Henry VII

A

The Earl of Oxford (John De Vere) became a major landowner following his loyalty at Bosworth

Jasper Tudor was made Duke of Bedford after Bosworth

Giles, Lord Daubeney was promoted to the peerage after showing his loyalty during the Cornish rebellion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What was the Order of the Garter?

A

A title of honour reserved for the Kings closest servants. It did not come with any land or power and was purely ceremonial

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

How many Knights of the Garter did Henry create?

A

37

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Give 3 examples of how Henry could reward loyal service

A

Patronage- giving titles and land
Order of Garter
Giving them a position on the King’s Council

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Give 3 examples of how Henry would punish the nobility

A

Acts of Attainder
Bonds and Recognisances
Demanding Feudal Dues

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What were Acts of Attainder?

A

They dated back to the fourteenth century
They were acts passed through parliament which led to nobles losing their right to possess land and inherit land
Would mean economic and social ruin for the family
They could be reversed if the family proved their loyalty

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Explain what happened to Thomas Howard and his attainder

A

Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey
He was placed under attainder because he was on Richard’s side at Bosworth
He was imprisoned and attainted
However, he refused to escape from the Tower of London during the Simnel rebellion
He was then released and took an oath of allegiance
He was sent to the North as he had no connections there
Following his efforts in suppressing the Yorkshire rebellion for the King he had the attainder fully reversed and the Howard estates were fully returned to him

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

How many attainders did Henry pass compared to his predecessor Edward IV?

A

Edward IV passed 140
Henry passed 138
This adds weight to the view that he was not anti-noble like some Historians claimed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

How many attainders did Henry reverse compared to his predecessor Edward IV?

A

Edward reversed 42
Henry reversed 46
Showing he was not anti-noble

20
Q

Why did Henry pass more attainders in the last few years of his reign? (he passed 51 between 1504-1509)

A

He had lost his wife and eldest son leading to him feeling less secure
He became increasingly suspicious of the nobility

21
Q

What are Bonds and Recognisances?

A

Bonds: written agreements in which people promised to pay a sum of money if they failed to carry out a promise to the King
Recognisances: formal acknowledgements of a debt or obligation that already existed, with the understanding to pay money if this obligation was not met

Such promises or obligations normally centred around issues such as good behaviour and keeping the peace

22
Q

How many noble families were placed under Bond during Henry’s reign?

A

Two thirds

23
Q

Why are Bonds and Recognisances used as evidence of Henry being anti-noble?

A

Because he places 36 out of 62 noble families under Bond at some point- the previous Yorkist King only placed 1 family under Bond

24
Q

Give an example of a noble placed under a Recognisance

A

Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset
He was never trusted by Henry after he supported Richard during Bosworth
He had to pay a recognisance of £1000
He had to find other nobles who would vouch for his loyalty and would also pay recognisances on his behalf worth £10,000
By 1499 he had proven his loyalty and the debts were cancelled

25
Q

What were feudal dues?

A

The automatic rights of the King. They included:

Wardships- where the King took control of the estates of minors
Marriage: where the King could profit from the arranged marriages between noble families.
Relief: Where the King received money when land was inherited (a bit like inheritance tax)
Escheats: payments made when land reverted to Crown control- when a family had no heir or when lands were lost due to attainders

26
Q

How was the Duchess of Buckingham punished for marrying without the King’s permission?

A

She was fined around £7000

27
Q

How much did Henry increase his income by from marriage and wardships?

A

1487: The crown made £350 from warships and marriage
1507: The crown made £6000 from wardships and marriage

28
Q

What is retaining?

A

This was the long-held noble practice of retaining gentry followers who were loyal to them- giving them badges with the nobles crest on showing who they served. The retainers could be used as local fighting forces which is why they were a threat to the King

29
Q

Did Henry try to ban retaining?

A

No
He clearly took steps to limit retaining but never tried to ban it entirely because he understood that some small-scale retaining could be useful to him in maintaining local law and order.

30
Q

How did Henry try to control retaining?

A

In 1485 he made the House of Lords and Commons swear they would not illegally retain
In 1504 he ensured the nobles had to have a licence to retain- the licence had to be obtained from the King in person

31
Q

How much could a noble be fined for illegal retaining?

A

£5 per month per man

32
Q

How much was Lord Burgavenny fined?

A

£70,550
This was split between Lord Burgavenny and 26 others linked to him and was eventually scaled down but it showed how illegal retaining could potentially ruin a noble family

33
Q

How do Historians know that the nobles feared being caught illegally retaining?

A

There are no written records of illegal retaining by nobles- this shows they were trying to hide their retainers from the King

34
Q

What was Henry’s policy with Crown Lands?

A

To bring as much crown land as possible back into the crowns hands

35
Q

What was the Act of Resumption passed in 1486?

A

An act which recovered all Crown properties which had been given away since 1455 (before the Wars of the Roses) This was part of his strategy to consolidate his position as a new King

36
Q

How much did Henry manage to increase Crown Lands by

A

Historian Steven Gunn estimates that by 1509 the Crown had 5 times more land than in 1450

37
Q

How did Henry mishandle John De La Pole?

A

De La Pole was a key supporter of Richard III
After Bosworth he made peace with Henry and swore allegiance to him
Henry decided to leave him alone however, De La Pole became involved in the Simnel rebellion
De La Pole was killed in the Battle of Stoke
This was a good conclusion for Henry as it removed De La Pole

38
Q

To what amount did Henry increase his income per year?

A

£113,000

39
Q

How much did Henry make from renting the Crown lands per year?

A

£40,000

40
Q

In what area was Henry willing to spend money?

A

Promoting his personal image and that of his dynasty. He had a lot of portraits created and lots of badges with the Tudor Rose insignia

41
Q

Why did Henry choose to call Parliament within a month after his coronation? (It was unusual for Kings to meet with parliament so quickly)

A

He called parliament so they could formally recognise him as the King. This helped legitimise his reign

42
Q

How do we know that Henry was financially stable?

A

He only asked parliament for additional extra-ordinary taxes three times in his reign

43
Q

What qualities did Henry possess which made him suitable to be King?

A

His own experience in Brittany and France had made him politically skilful
Skill in battle
He inspired great loyalty from those close to him. Men such as Daubney, Morton and Fox remained consistently loyal
His efficiency and thoroughness are legendry

44
Q

Which factors fell in his favour when he became King?

A

No strong opponents and no powerful “Kingmaker” to conspire against him
He came to power at a time when the people of England were ready for a stable monarchy
He had no brothers or cousins would could threaten his position. This also meant he didn’t have to give them lots of lands and estates which kept Crown Lands strong

45
Q

What were Henry’s positive achievements?

A

He left the crown solvent
He created a stable diplomacy between England and the main foreign powers
He re-established order after the chaos of the Wars of the Roses
He effectively controlled the nobles
He successfully passed the crown to his son- this was very impressive given that he was a usurper

46
Q

What were Henry’s negative achievements?

A

England was largely isolated by 1509 as they had no committed alliances or foreign glory
While the crown was solvent- the money had been gathered by deeply unpopular means
It could be argued he was too repressive of the nobility
By 1509- his popularity was failing- particularly with the nobility