Henry VII Flashcards
Total population of England in 1485
3 million
Living conditions in 1485
90% in rural communities
People lived in small towns and cities with London being the most populated
Farming in 1485
Arable farming/ crop farming was extremely popular
Common land was divided into strips and distributed to tenants by the local landowner
Growing issue of enclosures - illegal fencing off of common land used for livestock farming - more profitable
Popular industry in 1485
Cloth industry
Brought in huge amounts of income for the crown from customs duties
80% of England’s exports
What was the ‘great chain of being’
Social status dominated society
Strict social hierarchy ordered by God with paupers at the bottom and god at the top
Who was the monarch chosen by?
Monarch chosen by and ruled under God
How much of land did the catholic church own?
1/3 - extremely influential and powerful. During the 15th century the catholic church was the most common land to be found across England
What was the pope known as?
‘God’s representative on earth’ He had supreme authority and decided on all religious and political matters
When was Henry VII born and when did he die?
Born - 1457
died - 1509
Mother and father of Henry VII?
Mother - Margaret Beaufort, gave birth to Henry at 13
Father - Edmund Tudor, died a few months before Henry’s birth of the plague
Where had Henry lived and spent his childhood?
Paris
Lived in exile for 14 years in Burgundy with his uncle Jasper Tudor
Why had he become the main Lancastrian claimant to the throne?
After various deaths in his family: both natural and unnatural during the war of the roses
How was Henry depicted?
Brave, fearless and determined (proved in BOB)
How did henry come to the throne?
Through snatching the crown from Richard III at the battle of Bosworth in August 1485.
He lived in constant fear the same thing would happen to him which was why he made controlling the power of the nobility and removing Yorkist threats to the throne a priority
Why did nobody expect Henry to be king for long?
the previous 4 monarchs had lived short reigns and had died from unnatural causes
Describe the events of the battle of bosworth
- Henry set sail from France on August 1st 1485 with a small army of French and English supporters which he had built up from his time living in Paris.
- Landed near Pembroke in Wales and started marching towards the English border.
- Gained support of the most powerful landowner in wales - Rhys Ap Thomas by promising to make him Lieutenant of Wales after his victory.
- By the 22nd of August Henry had built up a 5000 strong army which met Richard’s royal army at the battle of Bosworth field.
- The Earl of Northumberland, Lord Thomas Stanley and Sir William Stanley were reluctant to support either side.
Richard III had taken Thomas Stanley’s son hostage in order to try and secure his loyalty, however towards the end of the battle after Henry’s standard bearer was killed and Richard came close to success. William Stanley turned against Richard, resulting in his death. - Henry dated his rule from the 21st of August 1485 and replaced a strongly disliked ruler
Patronage after the Battle of Bosworth
Thomas Stanley rewarded with the title of Earl of Derby , as well as Henry’s mothers hand in marriage.
William Stanley rewarded with title of Lord Chamberlain
Why did henry have an extremely weak claim to the throne?
- He had come to the throne through right of conquest after snatching the crown from Richard III - this did not secure loyalty to Henry nationally or internationally.
- his claim was through his Mother’s line - Margaret Beaufort who was a direct descendent of Edward III’s 3rd son John of Gaunt. the fact that it was through a female line of decent made his claim weaker than someone who could claim through a male line
- His claim was illegitimate as the children of John of Gaunt and Catherine Swynford had been born before they were married
- he had been living in exile for 14 years and had no experience in government or training as Prince
Yorkist threats to Henry
Edmund de la Pole’s 2 sons both had claims to the throne equally as valid as Henry
Earl of Warwick
Why was Margaret of Burgundy a threat?
She was the sister of Edward IV and had married the Duke of Burgundy putting her in an extremely powerful position.
Particularly concerning as Burgundy was a useful trading partner to England
She was extremely loyal to the House of York - demonstrated through her support to Perkin Warbeck
Advantages to Henry in 1485, when he first succeeds the throne
- Proved himself an effective leader and a successful soldier through defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth
- No rivals within his own family and had good relations with France (had spent part of his childhood living in Paris and had received support from France at the BOB)
- Years in exile had taught him valuable lessons on how to survive
What were Henry’s 3 main goals when succeeding the throne?
- To strengthen the government and gain control of the nobility
- To strengthen the Tudor dynasty by improving royal finances
- To establish his right to the throne
Why was the coronation of a new monarch significant and what did it involve?
Coronation signified the approval of the church, and therefore the approval of God. It involved the nobility swearing upon an oath of loyalty to the King - significant as the nobility and the monarch must work effectively alongside each other for a successful rule
When did Henry’s coronation take place and why did he choose this date?
October 1485
- A week before parliament met, so nobody could say parliament helped him become king
- Before his marriage to Elizabeth of York, so nobody could say his wife helped him become King
When did Henry marry Elizabeth of York, and what was the significance of this?
January 1486
Elizabeth was the daughter of Edward IV, their marriage symbolised the unification of the Lancastrian and Yorkist families
However, success can be questioned - ended up dividing the Yorkist family
When was Prince Arthur born, and what was the significance of this?
September 1486
Created a future for the Tudor dynasty and helped establish a sense of permanence for the changes that had occurred in 1485
When did he date his reign from and what was the advantage of this?
21st of August 1485, the day before he won the BOB
He could treat Richard’s supporters as traitors and imprisoned Yorkists with a better claim to the throne than him - Earl of Warwick was imprisoned in the tower of London up until 1499 when he tried to escape.
Also stripped lands and titles of Nobles whose loyalties he suspected.
How did Henry’s handling of the nobility after coming to the throne gain him further support?
Although he used acts of attainder to strip the land and titles of nobles whose loyalty he suspected, he treated many with leniency and rewarded his supporters through patronage. He granted Thomas Stanley the title of Earl of derby and William Stanley Lord Chamberlain in return for their support at the BOB.
Overall: How did he establish his right to rule?
Strategic and cunning with how he dated his reign and how he dealt with his opponents - making sure nobody had a reason to protest against his right to rule
Why were the nobility a threat?
- Yorkist sympathisers, could potentially support Yorkist pretenders to the throne e.g. Earl of Warwick
- Powerful and were extremely arrogant
Why did Henry need the support of the nobility?
A cooperative relationship between the monarch and the nobility was key to a successful, effective monarchy.
- They had experience in Government and Henry did not, because of his 14 years in exile
- Henry had an extremely weak claim to the throne - he needed all the support he could get
- Helped maintain law and order - parts of England during this period of time, particularly those furthest from London were proving difficult to control
- Provided the armed forces
What two methods did Henry use to gain control over the nobility, and why was gaining control over the nobility difficult?
Controlling the nobility proved to be Henry’s biggest domestic challenge. He rewarded them to ensure their loyalty, however, this was difficult to do whilst also trying to control their power and arrogance. He was therefore more inclined to force them to support him through threats and punishments.
How did Henry reward the nobility in order to gain their support?
Through Patronage which involved giving out lands and titles
How did Henry force the nobility to support him through threats and punishments?
- Acts of attainder - acts that led to a family losing the right to it’s possess land, these were frequently used at the start of his reign to punish Richard III’s supporters. These acts could be reversed through good behaviour or payments.
during his reign 138 acts of attainder were passed, and by the end of his reign Henry was known as the largest landowner in England - bonds and recognisances - written agreements and formal acknowledgments that if a service was not carried out a sum of money would be paid.
Henry established the council learned in law in order to enforce bonds and recognisances
By the end of his reign 2/3 of nobles were held under bonds - Crown lands - Henry was determined to bring back as much land as he could to the crown. The act of resumption of 1486 recovered all land lost since 1455.
- Feudal Dues - involved Henry asserting his feudal rights over the nobility and receiving a sum of money as they inherited land
- Laws were passed in 1485 and 1504 that required nobles to have a license for retaining. Retaining involved nobles recruiting small armies of their own supporters which would increase their power significantly.
These acts didn’t just deal with the Nobility - benefitted crown’s finances and increased the amount of land Henry owned
What were the acts of attainder?
Acts that led a family to lose the right to possess its land
How many acts of attainder were passed during henry’s reign?
138
What were bonds and recognisances?
Written agreements/ formal acknowledgements that if a service was not carried out a sum of money would be paid
How did Henry enforce bonds and recognisances?
Through the council learned in law - acted as a royal debt collector
How many Nobles were held under bonds by the end of Henry’s reign?
2/3
What was the act of resumption and when was it passed?
1486 - recovered all lost lands since 1455
What were feudal dues?
Helped Henry establish his feudal rights over the nobility and involved Henry receiving a sum of money as they inherited land
What was Retaining and how did Henry control it?
Nobles would recruit small armies of supporters who would carry out tasks for them such as putting pressure on tenants to pay rents.
Henry controlled retaining through acts passed in 1485 and 1504 which meant nobles now required a license for retaining
Retaining increased the power of the nobility significantly.
What were justices of the peace responsible for?
- controlling public order
- Making sure laws were implemented
- Bringing justice to criminals
