Henry VII - Consolidation

Question 1

Why was Henry’s claim weak/ who was he descended from?

Answer 1

• his claim was from his mother’s (Margaret Beaufort) side, female lines were seen as weak
• his claim was from John of Gaunt’s 3rd wife’s son John Beaufort whom they had before marriage

Question 2

Who had pivotally came to the aid of Henry at the Battle of Bosworth, and then proclaimed Henry as King?

Answer 2

Lord Stanley - though he waited nearby first to see who was more likely to win the battle before intervening

Question 3

Where to and why did Henry flee in 1471 at the age of 14?

Answer 3

• Henry fled to France and Brittany
• Edward IV had secured his position as King and he belonged to the rival House of York

Question 4

Why did Henry backdate his reign to the day before the Battle of Bosworth to the 21st of August 1485?

Answer 4

This meant he could label anyone who fought on the Yorkist side a traitor

Question 5

How many knighthoods did Henry confer to publicly reward his supporters?

Answer 5

11

Question 6

Who was the Earl of Warwick and what did Henry do with him?

Answer 6

• he was the son of Edward IV’s brother, therefore the leading Yorkist claimant to the throne
• Henry ordered for Warwick to be detained and placed in the Tower of London

Question 7

To which position did Henry appoint Sir William Stanley and who was he?

Answer 7

• Chamberlain of the Household
• he was Henry VII’s step uncle

Question 8

Why did Henry arrange his coronation before the meeting of his first Parliament? - with dates

Answer 8

The coronation took place on the 30th October whereas Parliament met on the 7th of November so that his claim to the throne was seen as a hereditary right and not just due to parliamentary sanction

Question 9

What were the Acts of Attainder?

Answer 9

An Act of Attainder declared a landowner guilty of rebelling against a monarch. The landowner lost his title, lands and sometimes executed, his heirs were also disinherited

Question 10

Why and on which group of nobles were the Acts of Attainder used?

Answer 10

• these acts increased royal income as it transferred property from the landowner to the crown
• these were used on Yorkists who fought at the Battle of Bosworth

Question 11

What was tonnage and poundage?

Answer 11

• the right to raise revenue for the whole reign from imports and exports
• Parliament granted this to Henry for life

Question 12

When and why did Henry marry Elizabeth of York?

Answer 12

• Henry married her in January 1486
• he married her after taking other steps at consolidating his power so that his power wasn’t brought by his wife’s claim to the throne (Edward IV’s daughter)
• he united the houses of York and Lancaster as seen in the Tudor rose

Question 13

When was the first heir, Arthur, born?

Answer 13

September 1486

Question 14

What was significant about the attempted uprising of Viscount Lovell and the Staffords in 1486?

Answer 14

How little enthusiasm there was for a Yorkist rising in their traditional heartlands in the North Riding of Yorkshire and the Midlands

Question 15

Who was Lambert Simnel impersonating and who fundamentally helped organise this?

Answer 15

• Edward, Earl of Warwick
• John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln
• both are Yorkist claimants

Question 16

Who helped finance the Lambert Simnel invasion by paying for mercenaries?

Answer 16

Margaret of Burgundy, the sister of Richard III and Edward IV

Question 17

Which measures (2 of them) did Henry take to prepare for the invasion of the Lambert Simnel conspirators?

Answer 17

• reinstated the untrustworthy Earl of Northumberland to power to neutralise Richard’s old power base
• reinforced coastal defences in East Anglia, although the invading force landed in Cumberland

Question 18

Why was the Battle of Stoke Field 1487 significant?

Answer 18

• brought an end to the Wars of the Roses (no more significant Yorkist threats)
• Henry’s position had become more secure
• he managed to win the support of some Yorkists who previously opposed him by being mild in his punishment

Question 19

What were bonds of good behaviour/ bonds and recognisances?

Answer 19

Bonds given to landowners who may face financial ruin, Henry was owed the lump sum stated on the bond but it did not have to be paid back as long as the landowner showed good behaviour

Question 20

Who was Perkin Warbeck and who did he impersonate?

Answer 20

He was a cloth trader from Tournai in Flanders who impersonated Richard, Duke of York (one of the princes in the tower)

Question 21

Which countries and courts did Perkin Warbeck move to and from?

Answer 21

1) in 1491 he began his impersonations in Ireland

2) the court of Charles VIII in France

3) the court of Margaret of Burgundy where he was trained as a Yorkist prince and had English courtiers join him

4) the court of James IV in Scotland after failing his first invasion in 1495

Question 22

Why did Warbeck’s first invasion in 1495 fail?

Answer 22

Henry was informed by Sir Robert Clifford, one of his royal agents, of Warbeck’s intentions after he infiltrated his retinue

Question 23

What was the significance of Sir William Stanley being involved in Perkin Warbeck’s retinue?

Answer 23

• Sir William Stanley was Lord Chamberlain, therefore he was at the heart of Henry’s government

Question 24

Why did Warbeck’s invasion of England from Scotland in 1496 fail?

Answer 24

The invading force was small and James IV married Henry’s daughter, Margaret, and had to kick him out of his court

Question 25

How was Warbeck eventually caught and what was his fate?

Answer 25

• he tried to exploit the weakness created by the Cornish Rebellion in 1497 but his forces were crushed and he surrendered
• Henry at first allowed Warbeck to stay at court but imprisoned him in the Tower of London after he attempted to leave
• he allegedly tried to escape with the Earl of Warwick so they were both executed

Question 26

What happened to the younger brothers of John de la Pole, Edmund (Earl of Suffolk) and Richard de la Pole?

Answer 26

• Edmund was imprisoned in the Tower of London, after seeking refuge in the court of Emperor Maximilian he had to be handed back to England after improvements in relations (no further action was made against him)
• Richard de la Pole was killed in Italy at the Battle of Pavia