Henry VII consolidation of power Flashcards
What 3 obstacles did henry face when consolidating his power?
- Nobles (potentially rival claimants),
- Uneven control the crown had over the country
- Poor finances (because of previous wars)
was henry more of an individual ruler or someone to delegate responsibility to others?
very individualistic style of ruling due to his fear of nobles having rival claims
how did henry keep nobles under control?
he had to limit their land, wealth and support, through attainders, bonds and recognisances
how did henry limit the land, wealth and support of the nobles?
attainders, patronage, attacks on reigning and financial controls
what were attainders?
special laws passed by parliament which allowed someone to be delcared guilty of treason, without trial, meaning their titles and possesions would be seized
what did attainders actually do
seize the nobles of titles and possesions if the king suspected disloyalty
how many attainders did henry vii pass throughout his reign?
138, 46 of which were reversed
why would henry reverse so many attainders?
to secure the graititude and respect of the nobles, to keep a healthy fear of him
what else did attainders do that made them useful?
severances could be paid to reverse the attainders, esp for people below nobles this was common.
Who paid £1700 for reversal of his and his fathers attainders?
Sir Thomas Tyrell
Did Henry distribute much land to the nobles?
No, he was very cautious of creating a class of nobles that would have power to rise above him
Why was Henry so ungenerous with patronage?
he was cautious of giving the nobles too much power if they had significant land and wealth
What was the result of Henrys policies towards patronage?
The class of nobles declined by one quarter during his reign, deaths and attainders lowered the number of nobles and henrys policy towards patronage meant the number wasnt recovered
How did Henry increase his land? (Not foreign policies)
Use of attainders meant vacant lands were absorbed into Henrys domains making him the largest landowner in the country, further consolidating his power
What was “retaining?” and why did Henry VII put laws in place to stop it?
Noblemen would keep (retain) a large number of men as “servants” but in reality were used as support and enforcers for that nobleman, henry wanted to take away their own little gangs of support they had to make them more vulnerable
what did retainers do (how were they enforcers?)
they could be used for fearmongering like pressuring tenants who were slow to pay their rent, they were also be used as support for the nobles in court to interfere with the course of justice and give the verdict the master wanted.
when was the first law passed against illegal retaining of large numbers of men?
1485
when was the second law passed on retaining and what was it?
1504, required nobles to have a special license to retain large numbers of men
what was the consequence of retaining after 1504 without a license?
Severe fines of £5 per month per illegal retainer
what was problems arised with trying to stop retaining?
retaining had been in place for such a long time it was hard to undo, nobles would cover up records of servants wages so that it was unknown how many men were being retained in that household
In what ways did Henry reduce the threat and power of nobles?
Acts of attainders, limits on retaining, limited patronage and financial bonds
What financial controls did Henry have on nobles?
A financial bond was required from nobles or their families, placing the noble in debt to Henry, forcing them to behave or face a severe fine, a gurantee of good behaviour essentially
Did henry use financial bonds much on nobility?
Yes! It was widely used, in the last decade of his reign 3/4 of nobility were held under bonds
Lord Burgavveny’s conviction and fine and what did Henry do
1507, Lord Burgavveny was was convicted of retaining 471 men and fined £70,000. Because Henry knew that the lord would be unable to pay this, he put him under a bond of £5000 over 10 years, under the condition he couldnt step foot on his family lands.
What did the king get from putting lord burgavenny under a bond
He could keep an eye on him because he knew he wasnt trustworthy so he was under strict control and he was raising money off him at the same time
What was the council learned in law?
Members of a branch of the council all with legal training, assumed all control over financial stuff that was to do with crown lands, they acted as investigators and judges in cases where there was issues with noblemen
who led the council learned in law until 1503?
sir reginald bray
1503-1509 who led the council learned in law?
Edmund Dudley and Richard Empson
How did the king control further areas of England?
Justices of peace (appointed annually by local landowners) made sure law was implemented, as a form of local gov in england
in 1485 what powers were JPs granted?
Powers of arrest extended to hunters and poachers
1491 JPs were granted with what power
power to grant bail
1495 JPs were granted with what power
power to vet juries
How significant was parliament?
Very little, they had a minor role in political affairs pretty much just to pass the laws the king wanted. They met on the kings terms, often just to limit the nobility and pass attainders, he was a very independent ruler and was the source of political power
What council WAS of importance to Henry and how many members were there?
Royal council. It was the place where Henry gathered his most trusted supporters to advise him, records state there were 227 members but in reality attendance was much smaller
When were JP’s granted power to arrest hunters and poachers?
1485
By the end of henrys reign how much of the nobility were held under bonds?
3/4
What were two divisions of the royal council?
Council learned in law and the star chamber
council learned in law and the star chamber were sub divisions of what council?
royal council
Who was this council?: all members had legal training, had control over financial matters relating to crown lands, could be investigators and judges in courts to do with noblemen
Council learned in law
how did henry achieve such a strong financial position at the end of his reign?
he took a direct personal interest in the state of national finances.
why did he avoid aggressive foreign policy?
because wars were such a large source source of expenditure for previous kings and he prioritised financial stability
Name 4 sources of ordinary revenue for the king
crown lands, feudal dues, legal dues and custom duties
what does escheats mean (land)
reversion of land to the king if a tenant dies without an heir
What act was passed in 1486? (to do with crown lands)
Act of resumption, to reclaim all crown lands that had been granted away throughout previous decades (because of war of the roses). He didnt actually reclaim all the crown lands it was partly to establish his authority to the nobility
What were feudal dues in ordinary revenue
the kings rights to demand money, deriving from the principle that he owns all land and others hold it as tenants.
what were four types of payment henry could demand from the nobility as feudal dues in ordinary revenue?
Relief-paid by an heir when he receives his inheritance. Marriage-kings right to arrange marriages of the daughters of his tenants at a profit. Wardship-control of estates of heirs under 18, allowed the king to manage these lands for his own profit. And livery-payment made by a ward on reaching adulthood and taking control of his lands.
What were marriage feudal dues?
Kings right to arrange marriages of daughters of tenants (nobles probably) and get a profit.
What were wardship feudal dues?
Henry could control the estates for heirs that were under 18, the king would manage these lands at a profit
What were relief feudal dues?
Inheritance tax basically, when an heir receives his inheritance some would go to the king as part of feudal dus
What was livery feudal dues?
When a ward reaches adult age and wants to take control of his own lands he has to make a payment to the king
Had wardship been a successful source of revenue?
Yes- in 1487 income from wardship was £340, in 1507 it was £6000 a year
In 1507 how much income was the king making from wardship?
£6000 a year
In 1487 how much income was the king making from wardship?
£350 a year
what were customs duties?
Trading taxes kind of-paid on goods entering or leaving the country. Tunnage was taxes on exports and poundage was taxes on imports, usually wool, wine and leather.
What were common tunnage and poundages? (Taxes on exports and imports)
Wool, wine and leather
Did henry increase customs duties?
Yes, significantly.
What were legal dues?
Fines and payments from people in court, came from both common law courts and the special ones operated by royal council.
What were 5 sources of extraordinary revenue?
Bonds and recognisances, loans and benevolances, feudal dues, clerical taxes and parliamentary taxes
what were bonds and recognisances?
payments made as gurantees of good behaviour, demanding from those who were suspicious, such as yorkist suporters/
why did henry use bonds and recognisances?
Financial and political power. They were a great source of revenue and helped establish authority.
Who enforced payments of bonds and recognisances for the king?
Council learned in law.
What did the king use loans and benevolances for?
Organised by the royal council, the kings right to demand money from individuals or organisations in emergancies. This was an irregular occurance and mostly used for war type situations.
Who enforced loans and benevolances?
Council learned in law
How much was raised for war in Brittany through benevolances in 1491?
£48,000. £9000 from the city of london.
When did Henry raise £48,000 to fund war with Briittany?
1491
How were feudal dues used as a source of extraordinary revenue?
The king was entitled to money gifts for certain occasions such as knighthood of one of his sons or marriage of one of his daughters. These gifts were expected from nobles and parliament on behalf of the people. He exploited this fully and even got money for Arthur’s knighthood even though he had died 2 years prior.
Why did the king demand £30,000 from parliament in 1504?
As feudal dues, a gift for the knighthood of Arthur who had died in 1502.
What were clerical taxes?
Money from the church, the church was exempt from giving normal taxes but would give money in the form of a voluntary gift.
What were parliamentary taxes?
Grants of taxes from parliament used to finance royal policies such as wars, they were unpopular and Henry avoided using them
Give 5 examples of how the kin consolidated his power financially
Attainders, loans and benevolances, feudal dues, wardship, crown lands, custom duties
In the last decade of Henrys reign what were some significant events for henry?
His eldest son, Edmund died in 1500, in 1502 Arthur died and in 1503 his wife died.
