Henry VII consolidation of power

Question 1

What 3 obstacles did henry face when consolidating his power?

Answer 1

1. Nobles (potentially rival claimants),
2. Uneven control the crown had over the country
3. Poor finances (because of previous wars)

Question 2

was henry more of an individual ruler or someone to delegate responsibility to others?

Answer 2

very individualistic style of ruling due to his fear of nobles having rival claims

Question 3

how did henry keep nobles under control?

Answer 3

he had to limit their land, wealth and support

Question 4

how did henry limit the land, wealth and support of the nobles?

Answer 4

attainders, patronage, attacks on reigning and financial controls

Question 5

what were attainders?

Answer 5

special laws passed by parliament which allowed someone to be delcared guilty of treason, without trial, meaning their titles and possesions would be seized

Question 6

what did attainders actually do

Answer 6

seize the nobles of titles and possesions if the king suspected disloyalty

Question 7

how many attainders did henry vii pass throughout his reign?

Answer 7

138, 46 of which were reversed

Question 8

why would henry reverse so many attainders?

Answer 8

to secure the graititude and respect of the nobles, to keep a healthy fear of him

Question 9

what else did attainders do that made them useful?

Answer 9

severances could be paid to reverse the attainders, esp for people below nobles this was common.

Question 10

Who paid £1700 for reversal of his and his fathers attainders?

Answer 10

Sir Thomas Tyrell

Question 11

Did Henry distribute much land to the nobles?

Answer 11

No, he was very cautious of creating a class of nobles that would have power to rise above him

Question 12

Why was Henry so ungenerous with patronage?

Answer 12

he was cautious of giving the nobles too much power if they had significant land and wealth

Question 13

What was the result of Henrys policies towards patronage?

Answer 13

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

Question 14

How did Henry increase his land? (Not foreign policies)

Answer 14

Use of attainders meant vacant lands were absorbed into Henrys domains making him the largest landowner in the country, further consolidating his power

Question 15

What was “retaining?” and why did Henry VII put laws in place to stop it?

Answer 15

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

Question 16

what did retainers do (how were they enforcers?)

Answer 16

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.

Question 17

when was the first law passed against illegal retaining of large numbers of men?

Answer 17

1485

Question 18

when was the second law passed on retaining and what was it?

Answer 18

1504, required nobles to have a special license to retain large numbers of men

Question 19

what was the consequence of retaining after 1504 without a license?

Answer 19

Severe fines of £5 per month per illegal retainer

Question 20

what was problems arised with trying to stop retaining?

Answer 20

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

Question 21

In what ways did Henry reduce the threat and power of nobles?

Answer 21

Acts of attainders, limits on retaining, limited patronage and financial bonds

Question 22

What financial controls did Henry have on nobles?

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Did henry use financial bonds much on nobility?

Answer 23

Yes! It was widely used, in the last decade of his reign 3/4 of nobility were held under bonds

Question 24

Lord Burgavveny’s conviction and fine and what did Henry do

Answer 24

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.

Question 25

What did the king get from putting lord burgavenny under a bond

Answer 25

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

Question 26

What was the council learned in law?

Answer 26

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

Question 27

who led the council learned in law until 1503?

Answer 27

sir reginald bray

Question 28

1503-1509 who led the council learned in law?

Answer 28

Edmund Dudley and Richard Empson

Question 29

How did the king control further areas of England?

Answer 29

Justices of peace (appointed annually by local landowners) made sure law was implemented, as a form of local gov in england

Question 30

in 1485 what powers were JPs granted?

Answer 30

Powers of arrest extended to hunters and poachers

Question 31

1491 JPs were granted with what power

Answer 31

power to grant bail

Question 32

1495 JPs were granted with what power

Answer 32

power to vet juries

Question 33

How significant was parliament?

Answer 33

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

Question 34

What council WAS of importance to Henry and how many members were there?

Answer 34

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

Question 35

When were JP’s granted power to arrest hunters and poachers?

Answer 35

1485

Question 36

By the end of henrys reign how much of the nobility were held under bonds?

Answer 36

3/4

Question 37

What were two divisions of the royal council?

Answer 37

Council learned in law and the star chamber

Question 38

council learned in law and the star chamber were sub divisions of what council?

Answer 38

royal council

Question 39

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

Answer 39

Council learned in law

Question 40

how did henry achieve such a strong financial position at the end of his reign?

Answer 40

he took a direct personal interest in the state of national finances.

Question 41

why did he avoid aggressive foreign policy?

Answer 41

because wars were such a large source source of expenditure for previous kings and he prioritised financial stability

Question 42

Name 4 sources of ordinary revenue for the king

Answer 42

crown lands, feudal dues, legal dues and custom duties