HENRY VII DOMESTIC POLICY Flashcards
1
Q
Why did he have weak claim to throne
A
- bastard Tudor - related to John of gaunt through illegitimate child
- usurper king
- Welsh
2
Q
When was battle of Bosworth
A
- august 1485
3
Q
What measures did Henry take to show his legitimacy around the time of his coronation
A
- coronation before parliament meeting - no one could say he was king due to parliament
- married Elizabeth of York months after - shows he didnt rely on her lineage to establish legitimacy
- passed act dated day before battle of Bosworth - can use act of attainders against those who fought against him in war
4
Q
Outline events of Lovell and Stafford opposition
A
- 1486
- Lovell was Richard iii chamberlain who broke sanctuary
- significant -> Stafford tried to raise West Country against king
- Not significant -> promises of royal pardon to ordinary rebels, Lovell fled abroad, Stafford’s dragged from their new sanctuary and imprisoned in Tower of London
5
Q
Outline events of lambert Simnel opposition
A
- 1486-87
- lambert Simnel -> passed as one of the princes in tower, then passed as Earl of Warwick
- Significant -> support in Ireland (favoured Yorkist side), supported by Margaret of burgundy (sister of Edward iv and Richard iii - lent money and army 2000 mercenaries), Earl of Warwick paraded but the support for the conspiracy didn’t weaken
- Not significant -> after caught Simnel put to work in royal kitchens then kings falconer
6
Q
Outline events of perkin warbeck opposition
A
- 1491-99
- perkin warbeck (model from Netherlands) -> pretended to be Richard (younger son Edward iv), nearly lasted 10 years
- Started in Ireland 1492, France (king willing to support opposition to Henry vii
- Henry had been supporting Duke of Brittany - treaty of etaples 1492 Charles viii and Henry vii agree to end support of warbeck in return of being ruler of Brittany)
- burgundy/holy Roman Empire
- Kent (failure)
- Scotland (James recognises him as richard of York - one prince in tower)
- Ireland
- Cornwall (caught up in Cornwall rebellion/arrested)
- Significant -> many important people considered pretender to be true, taken up by Irish nobles nobles and Burgundian support, great nuisance value to foreign rulers who wanted to bring diplomatic pressure to bear on Henry vii, same time as Cornwall rebellion
7
Q
Outline events of de la poles opposition
A
- john - named as heir to the throne by his uncle Richard III
- Edmund - Earl of Suffolk, isn’t allowed to inherit his fathers duke title, kills a man and has to go before a ordinary court but flees to Burgundy
- significant -> Henry bribes holy Roman emperor to stop supporting de la poles, suspends trade with country to ensure this happens
- not significant -> John invited to join council after he swore loyalty to Henry, later killed in battle of stoke, Storm blew Philip (Spain) to English coast and surrendered Edmund, paraded trough the streets and execute
8
Q
Outline events of Yorkshire rebellion
A
- 1489
- Henry needed to help Brittany attack France -> tried to collect £100000 in taxes to pay for attack
• Some northern counties didn’t need to pay as they were defending England from the Scots
• Yorkshire was suffering the after effects of bad harvest in the previous summer - significant -> Henry Percy Earl of Northumberland is murdered (shoot the messenger)
- not significant -> not a great threat as they didnt try to overthrow him, just rebelling against the tax
9
Q
Outline events of Cornwall rebellion
A
- 1497
- Henry wanted to introduce heavy tax to fund a expedition up north against James (Scotland)/Perkin Warbeck
- Cornish people independent and refuse to pay -> rebels march into western counties and led by Lord Audley
- reach outskirts of London and meet a royal army -> 1000 rebels killed and Audley and 2 local leaders executed
- significant -> marched all the way from Cornwall to London and weren’t stopped, 15000 participants
- not significant -> hardly endangered his throne but didn’t allow him to afford a serious campaign against Scotland
10
Q
What was Henry’s relations with nobility
A
- relations with nobility - tight fisted, only rewarding those who are genuinely loyal
11
Q
How did nobles help law enforcement
A
- nobles help him enforce law and order from other parts of country
- provide troops for Henry if he goes into battle
- Can’t rule without nobles - yet shouldn’t have too much power
12
Q
How does Henry limit nobles power
A
- doesn’t give nobles much power -> if noble dies without son the land/title goes back to king OR rebellion of nobles and remove title (more money)
- more money to help the fact that he has a dodgy claim -> more patronage to give to win support (uncle jasper given title - only giving to people he trusts), more magnificent as monarch
- From 60 nobles to 42 by end of reign -> revenue/land ownership goes back to king
13
Q
What rewards did Henry give nobles
A
- order of the garter -> no money/power, gave 37
- Howard family -> Duke of Norfolk (Henry viii duke father, uncle of Anne Boleyn) fought on other side of battle of Bosworth, given chance to be warden of the north (run Scottish border) and prove themselves loyal, gave their minor title back, never gave back dukedom
14
Q
Why did Henry care about finances -
A
- getting more money helps his dodgy claim to the throne -> demonstrate magnificence as king with lots of money
15
Q
How did Henry raise extraordinary revenue
A
- extraordinary revenue -> doesn’t come in all time, infrequent eg winnings from war (£100,000 a year)
- Income tax controlled by parliament - king must manage with ordinary income
- Raised too much income tax - Yorkshire resulted in rebellion
- Cornish rebellion - tax for Scottish war, caused rebellion in provinces furthest away from Scottish border
16
Q
How did Henry raise ordinary revenue
A
- ordinary revenue - taxes, comes in every year, expected (money he relies on) -> customs duties
- Land revenue - major source, duchy of Lancaster, de la poles land returned to king after he died -> farmers rent out land
- Reginald bray - good at dealing with money, dealt with his mothers estate, Henry trusted him a lot, increased revenue from duchy of Lancaster from £650 a year to £6000 a year (good management and very responsible)
- Flees from justice - fined for breaking the law, money goes to king
- Bonds and recognisances - bind important people in country into situation of financial trap, sign document to promise not to go against kings wishes, connected to multiple people one person know -> if they disobey him/behave badly they must pay him thousands of pounds, if one person disobeys the people they know have to pay too, not rally to gain money but to keep all in line
- Retaining - fining people for keeping soldiers (known by wearing their colours and military uniform) -> ruthless impartiality (fined his own mother for retaining)
- council learned in the law - hundred year old laws brought back to get the king money
- wardship - when aristocrat gets land before 18 they king has right to land, sells rights to someone else to manage
- marriage - king can levy a fee
17
Q
Summarise Henry’s administration
A
- 1st half of reign lots of rebellion/insecurity
- 2nd half more secure and no pretenders/rebellions
18
Q
How did regional councils help Henry
A
- country is big, easier to control -> more significant power, local control, too much power could lead to rebellion
- successful in keeping enough control and managing region
19
Q
How was the northern region governed
A
- earl of Northumberland (Percy family) after he died and son too young the Howards took over
- Warden of the northern marches - elder Thomas howard, did well so he gave back younger title earldom of Surrey -> using loyal service and withholding titles to gain loyalty
20
Q
How was wales governed
A
- Easier control in wales -> manages effectively, uncle jasper (Duke of Bedford) made ruler of wales (quite old and unmarried so the title and land would come back to him when jasper died)
21
Q
How did local govts help Henry govern
A
- justices of the peace manage local govt - law and order, organise trials, take orders from privy council
- Use legal retainers to negotiate/quash rebellions, high status, unpaid role
- Significant landowning gentlemen - thousands of acres, sir or esquire
22
Q
What did Henry’s central govt do
A
- only calls parliament to raise money
- privy council - runs country on his behalf
- after uncle Stanley rebels and is executed he shuts down govt -> only using people he really trusts
