Henry VII Domestic policy Flashcards
When he achieved power, Henry predated his reign to what date, and what did this achieve?
21st August 1585 - the day before the Battle of Bosworth
Those who opposed him were the traitors and the usurpers
He was coronated on what date?
30th October 1485
He first called parliament on what date?
2nd November 1485
He married Elizabeth of York on what date?
Why was this important?
18th January 1486
1) He could have children
2) Brought the houses of York and Lancaster together; gave him a stronger claim to the throne
When did he embark on progress to the north and why?
March 1486; showed he was a strong king unafraid of dissent - north had more supporters of Richard
Who were the two dangerous and powerful men, and what did Henry do with them? (upon ascending to the throne)
The Earl of Warwick (imprisoned)
Earl of lincoln, John de la Pole (was reconciled with - Henry did not want to anger rivals)
When was Prince Arthur born?
20th September 1486
During his progress to York in March 1486, what conspiracy took place?
The Lovell Conspiracy
Who were the leaders of the Lovell conspiracy?
Lord Lovell
Thomas Staffard
Humphery Staffard
What was the outcome of the Lovell conspircay and what did it show about the early years of Henry’s reign?
That England was insecure and unstable still. Only one Humphery Stafford was executed - again, he did not want to provoke more instablity, but wanted to show he could provide stability
Who did Lambert Simnel claim to be?
The Earl of Warwick, who was in the tower
Who led the Lambert Simnel rebellion?
John de la Pole, the Earl of Lincoln
When did the Simnel plot begin, and who gave it financial backing?
Autumn 1486, Margaret of Burgundy (Henry had restricted trade through Burgundy)
How did Henry first respond to the Simnel conspiracy?
paraded the real Earl of Warwick through the streets - didn’t work to reduce support for Simnel, people didn’t care about the truth, they just wanted to remain loyal to their factions
How did Margaret of Burgundy give Simnel some legitimacy?
acknowledged he was her nephew; gave refuge to Lovell and Pole; paid for 2000 mercanery troops that would land in Ireland in April 1487
Which Irish noble did Pole, Simnel, and Lovell meet in April 1487?
Earl of Kildare
Simnel was crowned king on which date?
24th Mary 1487
Henry grew increasingly worried about the Simnel plot; what did he do in response to Simnel arriving in Ireland?
The coasts were guared
An army was raised and moved North West
The army arrived at Kenilworth Castle on May 8th
What was the climatic battle of the Simnel plot and when did it take place?
The Battle of Stoke
16th June 1486
the last battle of the Wars of the Roses
Why did the rebels lose the Battle of Stoke?
Irish were outnumbered 8000 to 12000
They lacked proper armour
In a similar vein to Bosworth, some powerful men waited before their armies chose sides (William Stanley)
Who waited before making the crucial intervention at the Battle of Bosworth? (22nd August)
William Stanley - Henry’s reign was precarious before it had even started
Who emerged as the next pretender to the throne?
Perkin Warbeck, pretending to be one of the princes in the tower
What was the reason Warbeck (as one of the princes in the tower) would have had legitimacy?
Henry had reppealed Titulus Regulus to de-ligitimise Richard, but doing so re-ligitimised the two princes in the tower
When was Warbeck active? When was Warbeck captured and imprisoned? When was he executed?
Active between 1490-97
Imprisoned after being captured in Hampshire in 1497 - then wrote confession saying he was flemish
Executed 23rd November 1499
Why can Warbeck not be seen as a major threat?
Warbeck did not have the support after JDLP had died and the failures of both the Lovell and Simnel conspiracy.
Henry had also built some strong foreign alliances (Medina del Campo; weak scotland after James III death etc.)
Henry was doing a successful support of controlling the nobility
Why can Warbeck be seen as a major threat?
there was still unrest and rebellion (Cornish rebellion 1497 - which Warbeck tried and failed to profit off)
He had the backing of some extremely powerful people (Charles VIII; James IV; Margaret of Burgundy; in contact with William Stanley)
Where did Warbeck land, and where was he captured?
Landed in Lands End, Cornwall; captured in Taunton; wrote his confession in Hampshire
What major event did Warbeck arrive too late for?
the Cornish Rebellion
What happened to Warbeck?
His was treated fairly well; he not killed and taken to court and informally imprisoned.
In June 1498 he tried to escape with the Earl of Warwick, and was executed on the 23rd November 1499.
Warbeck’s attempted invasion through Cornwall occured after what other invasion? Why did it fail?
An invasoin from Scotland to England - this increase in tax revenue to fight off this invasion caused the Cornish rebellion
The Scottish force failed to gather support, however, and quickly diminshed in size.
Where was the Cornish rebellion defeated, how many died?
Blackheath in Kent - 1000
How many men did Warbeck attract in Cornwall? What did he lack?
8000; any support from the nobility who Henry had his thumb over
Which two men played major roles in the government of Henry VII? Why did these annoy the nobels?
Richard Empson and Edmund Dudley - both were lawyers who annoyed the nobels with their aggressive, exrta-legal policy; and because they amassed great power despite being of low birth
Reginald Bray was also important
What methods did Herny use to control the nobility?
Order of Garter Acts of Aittanders Limiting retainers Fuedal rights Most importantly - Bonds and Recognisances
What extra-legal court was created
The Court of the Star Chamber
What were bonds and recognisances?
How many nobles were involved in such agreements throughout reign?
Bonds - do good things, if not you pay
Recognisances - you have done a bad thing, pay
JR Laveler - ‘a terrifying system of suspended sentences’
36 out of 62
What were Acts of Aittander and how many nobles were caught in the web?
Legally had to give up land, titles, and life basically :(
56 attainders in first two years
51 in final 5 years
attained 138 men in total; only reversed 46
What were the Carrots Henry used and how often?
Order of the Garters - created 37 knights
summoning to king council - but no nobles could achieve this height
What act in 1486 restored noble lands ot the crown?
The Act of Resumption 1486
How much more land did the crown have at the end of Henry’s reign?
estimated at x5
What were retainers and how did Henry limit them?
private, local fighting forces used by nobles that could threaten the monarchy when growing in size.
1504 proclomation said license had to required to retain; Lords and Commons sweared not to retain illegally in 1485
Lord Burgavenney struck by £70,000 fine in 1506
What were fuedal rights and how were they used?
Wardship:estates of minors placed under royal control
Marriage: profited off arranged marriages
Relief and Liver: payment to king on inheriting land; payment to recover from wardship
Why did Henry need to control the nobles?
They had grown increasingly powerful throughout the Wars of the Roses, with some being dubbed ‘super nobels and one (Earl of Warwick) being called Warwick the King maker
What was ordinary revenue?
Was collected anually and seen as the King's right consisted of: Crown lands Custom duties Fuedal dues Profits of Justice
The Act of Resumption 1486 and attainders helped in crease income from crown lands from:
£29,000 to £42,000
Yet the income from custom duties went down between Edward IV and Henry:
From £70,000 to £40,000
Smuggling was problem and income from trade depended on relation with foreign powers
Income from fuedal dues increased from:
£350 per annum t0 £6000
Extraordinary revenue consited of:
Parliamentary taxation Loans Church taxation Fuedal aid French Pension from Treaty of Etaples
Taxation was unpopular and not very effective because:
This can be seen in:
It was based on outdated sources of income (Wolsey’s subsidy would later reform)
The Cornish and Yorkshire rebellions were both over tax
Loans and benevolences were used when and how much money?
Loans had to be repayed: took out £203,000 during reign
Benevolences did not have to be repayed (were v. unpopular) but were used in times of crisis EG 1491 when preparing to go to war with France £48,500
How did Henry use the Church to make money?
Made contributions to parlaiment (raised £25,00 in 1489)
Henry also sold offices (simony), and left bishoprics vacant to claim revenue, making £6000 per annum from this
Fuedal aid was used on special occasions such as
The knighting of Prince Arthur brought in £30,000
Marriage of Margaret to James IV .
How much was the crown making per year? What had that increased from and how did it compare to other European monarchs?
From £11,700 to £113,000
France’s Charles VIII had £800,000
How did he gain greater control of the finances?
Control of finances moved back from the Exchequer (Edward IV) to King’s Chamber. This gave him MUCH greater control over the financial goings on - everything had to go through him.
The King’s Chamber was far more efficient, flexible, and informal - easier to control and keep an eye on.
What did the Spanish ambassador remark his rule style to be like?
Henry wanted to rule in ‘the French fashion’; that is, more hands on and subject to only himself
Why was Henry in a precarious situation regarding governance of England
He had no experience of the country and government
What practice did in government did Herny make more common?
The use of smaller committees within the King’s Council; such as a Court of Requests, Court of General Surveyors; and the Council Learned in Law (Reginald Bray)
How was the status of some of Henry’s most important advisers different? Name them?
Some came from the gentry - Henry was making use of an emerging urban bourgeoise
Dudley, Empson, Bray
Henry did not rely on particular families
What was the most notable change in government?
The exploitation of Royal Rights
What Yorkist idea did Herny develop?
Regional councils in Ireland, Wales, and the north
Who did Henry use to act as his deputy in the North?
First the Earl of Northumberland (Killed in Yorkshire rising)
Then the Earl of Surrey
What was the Council of the North’s responsibilty?
To defend the border; to enforce the law quickly (ensuring the Royal power reached to all corners of England)
How did Henry have greater powers over Regional Councils?
He appointed members to the council, ensuring loyalty and enforcement of Royal will
What council was Prince Arthur made head of (King training)?
Council of Wales - managed to increase control with death of Marcher Lords and and Welsh connections
Why was Ireland a problem?
Was a Yorkist stronghold - Earl of Kildare had supported Simnel
How far did English control reach in Ireland?
Not far - limited and concentrated in Dublin
What Irish law was passed in 1494?
Poynings’ Law - Irish parliaments could only called by and laws must have Royal assent from King
Was Henry’s policy regarding Ireland a success?
No, he had to rely on tradtional noble famillies
Given Henry lacked paid officials to ensure order, how did Henry plan on achieving stability post War of the Roses?
The nobility and gentry
What had been the issue with Justices of the Peace in the past?
They had used the office to advantage themselves or been under the influence of larger magnates
How was the role of JPs expanded?
Implimenting social and economic statues; trying criminal offences; replacing suspect members of Juries; acting in cases of non-capital with no Jury; powers to grant bail; arresting poachers; and rewarding informers
Why was the expansion of JPs power’s not effective?
They were still dependant on other officials to bring offenders to them - yet officials were reluctant to as it made them unpopular
How many times did parliament meet in his reign, and how many were in his first decade?
7
4
What did Henry use parliament for?
Passing Acts of Attainder; upholding his claim to the throne; define the responsibilities of JPs
How long was the longest parliament and why were they so brief?
3 months
Avoided asking for money/taxes - avoiding war (‘great consumer of treasure and riches’)
Role was being fufilled by other courts (Learned in Law) - Henry’s government was extra-legal and he sidestepped parliament
What were the major problems in government by the end of his reign?
reliance on unpaid officials
poor communications
Despite problems, was the effectivness of government increased under Henry?
Yes. JPs had become a more prestigious position, Careful selection of officers; and increased central, strong control improved effectiveness.
