Henry VII - ( Early reign, Domestic policy, Foreign policy)

Question 1

when was the Battle of Bosworth?

Answer 1

1485

Question 2

What were the issues surrounding Henry VII Legitimacy?

Answer 2

1) Henry had a weak claim to the throne through his mother Margaret Beaufort, whereas others like the De La Pole brothers had a claim through their fathers and grandfathers which was considered a stronger claim.
2) Henry was a usurper which put him at risk because this made it susceptible for his throne to be openly challenged in the same way.
3) Henry had been in exile in France for 14 years, he hardly knew England and his invasion was aided by the French, who were not popular in England.

Question 3

How did Henry VII overcome the issues surrounding his legitimacy?

Answer 3

1) Backdating his coronation to the day before the Battle of Bosworth victory - this was to revoke the perception he was an usurper and meant that those whom fought against him at Bosworth could be tried for treason, eliminating further threats.
2) Henry married Elizabeth of York, King Edwards daughter, which strengthened his claim to the throne and united the Yorkist and Lancastrian Houses through the emblem of the Tudor Rose. Furthermore, this likened him with Loyal support.
3) Henry decides to marry Elizabeth after his coronation to indicate that he is worthy of being King not just through and incidence of a Marriage arrangement.

Question 4

when did Henry embark on the Northern progress? and why?

Answer 4

1486, this was due to the fact the north specifically Yorkshire were largely lawless and still consisted of a big support base for Richard III, thus the northern progress was an important way to let the people see the king and to start to build loyalty.

Question 5

What was the Lovell conspiracy, when did it take place ?

Answer 5

Spring 1486, Yorkist supporters like Francis Lord Lovell and Humphrey Stafford found sanctuary in Colchester abbey. They had both been loyal supporters of Richard III and together began to conspire against Henry.

Question 6

How did henry go about overcoming the Lovell Conspiracy?

Answer 6

Henry VII used spies to monitor Yorkist supporters and in 1486 he learned that Lovell and Humphrey Stafford had escaped and were planning a rebellion.
He sent Sir Edgcumbe and Sir Tyler were appointed to apprehend Lovell, who were forced to flee to Flanders under the protection of Margaret of Burgundy.
When the Stafford brother led a rebellion in Worcester while the King was on his Northern progress, he soon learnt of this and advanced to Worchester on the 11th of May 1486.
Henry sent John Barrowman to forcibly remove the Stafford brothers from Culham abbey on the 14th of May. They were tried before court - Humphrey was executed whilst his younger brother Thomas was pardoned.

Question 7

What other event was occurring during the Lovell Conspiracy?

Answer 7

At the same time, a rebellion in Wales was led by Yorkist supporters the Herberts and the Vaughan. this was crushed by Rhys ap Thomas, who had supported Henry at Bosworth.

Question 8

How did Henry go about rewarding the Lancastrians? Give examples.

Answer 8

ORDER OF GARTER - Henry gave a special honour reserved for the King’s closest associates, giving them prestige and honour, rather than land or money. 37 appointed.
E.g. Giles Daubney ; made Lord Daubney and Lieutenant of Calais in 1486.
Bishop Richard Fox ; made keeper of the privy seal
Sir Reginald bray ; made chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Henry’s chief financial and property advisor.

Question 9

When was the Yorkshire Rebellion and what caused it?

Answer 9

1489, sparked by parliamentary tax to fund Henry’s expedition to Brittany. Yorkshire thought that they should not have to fight off the scots, so did not want to pay tax especially as Yorkshire had suffered bad harvests that year.

Question 10

How did Henry VII deal with the Yorkshire Rebellion?

Answer 10

1) Sir Egremont led an army, which was defeated outside York by the Earl of Surrey and 8,000 troops.
2) the Earl of surrey is appointed by Henry the New representative of the North.
3) Egremont fled to Flanders, but the rest of the rebels were not punished and Henry did not collect any more tax.

Question 11

When was the Cornish rebellion and what was the cause of the event?

Answer 11

Spring 1497, Henry orders a loan of £120,000 should be repaid through general taxation. This tax is in order to prepare a military offensive against Scotland, who were supporting Warbeck. Resentment comes to a head in St Keverne ( Cornish parish). An Gof and Thomas Flamank lead a rebellion.

Question 12

Describe the key events within the Cornish rebellion?

Answer 12

• 15,000 rebels marched via Exeter to Salisbury and Winchester and Kent. This is considered a genuine danger to the city thus Queen Elizabeth, Lady Margaret and the rest of the royal children are moved to the tower of London for their own protection.

Question 13

How did Henry VII deal with the Cornish rebellion?

Answer 13

rebels hesitate at camp Blackheath. The hesitation allows royal troops to arrive from the North and the rebels are defeated on the 17th of June with more than a thousand killed on the battlefield. Henry punishes An Gof and Thomas Flamank with hang, drawn and quartered, they body parts displayed in disloyal towns.

Question 14

Yorkist Pretenders : Explain the situation of the Yorkist pretender Lambert Simnel?

Answer 14

Lambert Simnel was trained by Yorkists to have excellent manners in order to pretend to be Edward, Earl of Warwick.
Simnel was supported by Margaret of Burgundy ( Richard III’s sister) raising 2,000 mercenaries led by Martin Schwartz to set sail for Ireland in April 1487.
Henry paraded the real Earl of Warwick through the streets of London ( whom had been locked up in the Tower of London whilst Yorkist presumed he was dead).

Question 15

How did Henry deal with Lambert Simnel?

Answer 15

Simnel’s forces landed in Lancashire in June 1487, they tried to get support in Cumbria and north Yorkshire but got a poor response.
Simnel’s 8,000 men were EASILY defeated by Henry 12,000. ( outnumbering Simnel’s men by 3:2 )
Although, Simnel was forgiven and given a job as the King’s Falconer. Henry punished some offenders with fines, rarely executions. Only 28 men attained.

Question 16

Explain the situation of Edmund de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk?

Answer 16

Had a genuine claim to the throne as the nephew of Richard III. His brother John fought against Henry at Bosworth and was killed early in his reign. furthermore, Edmund was not allowed to inherit his father’s ducal title, which was extremely humiliating.
Edmund Fled to Burgundy in July 1499, came back, then fled in summer 1501, seeking support from Burgundy and Maximilian (leader of HRE).

Question 17

what concessions did Henry undergo in an attempt to capture Edmund de la Pole?

Answer 17

1) Henry tried paying £10,000 to Maximillian to get Edmund back, but he took the money and did nothing.
2) HENRY SUSPENDED ALL TRADE WITH BURGUNDY in January 1505.
3) Phillip blew onto the English coast in a freak storm and Henry was able to negotiate the return of de la Pole. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London.

Question 18

what does Henry’s responses to the issue of Edmund de la Pole tell us?

Answer 18

• we can tell from Henry’s responses that he considered de la pole to be a great threat and if it hadn’t been for the Italian wars occupying the attention of Europe, he might have received the support of a European power.

Question 19

How did Henry deal with the Nobility?

-rewarding

Answer 19

1) Order of Garter - 37 rewarded with prestige.
2) Patronage - Earl of Oxford became major landowner in East Anglia, Jasper Tudor made Duke of Bedford, restored to his welsh estates, etc)
3) King’s council - trusted advisors remained in posts close to the king e.g. Richard Fox became keeper of the Privy Seal in 1487, keeping his position till 1516.
4) the great Council - called together to discuss major issues. The idea was that if they had been consulted, nobles couldn’t turn against the king and criticise the policy.

Question 20

How did Henry deal with the Nobility?

- Sanctions

Answer 20

1) Acts of attainder ( confiscated Land) : Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey fought against Henry at Bosworth and in march 1486, was imprisoned and attained. He swore an oath of allegiance in January 1489 and his lands were slowly returned as a reward for good service. Attained 138, reversed 46
2) Retaining ( having your own private army ) - 1504 proclamations ensured that nobles had to get a license to retain, getting them from the king in person. This act carried a penalty of £5 per month for each illegal retainer. 1506, Lord Burgavenny fined £70,550.

Question 21

What were feudal dues?

Answer 21

proceeds from Wardship ( King took over lands when nobles were too young to inherit, until they came of age ) and marriage increased from £350 in 1487 to £6,000 in 1507.

Question 22

How did Henry expand his crown lands?

Answer 22

Act of Resumption (1486) allowed Henry to greatly increase crown lands. crown lands were 5 times larger by the end of Henry’s reign than they were in the 1450s.
Act of Parliament ( 1495) confirmed to Henry VII all the land of Richard III.
Acts of attainder helped Henry to increase his lands as 183 were attained during his reign.

Question 23

What impact did the Council learned in Law have on Henry’s finances?

Answer 23

The council learned in law used old laws to extort money from the nobles, causing great anger amongst nobles.
e,g, Dudley ( member of the council) accused Thomas Sunif of murdering a child, this would have meant he broke a bond. thus was charged £500. Sunif refused to pay this and went to prison, the jury was rigged and he was found guilty of a crime he didn’t commit so ended up paying.

Question 24

When was the Treaty of Etaples and what was the outcome?

Answer 24

November 1492, Agreed £159,000 French pension for Henry, paid in instalments of £5,000 a year. The French also promised not to support Perkin Warbeck.

Question 25

Explain the situation of the Breton Crisis?

Answer 25

The French wanted to take back the only part of the channel coast that was under their control, Brittany. They sent a force to Brittany in 1488.
HRE and Spain send support to Brittany and Henry unofficially sends small force of 500 men, but are defeated in July 1488 with the Duke of Brittany killed.
The new ruler Anne of Brittany is seized by the French.

Question 26

How did Henry VII resolve the Breton crisis (1487-1492)?

Answer 26

Henry signs the TREATY OF REDON in February 1489, sending 6,000 troops to fight for Breton independence. Anne of Brittany agrees to pay for campaign and not to marry without Henry’s permission.
The Spanish and HRE make peace with France behind Henry’s back and Brittany is forced to surrender. Anne of Brittany marries Charles VIII in December 1491, leaving England in an embarrassing position.

Question 27

When was the Treaty of Medina del Campo?

Answer 27

March, 1489

Question 28

Why was the outcome of Medina del Campo significant?

Answer 28

1) Prince Arthur married Catherine of Aragon allying England and Spain.
2) Catherine’s Dowry, Paid in instalments to Henry, was set at £40,000.
3) Spain promised not to help any rebels.
4) Reduced tarrifs on trade between England and Spain.

Question 29

What were the consequences of the Medina Del Campo?

Answer 29

This was the biggest foreign policy achievement of Henry’s reign. He had the recognition of a foreign power for his legitimacy as a ruler. As a result, he created a new gold coin with him wearing an imperial crown, showing he was more confident of his position.

Question 30

What event threatened the foundations of the treaty of Medina del Campo?

Answer 30

The death of Prince Arthur ( April 1502) places alliance with Spain in doubt.

Question 31

What was the Castillian succession and when did it occur?

Answer 31

1) 1504-06 Castillian succession crisis sprung from the death of Isabelle of Castille and left Castille to her daughter Joanna. This separated Aragon and Castille, ending the union of Spain.
2) Joanna was married to Philip of Burgundy. They wanted Castille, but Ferdinand of Aragon wanted to hold on to it. henry decided to support Phillip, as an alliance with a weak Aragon was pointless.

Question 32

How was the Castillian Succession crisis resolved?

Answer 32

1) Ferdinand made an alliance with France (TREATY OF BLOIS). Phillip set sail to castile to help Joanna, but became shipwrecked on the English coast.
2) at Henry’s mercy he negotiated the return of Edmund de la Pole. Henry also agreed to support Phillip and Joanna’s claim to Castille by cancelling debts of £138,000.
3) Phillip suddenly diead and Joanna had a mental breakdown, leaving Ferdinand to take over Castille. Henry tried to arrange a marriage alliance but he was unable to.

Question 33

What were the terms of the Intercursus Magnus in 1496

Answer 33

Established free trade between England and Burgundy. The cloth trade with Burgundy was the most important trade to England and this treaty allowed Henry and English merchants to make lots of money.

Question 34

What happened to the inercursus Magnus in 1505?

Answer 34

Henry suspened trade with Burgundy as they refused to return Edmund de la Pole.

Question 35

What were the terms of The intercurcus Malus?

Answer 35

In April 1506, negotiated when Philip was shipwrecked in England Edmund de la Pole was returned so trade could continue.

Question 36

What limited the Intercursus Malus?

Answer 36

The terms of this treaty were so favourable to the English that Burgundian merchants complained and the Intercursus Malus was never implemented. instead, they went back to the terms of the Intercursus Magnus.

Question 37

What was the Auld Alliance?

Answer 37

In 1295, this ancient alliance between Scotland and France was the biggest threat to England as they could be attacked on two fronts.

Question 38

How did the Truce of Ayton come about?

Answer 38

James IV becoming King in 1495, supported Perkin Warbeck and provided military support for warbeck’s invasion of England in September 1496, bu this failed as it had no support in England.
James IV was worried about Henry’s rvenge so when he offered a truce he accepted it cementing the 1497 Truce of Ayton.

Question 39

How did the Treaty of Perpetual peace come about, When did it take place?

Answer 39

January 1502, the execution of Perkin Warbeck turned the truce into a full peace treaty. This was significant as no peace treaty had existed between England and Scotland since 1328.

Question 40

what were the terms of the Holy league and what significance did it have on Henry?

Answer 40

In 1496, the holy league includes spain, Papal states, States of Milan and Venice. In which the aims was to stop Charles III (French) attacks in the Italian states. henry was invited to take part, which shows his greater status on the European stage. Henry joins as a Honourary member, but makes it clear that he is not willing to attack Frnace - Honouring treaty of etaples 1492.