Henry VII Government Flashcards
What were the 4 main ruling bodies in Henry VII reign
Council learned in law, great council, the council, household
The council
role was to advise the King
administration of the realm- taxes/organisation
included nobles, church and lay men and Lords
made judgements on nobles who had broken the law
The Great council
no defined function
was a means of binding nobility to important decisions surrounding national security (war/rebellions)
met 5 times in Henry’s reign
House of Lords
Council learned in law
Dealt and ensured prerogative rights, bonds and recognisances
unlinked to other councils, it was above the normal legal system- therefore it was rather unpopular and created fear
had no established rules- eg could meet without all the members being present
Reginald Bray was a key player
Household
Purpose was to show the kings power
essentially the court that the King travelled with
entertainers and advisors
sign of a personal monarchy
the Chamber
inner part of the household, much more politically relevant
it was presided over by the Chamberlain, however after Sir Stanley (chamberlain) betrayed Henry, the much closer privy council was created
Impact of Edward IV ruling
Henry continued much of Edward of Yorks operations admin methods
Government was well organised but had come very close to collapse in previous years
Impact of Government on society
Majority of revolts in Henry’s reign were dynastic based. However, the two that were not, were caused by Henry’s unpopular tax laws
Local Government
Justices of the Peace
unpaid gentry
selected by the King and answered directly to him (in an attempt to restrict power of local magnates and corruption)
served in 1 year terms
failure to uphold the role would equal a fall from grace (the incentive to do the job well)
limited in power- could be overruled by the Kings court
how many times was parliament called in Henry’s reign
7 times
Margaret Beauford
Henrys mother
valued but unofficial advisor
limited in power
Sir Stanely
Henry’s step uncle
Made Lord Chamberlain
betrayed Henry to Perkin Warbeck
Bishop Fox
on the council
churchman
Lord Reginald Bray
Long-term trusted advisor
led the council learned in law
John Morton
churchman
conspired against Richard
archbishop
Edmund Dudley
Took over from Bray upon his death
very unpopular and often blamed for increasingly harsh taxation laws
executed by Henry VIII
Richard Empson
Council learned in law
also linked to the increasing ruthlessness of Henry’s reign
executed with Dudley
Finances
Bonds and recognisances (fines)
crown lands- by the end of his reign, the crown was the biggest landowner
feudal dues
taxation of weddings/funerals/knighthoods
profits of justice
What was Henry’s governing style
personal monarchy
define a personal monarchy
regardless of position, access to the King was the main determiner of whether a person would hold power
How effective was Henry’s governing style
during Henry’s reign his governing was successful
very involved in daily governing
however, there was a clear unpopularity within his government as seen by the swift downfall of some of Henry’s advisors after his death (eg Empson and Dudley)
Problem’s Henry faced when becoming king
-nobles with land and wealth made them potential rivals to the crown (context of the war of the roses)
-The Crown had uneven control over England, stronger in southern/eastern populated areas while weaker in the boarder lands, could be due to a lack of fully developed local administration
-Crown had poor finances
why did Henry need the support of nobles
nobles enforced royal control/law and order where they held land/estates
Power of the nobles in the 1480s
War of the Roses meant lots of nobles and gained lands, therefore funds and therefore could (and had) retained a small army (bastard feudalism)
However, a series of deaths in the 1480s meant lots a the key noble families (Like Warwick, Northumberland, or Buckingham) were headed by children- less of a threat
