henry vii government Flashcards

1
Q

What was the style of rule under Henry VII?

A

Henry VII ruled with a council of advisers who supported him in making key decisions.

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2
Q

How many men attended the Council during Henry VII’s reign?

A

Around 227 men are recorded as having attended the Council during his reign.

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3
Q

What was the actual size of Henry VII’s working Council?

A

The actual working Council was much smaller, with around six or seven members.

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4
Q

What were the three main functions of the Council under Henry VII?

A
  1. To advise the king
  2. To administer the realm on the king’s behalf
  3. To make legal judgements.
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5
Q

What are the three main types of councillor in Henry VII’s Council?

A
  1. Members of the nobility
  2. Churchmen
  3. Laymen (gentry or lawyers).
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6
Q

Who were some notable churchmen in Henry VII’s Council?

A

John Morton and Richard Fox were notable churchmen, often with legal training.

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7
Q

What role did lawyers play in Henry VII’s Council?

A

Lawyers were skilled administrators and had played a significant role in previous reigns.

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8
Q

Who was John Morton?

A

John Morton was a highly able churchman and lawyer who served both Yorkists and Lancastrians.

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9
Q

What position did John Morton hold under Henry VII?

A

He was promoted to Archbishop of Canterbury in 1486 and became a cardinal in 1493.

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10
Q

What is the definition of ‘elites’?

A

Elites are select groups considered superior in ability, birth, or qualities to the rest of a group or society.

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11
Q

What does ‘magnate’ refer to in this context?

A

In this context, a magnate is a member of the higher ranks of the nobility.

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12
Q

What is the Duchy of Lancaster?

A

A significant body of property, mostly situated in Lancashire, personally belonging to the king but formally the territory of the duke. Henry VII granted positions of authority within the duchy to his most trusted servants.

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13
Q

Who was Margaret Beaufort?

A

Margaret Beaufort (1443-1509) was the mother of Henry VII, married Edmund Tudor, and remained an important unofficial adviser to the king. She was granted a large landed estate by Henry at Collyweston in Northamptonshire.

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14
Q

What was Sir Reginald Bray’s role during Henry VII’s reign?

A

Bray was a faithful servant of Henry Tudor, helped raise funds before the Battle of Bosworth, and served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He was described as the king’s chief executive.

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15
Q

What was the function of the Great Council?

A

The Great Council was a gathering of the House of Lords, meeting without the House of Commons, concerned with issues relating to war or rebellion, and met only five times during Henry VII’s reign.

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16
Q

What was the Council Learned?

A

The Council Learned was an offshoot of the Council that developed under Bray’s leadership, focused on maintaining the king’s revenue and exploiting his prerogative rights. It was seen as a ‘shady’ operation by historians.

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17
Q

Who was Richard Empson?

A

Richard Empson was Bray’s associate in the Council Learned, known for his fiercely ambitious and ruthless approach.

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18
Q

How did the Council Learned operate?

A

The Council Learned was not a recognized court of law, and those summoned had no chance to appeal. It was important for maintaining the king’s authority and raising finances.

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19
Q

Who was Sir Richard Empson?

A

Empson was a member of the king’s Council from 1494 and chaired the Council Learned. He was closely identified with the increasing ruthlessness of Henry VII’s regime and was executed for treason shortly after the king’s death.

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20
Q

What role did Edmund Dudley play after Bray’s death?

A

Dudley came to prominence following Bray’s death and exploited financial opportunities, making influential enemies. He became vulnerable to counter-attack after losing the king’s protection.

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21
Q

What is a bureaucrat?

A

A bureaucrat is an official in a government department, particularly one perceived as being concerned with procedural correctness at the expense of people’s needs.

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22
Q

What was the purpose of the Chamber in the royal court?

A

The Chamber was overseen by the Lord Chamberlain and was used for holding audiences and public dining. It was the center of court communications and court patronage.

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23
Q

What was the Privy Chamber?

A

The Privy Chamber was the king’s private quarters used for work and leisure, where he met his personal friends and servants.

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24
Q

How did the Tudors view the royal court?

A

The Tudors relied heavily on the royal court as the center of government, influenced by continental examples of royal courts, and it was a focus of a personal monarchy and royal ceremony.

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25
Q

What happened to Empson and Dudley after Henry VII’s death?

A

Empson and Dudley were removed from power by key advisers of the king and their downfall was celebrated by the public, indicating their unpopularity.

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26
Q

What is a courtier?

A

A courtier is a person who attends a royal court as a companion or adviser to the monarch.

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27
Q

How were rewards and status distributed at court?

A

Rewards and status were distributed to those who were deserving or, more likely, well connected.

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28
Q

What benefits did courtiers enjoy?

A

Courtiers enjoyed paid positions or the right to receive free food.

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29
Q

What was the significance of the royal court?

A

The royal court was where advancement could be attained and support from the king or influential persons could be obtained.

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30
Q

What characterizes a personal monarchy?

A

In a personal monarchy, political power and influence depend more on the relationship with the monarch than on any specific office held.

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31
Q

What is a Chamber in the context of the royal court?

A

The Chamber refers to the private areas of the court and is a key department for the efficient collection of royal revenues.

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32
Q

Who is the Lord Chamberlain?

A

The Lord Chamberlain is an experienced nobleman, a member of the king’s council, and a personal friend of the king with administrative and political power.

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33
Q

What is the Privy Chamber?

A

The Privy Chamber comprises the close personal servants of the monarch, who have direct access and can influence the monarch more directly.

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34
Q

What does chivalrous mean?

A

Chivalrous means to be gallant or courteous; it refers to a code of conduct associated with the dutiful behaviour of medieval knights.

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35
Q

What was the role of the household proper?

A

The household proper was responsible for looking after the king, courtiers, guests, and other entertainers.

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36
Q

What was the impact of Sir William Stanley’s treason?

A

Henry VII was significantly affected by discovering that his Lord Chamberlain, Sir William Stanley, was involved in a treasonable plot.

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37
Q

How did Henry VII respond to the challenge of treason?

A

Henry VII remodeled the Chamber by creating a new Privy Chamber, making it more difficult for those out of favour to regain the king’s support.

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38
Q

What is Parliament?

A

Parliament comprises the House of Commons and the House of Lords and has existed since the thirteenth century.

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39
Q

What are the main functions of Parliament?

A

The two main functions of Parliament are to pass laws and to grant taxation to the Crown.

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40
Q

What is a subsidiary function of Parliament?

A

A subsidiary function is to allow local issues and grievances to be passed on to the king’s officials by local Members of Parliament (MPs).

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41
Q

Which house was more important during this time?

A

The House of Lords, comprising the Lords Spiritual and the Lords Temporal, was the more important of the two houses.

42
Q

How many MPs comprised the House of Commons?

A

The House of Commons comprised two MPs for each county, two MPs for each borough, and representatives of the two universities (Oxford and Cambridge).

43
Q

Who had the right to vote?

A

The right to vote was largely restricted to men of property, specifically ‘forty shilling freeholders’ in the counties.

44
Q

When did Henry VII call his first parliament?

A

Henry VII called his first parliament from Nov 1485 to Mar 1486.

45
Q

How many parliaments did Henry VII call during his reign?

A

Henry VII called a total of seven parliaments during his reign.

46
Q

What were Henry VII’s early parliaments concerned with?

A

Henry’s early parliaments were largely concerned with issues of national security and the raising of revenue.

47
Q

What is an Act of Attainder?

A

An Act of Attainder declared individuals guilty without a trial; if they were dead, their property would be forfeit to the Crown.

48
Q

What is tonnage and poundage?

A

Tonnage and poundage refers to customs revenues granted for life by Henry’s first parliament.

49
Q

What is extraordinary revenue?

A

Extraordinary revenue is money raised by the king from additional sources as one-off payments during emergencies or unforeseen expenses.

50
Q

What are fifteenths and tenths?

A

Fifteenths and tenths are a standard form of taxation, calculated in the fourteenth century, paid by towns and boroughs to the Crown.

51
Q

How much revenue was yielded from fractional taxes in 1487, 1489-90, 1491-92, and 1497?

A

The fractional taxes yielded €203,000.

52
Q

What is a bond?

A

A legal document which bound an individual to another to perform an action or forfeit a specified sum of money if they failed to do so.

53
Q

What is recognizance?

A

A formal acknowledgement of a debt or other obligation which could be enforced by means of financial penalty.

54
Q

What was a prime responsibility for the king?

A

The maintenance of law and order.

55
Q

What could problems with law and order lead to?

A

Uprisings or rebellions.

56
Q

Who did Henry rely on to exercise power on his behalf?

A

Well-placed members of the nobility.

57
Q

What was a concern for Henry regarding the nobility?

A

That influential nobles might become powerful enough to challenge the king’s authority.

58
Q

How did Henry’s situation differ from Edward IV’s?

A

Henry did not have the luxury of dividing the country into spheres of influence controlled by great nobles.

59
Q

What happened to the magnates after the Wars of the Roses?

A

Their number was reduced and their lands fell into the hands of the Crown.

60
Q

Who was released to rule the north on Henry’s behalf?

A

The Yorkist Earl of Surrey.

61
Q

What was the risk of sending Surrey to the north?

A

It was a high-risk strategy as he was a known supporter of Richard III.

62
Q

How long did Surrey serve effectively in the north?

A

For ten years.

63
Q

Who did Henry trust in much of the rest of the country?

A

The Earl of Oxford and Lord Daubeney.

64
Q

What did Henry employ to monitor magnate performance?

A

A spying network.

65
Q

What were justices of the peace (JPs) responsible for?

A

Maintaining law and order in the countryside.

66
Q

How often did JPs meet to administer justice?

A

Four times a year.

67
Q

Who were most JPs?

A

Local gentry who fulfilled their unpaid tasks out of duty or for local prestige.

68
Q

What responsibilities were increased for JPs through Acts of Parliament?

A

Tax assessments, alehouse regulation, investigation of complaints against local officials, and maintenance of law and order.

69
Q

What authority did JPs supersede?

A

The traditional authority of the county sheriff.

70
Q

What was the role of bonds and recognizances in Henry VII’s reign?

A

Henry VII restored law and order largely through forcing many of his subjects to take out bonds and recognizances. Some were genuine debts owed to the Crown, while many were purely political.

Edmund Dudley noted that the king wished to have many persons in danger at his pleasure, using bonds to enforce order and obedience.

71
Q

What types of courts existed in the judicial system during Henry VII’s reign?

A

The judicial system included Church courts, local courts (manor and borough courts), King’s courts at county level, King’s common law courts, and Chancery and other equity courts.

72
Q

What was the jurisdiction of Church courts?

A

Church courts handled church administration, offences committed by the clergy, proving of wills, issues relating to marriage, and ‘moral’ offences.

73
Q

What were the responsibilities of local courts?

A

Local courts dealt with landholding, rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants, use of common land, and responsibilities for drainage and land issues.

74
Q

What were the major types of King’s courts?

A

Major types included King’s Bench (superior criminal jurisdiction), Common Pleas (major civil cases), and Exchequer (issues relating to royal revenues).

75
Q

What did Steven Gunn and Christine Carpenter say about Henry VII’s justice system?

A

Steven Gunn considered that the administration of justice broadly improved during Henry VII’s reign, while Christine Carpenter was critical of Henry’s mistrust of the nobility and local society.

76
Q

What were the sources of royal income during Henry VII’s reign?

A

Sources of royal income included Crown lands, profits from feudal dues, customs revenue, pensions from other powers, profits of justice, and extraordinary revenue.

77
Q

What is debated about Henry VII’s greed?

A

There is debate as to whether Henry’s greed was a feature throughout his reign or whether he became much greedier in the later stages of his reign.

78
Q

What did Lord Mountjoy say about Henry VII’s death?

A

Lord Mountjoy wrote that such extreme greed was now dead.

79
Q

What did Sir Thomas More do in response to Henry VII?

A

Sir Thomas More wrote a Latin poem for Henry VIII which contained criticism of both Henry VII and his advisers.

80
Q

How did Henry VIII respond to criticism of Henry VII?

A

Henry VIII achieved cheap popularity by executing Empson and Dudley.

81
Q

What was the income from Crown lands at the beginning of Henry VII’s reign?

A

At the beginning of Henry’s reign, income from Crown lands had dropped to about £12,000 per year.

82
Q

What was the income from Crown lands by the end of Henry VII’s reign?

A

By the end of the reign, the income from land had increased to around £42,000 per year.

83
Q

What system did Henry VII revert to for administering Crown lands?

A

Henry decided to revert to Edward IV’s system of administration through the Chamber, rather than through the inefficient Court of Exchequer.

84
Q

Who were effective treasurers of the Chamber during Henry VII’s reign?

A

Effective treasurers included Sir Thomas Lovell and Sir John Heron.

85
Q

How does historian Christine Carpenter view the growth of income from Crown lands?

A

Christine Carpenter, despite being critical of many aspects of Henry’s kingship, regards the growth of income from Crown lands as impressive.

86
Q

What is wardship?

A

An aspect of the feudal system which enabled the Crown to gain the profits from property held by a minor.

87
Q

What is feudal aid?

A

A right by which the Crown could impose a tax on their tenants for the knighting of the eldest son, the marriage of the eldest daughter, or to ransom a lord.

88
Q

What is the Statute of Uses?

A

A law passed to prevent landed property from being turned into trusts which were mechanisms for avoiding paying tax on a deceased person’s estate.

89
Q

How did the pursuit of the king’s feudal rights change?

A

It was tightened, leading to increased profits from wardship and a feudal aid granted by Parliament in 1504.

90
Q

What was a source of revenue from feudal dues?

A

Obligations payable on the death of a feudal tenant-in-chief became a useful additional source of revenue.

91
Q

What was the impact of the Statute of Uses of 1489?

A

It cut out a potential loophole for avoidance of the charge, irritating landowners.

92
Q

What was feudalism?

A

The dominant social system in medieval Europe, where the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service.

93
Q

What was the customs revenue during Henry’s reign?

A

It increased from £34,000 to £38,000 over the course of the reign.

94
Q

What pension did Henry receive from the Treaty of Etaples?

A

A pension of £5000 per annum from the French.

95
Q

What were profits of justice?

A

This included fines and income from bonds, with at least £200,000 promised to the king between 1504 and 1507.

96
Q

What was extraordinary revenue during Henry’s reign?

A

Henry received over €400,000 from extraordinary taxation, which provoked rebellions in 1489 and 1497.

97
Q

What did Henry leave behind at his death?

A

Plate and jewels worth around €300,000 and £10,000 in cash.

98
Q

What was the political price of Henry’s revenue policies?

A

The main victims were the landowners, whose support Henry needed if his throne was threatened.

99
Q

What argument did John Richard Green put forward in 1874?

A

That Edward IV and Henry VII together represented a ‘new monarchy’.

100
Q

What is the view of Stanley Chrimes regarding Henry’s innovations?

A

He claimed that Henry was no innovator.

101
Q

Who emphasized the originality of the establishment of the Privy Chamber?

A

David Starkey.