Henry VII Government Flashcards
H7’s ‘Carrot and stick policy’
The carrots
Patronage- H7 gave positions of power and influence as a reward for good behaviour and loyalty. He made his Uncle Jasper Tudor the Duke of Bedford and a prominent landowner after he supported him at the Battle of Bosworth
Order of the Garter- H7 used it more than previous monarchs as it gave the recipient prestige but not land or titles so H7 was able to retain power and prevent overmighty subjects
King’s Council- his key five councillors had been aligned to him before Bosworth
Great Council- five meetings throughout his reign. H7 used it to consult them for advice before he went to Parliament
The 1489 rebellion
Yorkshire 1489-
It was sparked by a parliamentary tax which was to finance H7’s aid to Brittany. This combined with a bad harvest made people very upset. The Earl of Northumberland was murdered. The rebels were defeated outside of York by the Earl of Surrey. However, H7 only received £27,000 of the £90,000 tax requested
Cornwall 1497
Cornwall 1497-
It was triggered by another tax for a campaign against invasion by James IV and Perkin Warbeck. The Cornish did not pat as they did not feel it affected them. In June rebels marched to Blackheath in London where they lost to the King’s forces- however, it had posed a serious threat to the centre of the government. Three leaders were executed and approximately 1000 rebels were killed.
Retaining
H7 wanted to limit retaining as it could lead to lawlessness and over mighty subjects
-In 1485 He made Lords and Commons swear an oath that they would not retain illegally
-In 1504 Henry issued a proclamation that nobles would have to obtain a license from the King to retain
-Bonds and recognises were often aimed against the practice of keeping private armies of retainers
-In 1506 Lord Burgavenny was fined £70,550 for the breach of a recognisance of retaining
Parliament
-H7 called 7 Parliaments in his reign. 5 in the first 10 years and 2 in the last 14 years. When he felt more secure Parliament could be dispensed with
Parliament dealt with
-National security
-Passing Acts of Attainder- though in 1504 Parliament only granted £90,000 of £40,000 demanded
-Raising Revenue
-Granting the monarch Tonnage and Poundage for life
Local government
-H7 had to continually balance sustaining and controlling the authority of the nobility in order to survive
-H7 began to appoint lesser landowners as JPs to weaken large landowners’ power
-He also widened the JPs responsibilities to
being able to arrest and question poachers in disguise, grant bail and replace suspected bribed members of juries
-Henry kept a close watch on the Council of Wales and the Council of the North
The Church
-Although H7 was personally pious he felt with his Bishops that service to the state came first.
H7 appointed 16 Bishops who were lawyers and only 6 that were theologians
-Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction, H7’s legal advisors promoted attacks on the Church courts
-The penalty for Praemunire was life imprisonment and the loss of their property to the crown
The Council Learned in the Law
-It maintained the King’s revenue and exploited his prerogative rights. It made Bonds and recognises work effectively
-It was not a recognised Court of Law and therefore there was no right of appeal against it
-It was important in maintaining H7’s authority as well as finance
-Empson and Dudley were feared and unpopular due to their ruthless extraction of money from the King’s subjects
Bonds and Recognisances
-They were a legally-binding undertaking to act as H7 commanded or else foreit a large fine (only 1 B&R had been issued under the Yorkists)
-Thousands of Gentlemen and 75% of noble families were bound this way and the sums of money involved were often very high
-Dudley collected roughly £50,000 each year between 1503-08 from bonds. H7’s harshness causes huge unpopularity
Acts of Attainder
-A Bill in Attainder was passed in Parliament declaring that the offenders were traitors and had forfeited their lands and titles
-H7 used attainders more harshly than his predecessors and when he reversed them he attached harsh conditions dependant on good behaviour or subject to payments
Eg. Thomas Howard the Earl of Surrey (who fought against H7 at the Battle of Bosworth) put down 2 uprisings and was still withheld his previous title of Duke
-H7 continued to attaint people throughout his reign, most being attainted in 1504. Partly why he became so unpopular with the nobles later in his reign
H7 ‘Carrot and Stick policy’
The Stick
Acts of Attainder
Bonds and Recognisances
The Council Learned in the Law
