Henry VII - Government and Administration

Question 1

What 3 main issues did Henry face regarding government and administration?

Answer 1

. Nobles with wealth and territorial control - could be rivals to Henry
. Uneven control of the crown - it was stronger in areas such as the south and east, but weaker in the north and borderlands
. Poor finances of the crown

Question 2

What was Henry’s overall aim in terms of governing the kingdom?

Answer 2

. Re-establishing good governance after the chaos of the Wars of the Roses

Question 3

What were the different aspects of central government?

Answer 3

. The King’s council
. The Council Learned in the Law

Question 4

What was the King’s Council?

Answer 4

. Centre of medieval government
. Function - To advise the king on matters of state, to administer law and order, and to act in a judicial capacity
. Total of 227 councillors throughout the entirety of Henry’s reign, but there were no more than 150 at any one time
. Most members rarely attended meetings - when all active members were present there was usually around 40 councillors present
. Like his Yorkist predecessors, Henry formed smaller committees within the council - including the :
Court of Requests
The Court of General Surveyors
Committee set up to deal with Livery and Maintenance
A small, core group of councillors Henry relied on and met with regularly

Question 5

What was the nickname given to the Court of Requests?

Answer 5

‘The Court for poor men’s causes’

Question 6

Who was part of Henry’s ‘elite’ group of trusted advisors?

Answer 6

Chief officers of state such as John Morton, Richard Fox, Lord Dynham

Question 7

Why was Henry’s elite group of advisors beneficial to governing the country?

Answer 7

It was difficult to control the king’s council due to it’s vast size. Having a small group of trusted advisors meant they could meet regularly, making administration more effective.
This committee also gave stability to the new regime as they remained in power for a long time - eg Richard Fox served as Lord Privy Seal for 22 years until Henry’s death

Question 8

What was the Council Learned in the Law?

Answer 8

. A small and professional body
. Name due to the fact that most of it’s members had some form of legal experience
. Created in 1495
. Aimed to defend the king’s position as feudal landlord - collected feudal dues and maintained records of all wardships, marriages, and reliefs
. Criticised for operating without a jury - however this was the case with all committees, done in order to avoid the bribery of juries
. It was also criticised as it enforced bonds and recognisances - led to it being particularly hated by the nobility
. It became increasingly feared after the promotion of Empson and Dudley, who strictly enforced royal rights. They became so detested that upon the death of Henry VII and the ascension of his son, Henry VII had them executed for fraud
. It was valuable in keeping the peace and building Henry’s finances, but was deeply detested

Question 9

What was the membership of Henry VII’s council like?

Answer 9

. Clerics - the largest group on the council, accounted for 1/2 of the total membership. Included individuals such as John Morton and Richard Fox (Henry’s principle secretary). Morton had experience in civil law and church courts, while Fox had a degree in theology - this experience was ideal for administrators
. Nobles - substantial number of nobles on the council, similar to Henry’s Yorkist predecessors. However Henry differed in that he demanded real service from his members - loyalty and usefulness were more important than blood and status. Included members such as John de Vere and Jasper Tudor, as well as former Yorkists who had been sufficiently punished, so as to not alienate them eg. Earl of Surrey was appointed Lord Treasurer in 1501
. ‘New men’ - Henry’s chief advisors and servants came from the ranks of the lesser landowners or gentry, and the professional classes (especially lawyers) such as Sir Reginald Bray, Empson and Dudley etc.. - this was criticised by Perkin Warbeck who blamed them for the misrule of England. Henry needed servants who understood property laws and who had administrative experience in order to more efficiently exploit his lands and estates —- not an entirely new practice - Richard III had also employed lawyers from gentry families

Question 10

What were the different aspects of regional government?

Answer 10

Henry moved away from the idea of having local magnates controlling particular regions - instead he appointed men with little influence in these regions who were loyal to Henry - this prevented overmighty nobles and increased the influence of central government on regions
. Council of the North
. Council of Wales
. Council of Ireland

Question 11

What was the Council of the North?

Answer 11

. Closely linked to the main council, enjoying similar administrative and judicial powers so as to enforce the law quickly and effectively in the north
. Henry differed from previous kings in that he required his council in London to closely monitor the activities of this provisional council
. Henry also had close control over the membership of the council - eg. the Bishop of Carlisle was appointed by Henry to enforce Henry’s will in the north, and keep an eye on the running of the north

. Henry also restricted Yorkist influence in the North through appointing his own men. Upon the death of Henry Percy in 1489, Henry appointed the Earl of Surrey as the new Lord Lieutenant of the North.
Surrey would be loyal has he had no influence of family connections in the North, and he was hoping to win back the lands and title previously held by his Yorkist father. In 1501, Surrey was then replaced by a council under the control of the Archbishop of York, a relation of the Stanley’s

Question 12

What was the Council of Wales?

Answer 12

. While Henry wanted close administration for all regions, Wales were generally seen as being loyal to Henry due to his Welsh heritage - in exchange he trusted them to deal with the own affairs, appointing Welshmen to oversee its running eg. Sir Rhys ap Thomas
. He also used men loyal to him, such as his uncle Jasper Tudor (also a Welshman) to govern Wales
. In 1493, he revived the Council of Wales with his son and heir Arthur as its nominal head, the Prince of Wales
. Upon the deaths of Prince Arthur and Jasper Tudor in 1502, control was again given to the council under the leadership of a man with no regional influence
. Henry owned more of Wales than other king before him, as only around 6 of the Marcher Lordships remained in private hands (as of 1495)

Question 13

What was the Council of Ireland?

Answer 13

. 1492 - Henry realised the danger Ireland could pose as a result of the Simnel and Warbeck threats - in response, he deprived the Earl of Kildare of his position as Lord Deputy. His title was only restored after they had sought pardon
. 1494 - Henry set about reorganising Irish government - Prince Henry was maid Lord Lieutenant and Sir Edward Poynings was made deputy. Poynings was instructed to bring the Pale’s most rebellious areas under control and to impose a constitution on Ireland ensuring its future obedience
. Poyning’s Law was established in 1494 - decreed that Irish Parliament could only meet and pass laws with Henry’s permission, and that any English Laws automatically applied to Ireland - destroyed the independent legislative power of Irish Parliament - aim was to prevent Irish support being given to another pretender
. The expense of ruling Ireland proved to be too high, and Henry returned to his earlier policy of ruling through Irish Chieftains - after this Ireland was largely co-operative

Question 14

How was Local Government administered?

Answer 14

Henry directed all operations from London, making his commands felt through:
- the exploitation of crown lands
- encouraging greater use of the royal councils for the settlement of local disputes
- increasing the powers of JP’s (justices of the peace)

Question 15

What was the role of JP’s?

Answer 15

Justices of the peace -
Selected by the local landowning elite. Met and dispensed justice in local courts known as Quarter Sessions (met 4 times a year)
For more serious offences, the JP’s sent criminals to the senior courts/Courts of Assize - staffed by crown judges
The Court of the King’s Bench could overrule decisions made at Quarter sessions
Henry increased the powers of JP’s - in doing so, he increased his control over the localities, as they owed their position to him and would ensure his will was enforced and that nobles didn’t become overmighty

Question 16

What was the role of Sheriffs?

Answer 16

Acted as the eyes and ears of the monarch, responsible for the conduct of parliamentary elections
Sheriffs were selected annually, so the crown had greater control over appointments to this position
As the power of JP’s increased, the power of Sheriffs declined

Question 17

What were Hundreds?

Answer 17

An administrative subdivision found in the counties. JP’s were dependent on these lesser officers to bring offenders to them. By law, they had to have a high constable, and had to provide every parish with a petty constable, who was an assistant law enforcement officer

Question 18

Evaluate local government?

Answer 18

. King dependent on the goodwill of local officials - had to rely on JP’s self-interest as leaders of society to uphold law and order
. The only real threat he held over them was to remove them from power, which would be considered a social disgrace
. A system of paid servants, such as in France, would have been efficient, but the financial constraints Henry faced meant that Henry had to rely on this goodwill system, which did function well
. Achieved Henry’s aim of avoiding nobles becoming overmighty and taking local authority into their own hands, as had happened during the Wars of the Roses

Question 19

What was Henry’s approach to parliament?

Answer 19

. Summoned parliament only 7 times in his 24 years
. 5/7 were in his first decade as king when he was relatively insecure in his possession of the throne
. Henry may have summoned parliament so infrequently as:
- His foreign policy was based on avoiding war and expensive campaigns, so he didn’t need to ask for taxes
- He didn’t want to strain his subjects’ loyalty, so found other methods of filling his treasury, rather than asking for grants
- He didn’t feel the need to enforce legislation on a large scale - gov bills most frequently passed were acts of attainder designed to subdue political opponents
. Henry did continue parliaments traditional role as in institution for key kingdom business eg. acts of attainder, it’s role in ratifying his claim to the throne in 1486
. Legislation was also used in Henry’s policies against riots and retaining
. 10% of all statutes dealt with JP’s and provincial government
. 1495 - Act on working hours and wages
. No threat of parliament disappearing as a political institution, Henry simply made it clear that it’s parliament derived from the Crown