Henry VII government essay success vs failure Flashcards
most significant success of Henrys govt ?
- Henry successful in restricting power and influence of nobility
❗️Acts of attainders: ensured good behaviour as took away titles and possessions ❗️138 men attended
❗️ Patronage: (giving power/possessions/titles/land) helped to buy loyalty from the nobility ➡ came as a result of good and loyal service
❗️ Retaining: helped H to gather sizeable army if needed BUT laws passed in 1485 and 1504 which meant nobles had to obtain licences to retain to prevent nobles becoming over powerful
❗️ Laws passed allowing H to declare nobles guilty of treason w/o trial ➡ could act quickly against threats to the crown
other significant successes of Henry? (2)
Used finance as method of control, exploited his legal rights
- Act of attainders allowed H to accuse a noble of treason + disloyalty ➡ Henry able to seize titles and possessions of nobles ❗️138 men attended
- Financial bonds: written agreements in which people promised to pay sum of money if they failed to carry out their promises ❗️36 noble families gave bonds (exploiting legal rights to claim special payments of nobles) Order of the garter: gave prestige but not power of land therefore increased revenue
- Bonds and recognitions: used bonds to enforce order and obedience and defeat the law
how much did Henry leave?
- plate and jewels worth around £300, 000 & £10, 000 in cash- a substantial sum but not the £1, 800, 000 estimated by Bacon
another way Henry’s govt was successful? (3)
use of local govt and JP’s
- appointed annually from local landowners (knights and esquires)
❗️ daily duties, defence of public order and implement social and economic nature
- Henry relied on second rank landowners (❌ nobility)
❗️1495 JP’s power to replace suspect members of juries
- relied on own self interest to uphold law and justice (if acted improperly = social disgrace)
❌relient on JP invesitagtors
how did Henry use regional councils to his advantage?
aim: to ensure good governance of a region Henry could not reach eg the north
- Henry aware he had to entrust defence of the border to great families ❗️ realised Percys (earl of Northumberland) from the tower + appointed him as lieutenant of the north 1486
- Wales (no threat as family links) rewarded by letting them decide there own affairs shown by the appointment of welshman to key appointments in Wales
most significant issue of Henry’s govt?
longevity of threats + rebellion
- warlock biggest crisis of his reign lasting till 1499, should have been dealt with more harshly
❗️1497 Cornish rebellion, after Henry invaded Scotland ‘unfair’ 15,000 men marched to London but were easily defeated
❗️Yorkshire rebellion 1489, Earl of Northumberland killed for not offering help,5000 rebels captured York but earl of Surrey put them down
another issue of Henry’s govt? (2)
council learned law (failed + detested)
- enforced payments of debts, able to bypass laws with no way to appeal
❗️ council became more feared with the appointment of Emspon after 1504, he and Dudley manipulated the system by falsely claiming that people owed feudal dues eg. wardships
❗️Dudley confessed to acting illegally in 80 cases
another issue of Henry’s govt? (3)
the financial situation
- wealthy nobles (who made them threatening) grew in 15th century at expense of the crown
- initially prove finances of the crown due to expensive foreign and domestic wars
- H became money obsessed in the final decade, hoarding wealth
conclusion for Henry’s government success/failure?
Ultimately stable with income being secure and was able to fufill main goal of establishing himself as king.
