Henry VII's Councils & Parliament

Question 1

What were Henry’s councils?

Answer 1

• The Royal Council
• The Council Learned in Law
• Regional govt
• The Privy Chamber

Question 2

What was The Royal Council?

Answer 2

• Advised Henry and helped him with day-to-day govt
• 227 men were listed, but was a much smaller group that met
• John Morton and Reginald Bray were two important councillors

Question 3

What was The Council Learned in Law?

Answer 3

• Council was very unpopular
• Aim was to pursue Henry’s feudal rights
• Investigated feudal rights that were forgotten or were lapsed
• Enforced bonds and recognisances
• Council increased court revenue and kept nobles under scrutiny

Question 4

What were feudal rights?

Answer 4

The various financial payments and soldiers owed to the monarch in return for the land he owned and distributed

Question 5

What were bonds and recognisances?

Answer 5

Agreements that if the nobility breached certain conditions, they would have to pay him money

Question 6

What was Regional Government?

Answer 6

• Henry VII established councils to maintain order over regions.
• These included the Council of the North, the Council of Wales and the Council of Ireland.
• Also relied on Justices of Peace to maintain order

Question 7

Why did Henry establish regional govt?

Answer 7

• He had much stronger hold over areas in the south and east of England
• Had to make sure he had control over the potentially troublesome parts of the Kingdom

Question 8

What was The Privy Chamber?

Answer 8

• Based in the most imitate of Henry’s private rooms
• Staff saw to the monarch’s personal needs, so had great access to him
• Staffed by lower ranking members of the Royal Household, not nobles

Question 9

When did Henry begin to increasingly rely on his Privy Chamber?

Answer 9

After the treason of Sir William Stanley and other leading members of his Household in 1495

Question 10

What happened at Henry’s first parliament?

Answer 10

• Helped him consolidate control after Bosworth
• Parliament granted Henry customs duty for life
• Acts of Attainder were issued against those who fought Henry VII at Bosworth
• 1486 Act of Resumption issued

Question 11

What did parliament have to do with taxation?

Answer 11

• Only parliament could allow extra taxation
• They did this for Henry’s foreign policy in 1489 (Brittany) and 1491-2 (France)
• When the Crown became wealthier Henry became less dependent on Parliament

Question 12

What did the 1486 Act of Resumption do?

Answer 12

Returned to the crown all the land it had granted away since 1455

Question 13

What did parliament do for law and order?

Answer 13

• Passed laws to strengthen law and order
• Establish the Star Chamber in 1487
• Passed a law to give JPs more powers in 1495
• Could pass Acts of Attainder

Question 14

When did parliament pass Acts of Attainder?

Answer 14

• Battle of Stoke (1487)
• Northern Rebellion (1489)
• Against Sir William Stanley (1495)

Question 15

How did Henry use parliament?

Answer 15

• Called parliament on when necessary
• Statute law was stronger than royal proclamations
• It was used to enforce important, more unpopular policies