Henrys Transformation Of Government Flashcards
What was the royal court?
Was to be found wherever the king was .
King distributed patronage n status to those who were loyal to him
Place of social networking and influence.
What was the chamber?
The most important political centre.
The lord chamberlain decided which courtiers were present in the chamber
What was the kings council?
Made of 277 magnates who advised the king.
Make legal judgments.
Its size made it challenging to control so often few members. Would meet at a time.
What was parliament?
Not a central system of gov, met occasionally
Pass laws n grant taxation
How did Henry change the royal court?
Before, the chamber was the centre of government, controlled by the lord chamberlain who decided who had access to the king, also used the chamber to collect n store royal income.
due to Henry’s increased fear of being betrayed from 1495 after Stanley betrayal, the privy chamber grew in political importance= created role of yeomans of the guard, acted as his personal bodyguards. Groom of the stool had intimate and daily physical touch. Privy chamber also had control of the dry stamp which meant that other people could sign his paperwork for him.
However, there was some continuity bc the royal court was still the centre of gov, important in personal gov.
Overall how was Henry governing in a more modern manner? Privy chamber
In terms of the Privy Chamber, Henry VII modernized governance by expanding its role. He used it as a private, trusted space within the royal court, limiting access to only a few loyal servants and advisers. This helped him control information, maintain tighter security, and manage his finances directly, making him less reliant on the traditional nobility and more autonomous in his decision-making. This change made his rule more personal and centralized.
How far did Henry change the kings council?
Created conciliar govt.
Council learned= empson n Dudley- not from the nobility , but were highly educated administrators with legal training.
Exploited prerogative rights- bnr.
Star chamber= settling disputes n providing justice in cases involving powerful nobles. ensuring that powerful nobles could not escape justice. It allowed Henry to keep the nobility in check, ensuring fairer trials and preventing abuses of power, further centralizing authority.
Efficiency improved as each govt had their own isolated functions, before the gov was virtually dominated with nobles, but now there was more reputation in the gentry
Both institutions helped Henry govern more efficiently and with greater control, limiting the influence of traditional power structures like the nobility.
Change to parliament?
7 times
Issues on national security, raising revenue.e.g used parl to pass act of attainders n increase tax
No sig change bc rarely used parliament n relied on other means. Henry used institutions like the Council Learned and the Star Chamber to bypass the need for frequent parliamentary involvement in financial and legal matters.
Was there a change to loca gov?
Change: Henry reduced the number of of noble families n limited their power bc the gentry were less distracted by competing ‘super nobles’, jps to maintain law n order in the countryside, reinforce this authority by using them .
Tax assessments, local courts, ale house regulations.
