HVII Consolidation of Power Flashcards
What are the three ways Henry VII consolidated his authority?
Control of the Nobility
Foreign Policy
Finances
How did Henry control the nobility?
Bonds Patronage Act of Attainders The Council Learned in the Law Act against Retaining
How did Henry use Patronage?
Granted special favours such as land or positions at court
Used Royal agents in local communities, he looked to men lower down the social scale to gift expensive lands
What was The Council Learned in Law?
An offshoot from the main Royal Council
Assumed control of all financial matters relating to the Crowns lands
All council members had legal training and acted as both investigators and judges in cases where there was suspicion that a nobleman was not paying his proper dues to the King
Lead by Empson and Dudley - universally feared and hated
How did Henry use bonds?
Used in to place the noble in debt to the Crown to ensure loyalty
Forcing nobles to agree to behave themselves or face a fine
In Henry’s last decade as King 2/3 of the nobility were held under bonds
E.g: Lord Burgavenny
- Convicted in 1507 of illegally retaining 471 men and fined £70,000.
- So Henry generously agreed to place him under a bond to repay £5000 over 10 years
How did Henry use Attacks on Retaining?
New laws passed in 1485 and 1504 against illegal retaining
Penalty was £5 a month per illegal retainer
However, nobles found ways to avoid getting a license e.g. covering up records of the wages they paid to servants
How did Henry use Attainders?
Special laws passed by Parliament allowing someone to be declared guilty of treason without trial
Used them to seize titles and possessions of nobles suspected of disloyalty
Asked his first Parliament to issue attainders against men who had opposed him at BoB
During his reign 138 attainders were passed and 46 were reversed (used reversals to gain loyalty, shows clemency)
51 of the attainders were passed in years 1504-1509 (severity at the end of his reign)
Sir Thomas Tyrell had to pay £1738 for the reversal of his and his father’s attainders
How did he use his controls over the nobility to consolidate power?
Nobility fell by 1/4 as preferred to issue order of garter
Appointed members of gentry and minimised Dukes and Earls
Why did Henry worry so much about consolidating power?
Usurpation
How did Henry use foreign policy to consolidate power
Treaties, Truces to defend from pretenders
How did Henry secure the crowns finances?
Defensive foreign policy Act of Resumption Custom duties/feudal dues Morton's fork Extraordinary revenue Promoting cloth exports Crowns Lands
How did Henry use Act of Resumption?
Claimed all lands given away in 1455
