Kingship Flashcards
Accountability
- Richard II deposition
- Sir John Fortescue (15th C) believed Kingship should be royal + political (needed the public’s permission to change laws) (Theilmann, 2004)
- Records and Process
– Likely had multiple authors
– Provided a way to deal with despotic rules other than murder – acted as a check on future monarchs – Novel attempt to bridge theory + application of Kingship
– Different accounts of events – Records and Process state Richard resigned willingly and gave Henry his signet ring, while the ‘Manner of King Richard’s Renunciation’ state he only did so under great pressure, initially refusing to resign, then eventually resigning - Some charges seem to have been added at a later date – e.g. 33rd – author raises Q of how much was changed before it was seen as suitable for circulation?
- Charge 16 = put integrity of common law in danger by threatening judges - said the law was “his breast” or “in his mouth”
- Charge 17 = Richard ignored laws that he didn’t want to follow
- Charge 14 = borrowing money and not paying it back (from subjects)
- Charge 1 = Richard disappearing royal funds – putting greater tax burden on the people
Expectations
- Uphold the law
- Kings below positive + natural laws
- The authors of Records and Process drew on theories from Aristotle + Thomas Aquinas – wanted to follow Aristotle’s idea of a King who limited themselves for the common good – not a despotic ruler
– Although it provides a framework for how a King should behave, how much of this is villainizing Richard II to justify deposition, and in turn, does that create an inaccurate and potentially naive perception of people’s standards to Kingship? - Cary Nederman = King’s couldn’t just cite divine right, had to follow laws
- Hariss = Richard often made promises that he went back on – untrustworthy, deceitful, numerous charges of perjury in R+P
- K.B Farlane = “conflicts were almost always the fault of the King”
- Theilmann = Richard was deposed because he didn’t live up to expectations
– Because he heavily consults Records and Process (which goes into detail on Richard’s failures as justification for his deposition) - Nigel Saul = Richard responsible for his own downfall
– Focuses on mistakes (not returning from Ireland), untrustworthy (going back on promise and confiscating Henry’s inheritance)
Ideologies of Kingship
- The ‘Record and Process tries to bridge the gap between theories and practical day-to-day affairs for Kingship – shows there was a disconnect
- People at the time, including Richard, may have been aware of ‘De Regimine Principum’ (Giles of Rome), which was translated into English in 1390s –> likely widely read – reinforced a standard that developed ideologies surrounding Kingship (Theilmann, 2004)
- Augustinian v Aristotelian
– Aristotelian = monarch because he ruled for the people, govern on behalf of ppl, if go outside of that tyrant and could be deposed
– Augustinian = power comes from God - Not one is undisputed – clash of ideologies
- The King is the linchpin of whole political system
(1) = King is sovereign – sovereign in person – top authority – his war – over his rights – his kingdom – his people -(very personal monarchy) - King can’t do whatever he wants though, the King has to rule for the people, to protect them, act in their common good, responsibility for wellbeing of subjects
(2) = King is a person and an institution = seen as an officer – Sir John Fortescue – though he’s sovereign it’s an office where he provides people with justice. He thinks King’s office used to authorise King’s own decisions
(3) = Public + private means of rule
- Public = collective, official, public function
- Private = personal, informal, methods (linked to the individual)
Nobility
- Richard II lacked support from nobility
- Jean Creton = duke of Aumerle privately advised Richard to delay returning from Ireland
- Favoritism = Michael de la Pole
- Edward IV’s use of patronage contributed to the political instability of his time (Hariss, 1994)
- The Earl of Northumberland and Edmund of Langley (Keeper of the Realm) supported Henry Bolingbrook
- Lords Appellants
- King and nobility = feudalism –> capitalism (historians think nobility’s power running down), Louis XI reduced power of French nobility. But individual trusted noblemen very powerful in this period – Warfare binds King to the nobility
- Rebellion – e.g. Yorkists to Tudors, Scots, Pilgrimage of Grace, France
- Council – nobles are natural advisors of the King – House of Lords. The Great Council (Henry VII uses as alternative to Parliament – much more flexible, can authorise + advise quicker). The executive Privy Council becoming more clearly defined + exclusive
- Undermined by rise of new men – financial or legal skills under these monarchs – Bray under Henry VII, Cromwell, William Paget under Henry VIII – low-born. Noblemen resent them
– E.g. Duke of Norfolk with Paget (the kingdom hasn’t been good ‘since people like you were put into power’) - Noblemen still powerful and willing to compete with each other – when Kingship is weaker that’s when they compete for power (e.g. Edward Tudor, Mary Tudor)
Law
- Historian Harding focuses on justice + the law
- Richard sought legal advice as to whether the Commission had infringed on his royal powers, including ‘can the King dissolve parliament at his pleasure?’ (McHardy, 2012)
- Henry decided not to take the throne by conquest – would create political instability + allow him to repeal laws and create new ones (not seen to be maintaining the law)
- Charge 8 = trying to “oppress his people” by ordering Rolls of Parliament to be erased
- Expansion + hatred of JPs
War
This period dominated by war - 38 expeditions in this period, feeding and equipping 5,000-10,000 troops
- War was key to the justification of the estate system – the nobility were the soldiers
- War was key to the political system = the King would assert his rights to the fullest degree under the pressure of war, then subjects would react and there would be negotiation between them
- Richard II was criticised for not pursing war
Tax:
- If tax not used for war, then it’s a problem = Richard II’s poll tax
- 458,720 people had disappeared from the rolls compared to the 1st poll tax (Dunn, 2012)
- January 1397 – Parliament had to be called because Richard poured so much money into his household and second marriage – financial, he also promised to send armies to Charles VI, which Parliament refused to fund (McHardy, 2012)
- John of Gaunt had failed militarily against the French and returned to England in 1378 with his reputation destroyed
- Many people assumed that military defeats were a result of inefficiencies with supplies and war funds, which were the fault of the evil counsellors
- Henry VIII’s last war cost £2m
- Henry VIII likes idea that he is like Henry V – look at people who are painted in Henry’s court in his reign – King Arthur, King David and Henry V
- Also, competition with French King – wrestling match at Cloth of Gold
