Parliament Flashcards
When did Henry’s coronation take place?
30th October 1485, before his first Parliamentary meeting on 7th November. This demonstrated that his claim was based on hereditary claims and not due to Parliament.
What were the two main functions of Parliament?
1) pass laws
2) grant taxation to the crown
What was the further function?
By which local issues and grievances could be passed onto the king’s officials by MPS.
What did the House of Lords comprise?
It comprised the Lords Spiritual (bishops and abbots of major religious houses).
What did the Lords Temporal comprise?
It comprised the nobility. The Lords Temporal and House of Lords were the most important out of the two houses.
What did the House of Commons comprise?
It included 2 MPs for each county, for each borough and representatives of the two universities (Oxbridge).
Who was the right to vote restricted to?
It was restricted to men of property, ‘forty shilling freeholders’ in the counties.
Who could call Parliament?
Only the king could call Parliament and he demonstrated this by calling his first parliament early in the reign.
How many parliaments were called during HVII’s reign?
A total of 7. 5 in his first ten years of his reign and 2 in the remaining fourteen years.
What were the early parliaments concerned with?
Issues of national security and raising money
What happened in the first two parliaments?
Numerous Acts of Attainders were passed.
What did his first parliament grant?
It granted customs revenue for life & other parliaments granted extraordinary revenue as well as taxation to enable the king to wage war.
What was a fractional tax?
This was a fifteenth and ten which were made in 1487, 1489-90, 1491-2 and 1497, yielding £203,000.
When was Henry’s final parliament?
- Limited the demand for extraordinary revenue and received an undertaking that the king wouldn’t seek more revenue by this means.
