Revision questions

Question 1

What was Henry VII’s claim to the throne?

Answer 1

son of Lady Margaret Beaufort and only surviving Lancastrian claimant

Question 2

In what ways did Henry VII immediately consolidate his power?

Answer 2

dated reign to day before Bosworth; rewarded key supporters with knighthoods; detained Earl of Warwick; appointed William Stanley as Lord Chamberlain; Acts of Attainder made Yorkist property forfeit to Crown; marriage to Elizabeth of York and birth of Prince Arthur

Question 3

Why were Lovell and Stafford unsuccessful in their attempts at uprising?

Answer 3

little Yorkist enthusiasm, even in heartland of support

Question 4

How did Henry deal with the threat posed by Simnel and de la Pole?

Answer 4

revealed true Earl of Warwick from Tower and reinstated Earl of Northumberland in north; appointed Earl of Oxford to fight rebels at Stoke

Question 5

How did Henry ensure James IV withdrew his support for Warbeck?

Answer 5

marriage alliance involving daughter Margaret

Question 6

What were Henry VII’s aims in foreign policy?

Answer 6

national security, recognition and protection of dynasty, defence of trading interests

Question 7

What was agreed at the Treaty of Redon in 1489?

Answer 7

Duchess Anne paid for British army to protect Burgundy from French threat

Question 8

What was agreed at the Treaty of Etaples in 1492?

Answer 8

France withdrew support for Warbeck and paid pension to Henry to compensate for military expenses

Question 9

Why did English trade in Burgundy become difficult following Henry VII’s accession?

Answer 9

Margaret of Burgundy was leading supporter of Yorkist cause and contributed to hospitality for Warbeck

Question 10

What was agreed in the Intercursus Magnus of 1496?

Answer 10

trading with Burgundy restored

Question 11

What was agreed in the Intercursus Malus of 1506?

Answer 11

trade deal benefitting English merchants in Netherlands; Emperor Maximilian handed over Earl of Suffolk

Question 12

What was agreed at the Treaty of Medina del Campo in 1489?

Answer 12

monarchies committed to mutual protection and marriage alliance between Arthur and Catherine

Question 13

Why was the Treaty of Windsor of 1506 significant for relations with Spain?

Answer 13

English dynasty strengthened by restoration of trade with Burgundy and relations with Suffolk, so marriage alliance more attractive

Question 14

Why was the death of Philip of Spain disastrous for Henry VII?

Answer 14

Juana driven to madness, so Ferdinand (political rival) given chance to rule and ensure Henry would not fulfil aims with Spain as long as he was alive

Question 15

Why was Henry VII frightened by the Earl of Kildare?

Answer 15

Yorkist sympathies, having supported Simnel and Warbeck

Question 16

What was significant about the Poynings Law in Ireland in 1495?

Answer 16

Irish parliament could not pass laws without English approval

Question 17

Why did Kildare ultimately decide to support Henry VII?

Answer 17

motivated by opportunity to extend family’s fortunes

Question 18

What was Henry VII’s viewpoint on the peerage?

Answer 18

reliant on them for law and order and armies, but reluctant to expand the caste

Question 19

What was the position of the gentry under Henry VII?

Answer 19

assisted local administration, owned 20% of English land and boasted high income and expensive residences

Question 20

How did Henry VII exploit Pope Martin V’s decree that the monarch had the right to govern Church in England?

Answer 20

appointed churchmen based on administrative capabilities rather than spirituality or background

Question 21

What was the cause of regional tensions under Henry VII?

Answer 21

Londoners looked down on northerners for perceived savagery; north envious of southern riches

Question 22

Why was there little cause for discontent under Henry VII?

Answer 22

real wages steady, lack of subsistence crisis

Question 23

Why was the Cornish rebellion perceived as a major threat?

Answer 23

15,000 rebels from across southern England; Warbeck attempted to exploit it; rebels only halted at Blackheath in London, suggesting rural law and order inadequate

Question 24

Why was there a rise in sheep farming under Henry VII?

Answer 24

depressed profitability of crop farming and increased demand for wool from overseas

Question 25

How did the cloth trade expand the agrarian economy?

Answer 25

finished cloth became desirable, so weaving, fulling and dyeing all became commercial enterprises supplementing incomes

Question 26

Why was the increasing export of finished cloth from London significant?

Answer 26

reinforced London’s national commercial dominance and established global commercial axis with Antwerp

Question 27

Why was Henry VII’s trading policy inconsistent?

Answer 27

King wanted to maximise customs revenue but not at expense of dynastic interests; also happy for parliament to prioritise sectional interests

Question 28

Why was the Hanseatic League problematic for English trade?

Answer 28

prevented merchant adventurers from dominating in Europe and limited English exploits in Mediterranean and Baltic

Question 29

What were the various prosperities and depressions under Henry VII?

Answer 29

PROSPERITY: prices remained steady, rising real incomes, builders and agricultural workers at height of prosperity for Tudor period; DEPRESSION: decline in price of wool, grain and animal products, reduction in farming profitability

Question 30

Aside from spirituality, why was the Church significant in the lives of the public?

Answer 30

lives accorded with Church’s major ceremonies, and Church focus for popular entertainment and socialisation through festivals, guilds and confraternities; also provided employment opportunities

Question 31

What was the role of senior churchmen under Henry VII, aside from spirituality?

Answer 31

considerable power and political influence; often drawn from aristocracy and legally trained; administrative ability crucial under Henry VII

Question 32

How did lay people invest in parish churches?

Answer 32

money in wills funded rebuilding and objects for services; motivated by enhancement of own religious experience

Question 33

What was the role of confraternities?

Answer 33

provide collectively for funeral costs, pay for Masses, make charitable donations and socialise

Question 34

How had pilgrimage changed by Henry VII’s reign?

Answer 34

traditional sites dying out, so individuals would walk around parish Church to pray for its protection, showing Church’s social role at local level

Question 35

What was Lollardy?

Answer 35

sceptical of Eucharist and transubstantiation, considered Catholic Church to be corrupt and denied special status of priesthood; views considered heretic but scattered across southern England

Question 36

How was education developed under Henry VII?

Answer 36

53 new grammar schools founded and Oxbridge extended; Humanist approach to teaching gained prominence; but access depended on location