The government of Henry VII and threats to his rule Flashcards
How serious a threat was Simnel to the dynasty? (1486-87)
- support of Margaret of Burgundy
- 8000 Irish mercenaries
- claiming to be earl of Warwick
- Earl of Lincoln sided with him
- biggest threat due to a clearer claim
and most support
How serious a threat was Warbeck to the dynasty?
- pretending to be Richard IV of York
(one of the tower children) - foreign support from M.O.B, French,
Scottish and HRE (Maximilian) - cut of cloth trade to stop support
(big source of revenue) - couldn’t dispute his claim
-Plotters eventually executed.
What year was the Yorkshire rebellion?
1489
what caused the Yorkshire rebellion?
Why were Yorkshire particularly annoyed?
- It was the result of henry’s attempts
to raise money to aid Brittany in its
struggle against France. - Bad harvest in 1488.
- other northern counties had been
exempted from the tax because
they were expected to defend
northern border against Scottish
attacks. - less concerned about about
invasion from France than other
Southerly counties -> indication of
localism + regionalism rather than
national feeling (big impact on
politics at time).
What happened at the Yorkshire rebellion?
- Henry refused to negotiate.
- When Earl of Northumberland tried
to collect tax he was murdered (had
an apparent support for tax +
illustrated by Yorkists?). - Rebellion led by sir John Egremont.
- Rising easily crushed by royal army.
- BUT money not collected.
What did the Yorkshire rebellion teach Henry?
- Ruling the north required
compromise as royal authority was
weak. - Henry recognised this and
appointed Earl of Surrey as his
representative in the north. - he was trustworthy as he had no
vested interest there and secure
loyalty.
What year was the Cornish Rebellion?
1497
What caused the Cornish rebellion?
- Threat from Scotland -> James IV
sought to aid Perkin Warbeck and
invade north of England. - Cornish -> no interest in events do
geographically far away. - saw little reason why they should
pay taxes to fund a war on Englands
North border.
What happened at the Cornish Rebellion?
- rebels assembled in Bodmin (May
1497). - There numbers swelled as they
marched through the country
(15,000 supporters.) - This showed large dislike of tax on
big scale. - Henry took no chances, 25,000 royal
army crushed the rebel force at
Blackheath. - Some rebels cleared of before they
reached London (fear)
What was the king’s council?
- part of Central government
- Advisors chosen by king
(trustworthy) - 200 councillors.
- meetings were attended by a much
smaller number and on most
occasions he relied on an inner
group so that the efficiency of the
central government was improved. - eg. lord chancellor Morton, Lord
privy Seal Fox, Lord treasurer
Dynham.
What were the committees from within the council?
- Court of requests.
- Court of general surveyors.
- Council learned in the law.
How did henry VII use the committees within the kings council optimally?
- Henry did not rely on particular
families but instead drew his chief
advisors from the lesser
landowners, gentry or professional
classes. (mostly lawyers) - Henry needed men of ability in
order to exploit his finances. - Didn’t give large rich families more
power.
What was the court of requests?
- Part of the royal council
- Dealt with individual requests from
ordinary people. - Gained nickname “court for poor
mens causes”.
What was the court of general surveyors?
This checked the revenue coming in from crown lands and those lands of which the king was feudal overlord.
What was the council learned in the law?
- Deals with problems concerning
royal lands and rights. - Staffed by men with legal expertise
and was important in enforcing
bonds and recognisances. - B + R Feared and hated by end of
henry’s reign.
What was the purpose of the regional government?
- To ensure that the authority of
central government was upheld in
the outlying regions of the country. - Henry developed the Yorkist use of
regional councils in the north, Wales
and ireland. - These were the peripheral regions
of the country were royal authority
had been traditionally limited.
What changed in the council of the north to help restore royal authority?
- Council of the north deputy Earl of
northumberland killed during
Yorkshire uprising, replaced by Earl
of Surrey. - To help restore royal authority
Council in London closely watched
the council of North activities. - Henry ensured that the members of
the council were appointed by him,
not Earl of Surry, ensuring loyalty.
Which area had been particularly unruly during the war of the Roses?
Wales
How was Henry VII able to increase his control of wales?
- Henry revived council of wales in
1493, under the nominal head of his
son Arthur. - Henry’s Welsh connections helped
this. - by Death and loss of lands by lots of
Marcher lords he was able to
increase his control.
Why was Ireland a particular problem for Henry?
- Direct English control in Ireland
limited to an area around Dublin
called the Pale. - Outside of this area it was
influenced my major irish families
eg. Kildares.
What was Poynings law 1494?
Meant that Irish parliament could only be called and pass laws with kings approval.
what attempt to increase royal authority in Ireland for Henry VII were limited in success?
-Henry’s deputy in Ireland failed to
bring Ulster under greater control.
- Henry was forced to rely on rule of
traditional families.
- eg. Earl of Kildare = Lord deputy.
what problems for Henry VII had formed with local government?
- Henry had relied on a number of
powerful families to control areas
where law and order had dissipated
during the wars of Roses. - This had given the families large
power and influence, they often
ignored royal commands. Henry
wanted this to change.
what did Henry VII develop to attempt to solve problems with local government?
Office of justice of the peace.
What had been the problem with previous unpaid officials for Henry VII when enforcing local government?
- In the past these unpaid officials had been under the influence of larger magnates or had used the system to further their own interests.
How were JP’s appointed?
What were their role?
- Appointed annually, men chosen
from 2nd rank of land owners
because loyalty more assured and
less power to nobles. - Implementing social and economic
statutes - Dispensing justice and trying
criminal offences. - Upholding public order.
- Replacing suspect members of
juries. - Acting in cases of non-capital
offences without a jury. - Rewarding informers.
- Arresting + questioning poachers.
- Empowered to grant bill.
Why were JP’s innefective?
- JP’s were still dependant on officials
bringing in offenders. - Local officials often were reluctant
to act as it made them unpopular. - As a result Henry relied on goodwill
to ensure justice was implemented.
How did Henry VII use parliament?
- Not a permanent feature of
government. - Called upon when king needed
money or to pass laws. - Lords + commons (two houses) ->
lords seen to be more important. - Parliament only met 7 times during
Henry’s reign. - Used to pass acts of attainder
against nobles, to uphold Henry’s
claim to throne and to define
responsibilities of JP’S.
Why were the nobility a problem for Henry VII?
- Henry was a usurper and there was
nothing preventing a powerful noble
from attempting to overthrow him. - Many nobles still owned large tracks
of land, eg. Duke of Norfolk, Earl of
Northumberland and the Stanley’s. - Many of them had supported
Richard III as they had gained
rewards from him. - They were the group that could
provide the leadership and sufficient
force for rebellion.
What two methods did Henry VII use to increase control of nobility?
Rewards and sanctions.
What were the rewards Henry VII mad it possible the nobility could gain?
- Patronage: result of loyal service -
granted to loyal before Bosworth. - Order of the garter: honorary title,
not land as this gave nobles more
power, effective. - Summons to either kings council or
great council:
King’s council = sign of trust, 5 had
supported Henry before Bosworth.
Great council = clever way to ensure
noble support for measures, once a
policy had been agreed it was
difficult for nobles to criticise as they
must have supported it.
What were the two sanctions Henry VII punished the nobility with?
- Acts of attainder.
- Bonds and recognisances.
What were acts of attainder?
Why were they effective?
- Damaging to families, they lost their
right/ability to possess their land.
Social + economic ruin. Henry was
sever in use. - Acts of attainder were very effective
given good behaviour could result in
it being reversed, Therefore it
encouraged good behaviour.
What were Bonds + recognisances?
Written agreements where nobles who offended king paid for offence or paid money as security for future good behaviour.
What was Henry VII’s greatest threat from the nobility?
What did Henry VII do to help stop this?
- Greatest threat: retainers -> nobles
who recruit followers who formed
fighting forces. - Henry made lords and commons
swear not to retain and issued
proclamations that ensured nobles
needed a license to retain.
Apart from Henry VII’s Rewards, sanctions and anti - retainer changes, how did Henry further increase his power over the nobility.
- Henry asserted his powers over the
nobility by insisting on his feudal
rights. - Regaining of former crown land
from nobles:
land = power, crown had x5 more
land by end of Henry VII reign.
ensured monarch was more
powerful than any noble.
Why was having strong finances important to Henry VII?
- Strong finances important to secure
throne. - Allows Henry to raise forces to put
down unrest and on his death
provide his son with the resources
to fight off any challenger to throne.
What 3 ways did Henry VII attempt to achieve strong royal finances?
- Reorganise financial
administration. - Exploit sources of ordinary
revenue. - Increase income from
extraordinary revenue.
How did Henry VII reorganise financial administration?
- When Henry came to power he he
restored exchequer, but realised its
limitations with it being slow in both
auditing accounts and collecting
money. - He put restored Edward IV
chamber system
What did Henry VII’s chamber system manage?
- Crown lands
- Feudal dues
- Profits from justice
- The French pension
What are a kings to sources of income?
The ordinary and extraordinary revenue.
What was ordinary revenue?
Money coming in yearly from crown lands, customs and profits from justice and feudal dues, although the amounts varied.
What was the most important source of ordinary revenue?
How did Henry maximise this?
- Crown lands
- Henry maximised his income from
existing land, but also the amount of
land the crown had was x5 larger at
the end of henry’s reign. - Acts of attainder
- £29,000 - £42,000
Why was revenue from trade not particularly successful for Henry VII?
- Smuggling.
- Depended heavily upon relations
between European powers. - Henry unable to control this.
How did Henry VII exploit profits from justice?
He often punished with fines rather than imprisonment. For example he fined Earl of Northumberland £10,000 for rape of royal ward.
What happened to income from feudal dues during Henry VII’s reign?
Increased.
What was the most frequent source of extraordinary revenue for Henry VII?
parliamentary taxation
Why did Henry VII not mis use parliamentary taxation to try and increase his power?
- Yorkshire + Cornish rebellion
showed how unpopular tax was. - He asked for money from
parliament only in exceptional
circumstances.
How did Henry VII raise money in times of emergency? (a source of extraordinary revenue)
- Henry could ask his wealthy subjects
for loans. - Benevolences = loans king would
not pay back (forced loans) - 1491 used to raise money for
expedition against France. - This method could not be used on a
regular basis as i would provoke
resentment.
What was Henry VII’s extraordinary revenue of feudal aid?
The result of the king being feudal lord. Levied on special occasions. Knighting of prince Arthur, brought in £30,000
How did Henry VII sometimes make extraordinary revenue from church?
Church would often make a contribution when parliament had granted the king money.
What did Henry VII’s yearly crown income rise to?
What was the income of the French king at this time?
£113,000
£800,000
