Week 2: Early Tudors Flashcards
What was the date of the Battle of Bosworth Field?
August 22nd 1485
What happened at the Battle of Bosworth Field?
- Richard III was killed
- Henry VII (Tudor) ascended to the throne
Who ascended to the English throne after the Wars of the Roses?
Henry Tudor (Henry VII)
Explain the Tudor Rose:
- It is a rose composed of the white rose of the house of the house of York, and the red rose of the house of Lancaster.
Who was the first Plantagenet?
Edward III
What king expanded English power into France?
Henry V
When was the Hundred Years War?
1337-1453
What king lost most of England’s territory to France?
Henry VI
Who overthrows Henry VI?
Edward IV (Yorkist)
When the child Edward V succeeds to the throne, what is his uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester named?
Lord Protector
(Essentially regent)
Who are Richard III’s two nephews in the tower?
-Edward (V)
- Richard
What is Henry Tudor’s claim to the throne?
- His maternal grandmother was Catherine of Valois (Henry Vs wife)
Who was Henry Tudor’s mother?
Margaret Beaufort
Where did Henry Tudor spend most of his childhood?
In exile in France (Brittany)
Why was Henry Tudor’s usurpation of the throne in 1485 largely seen as legitimate?
- Because he won in battle, and Richard III died
- If god didn’t want it that way, this wouldn’t have happened
When does Henry VII mark the beginning of his reign?
21st August 1485 (the day BEFORE Bosworth)
Why did Henry VII declare his reign as beginning the day BEFORE Bosworth Field?
- If he claimed his reign had begun anytime after the battle, all the families who fought for Richard would be safe of treason
- So, since he was technically king before Bosworth, the top families who fought with Richard were convicted of treason, so the King could take their land and assets to solidify his rule, and eliminate significant opposition (This is called a Bill of Attainder)
When was the Battle of Agincourt?
1415
What is a Bill of Attainder?
- A bill a King can be granted pass to confiscate nobles assets and land without the need of court proceedings
What were Henry VII’s 3 main objectives?
- Secure his position as King
- Found a dynasty (aka have children)
- Form a stable government
What did Henry VII do with Yorkist nobles when he came to the throne?
- He only got rid of top tier Yorkists
- The rest, he gave lands and titles to gain his favour
Who does Henry VII marry to stabilize his position as king and unite Yorkists and Lancastrians?
Elizabeth of York (married.1486)
(Richard III’s niece)
Who is Henry VII’s first son?
Arthur
(born within a year of Henry’s marriage to Elizabeth)
Who does Henry VII marry his children off to?
- Arthur marries princess Catherine of Aragon
- Daughter Margaret marries James IV of Scotland
- Daughter Mary marries Louis, 12th of France (but this doesn’t last)
What was the Treaty of Medina del Campo, 1489?
- The marriage treaty between Arthur, Prince of Wales and Catherine of Aragon
- It promises that England would support Spain in the event of a war with France
In what 5 ways does the King make Money?
- Rents (general rent from Royal property)
- Customs (import duties)
- Wardships (managing young noble’s estates and revenues)
- Legal (fines from minor offences against the crown)
- Lands (Money gathered from Royal Estates)
What was a Wardship?
- When the King was given the right of running and profiting from under-age nobles estates
What were the hospitals in Tudor England?
Monastaries
True or False: 16th century England had a developed medical system.
FALSE
Who is allowed to summon Parliament in the Tudor period?
ONLY the King can summon Parliament
How many times did Parliament meet in total during Henry’s reign?
7 times (not a lot)
True or False: Parliament was very powerfull at the time of Henry VII’s reign.
FALSE
It was super weak
Why did Parliament only meet 7 times during Henry VII’s rule?
- Because Parliament only convened in times of emergency then
- And Henry VII’s reign was quite stable and calm
What is the upper house of Parliament?
House of Lords
What is the lower house of Parliament?
House of Commons
What are the 4 requirements to vote in Parliament in the 16th century?
- Male
- Adult
- Had to own land valued at minimum £2 a year
- Own a certain acreage of land
What was the King’s will’s role in Parliament?
The King’s will was intended to work THROUGH Parliament.
What was the Privy Council?
- The King’s most trusted group of daily advisors
- 20 in total
- Men of significance (not only nobles, but wealthy landowners too)
What was the Star Chamber?
- The King’s very own law court at Westminster Palace
Why was it called the Star Chamber?
- Because of the stars painted on the ceiling where it convened
What was the benefit of the Star Chamber?
- Could give swift justice with no red tape
- Highly efficient
What type of court was the Star Chamber?
A court of equity
Where might someone of lower rank have a fair chance at prosecuting someone of higher rank?
The Star Chamber (The King’s Court)
True or False: Occasionally, the King himself would sit as judge in the Star Chamber.
TRUE
What is a court of equity?
- A court in which raw justice is prioritized over written law
- Written laws can be deemed unjust in its proceedings
- Also, laws of hierarchy were more loosely applied here
In what year did Henry VII die?
1509
Who does Henry VII leave to his authority?
Cardinal Wolsey (but Henry VIII is given the throne)
True or False: Henry VIII was not supposed to be king.
TRUE
His older brother Arthur died in 1502 from sickness
How old was Henry VIII when he came to the throne?
17
How did contemporaries view the young Henry VIII?
- Handsome, Athletic, Charismatic, and imposing
Describe Henry VIII’s education:
- He spoke French, Spanish, Italian, Greek and Latin
- Played a lot of instruments
- Very good at wrestling and jousting
What book did Henry VIII write defending the Catholic Church against Martin Luther?
Defence of the Seven Sacraments
In honour of his book “Defence of the Seven Sacraments” against Martin Luther, what did the Pope Leo X name Henry VIII?
- Fidei Defensor (Defender of the Faith)
True or False: Despite being later excommunicated from the Catholic Church, Henry kept the title of Fidei Defensor.
TRUE
How did Henry VIII inherit such a large treasury?
- Because his father, Henry VII did not engage in many wars.
Who held the real power for the first 10 years of Henry VIII’s reign?
- Cardinal Wosley
- Henry was pretty disinterested in ruling. He was mre interested in jousting.
Why do many nobles detest Cardinal Wolsey?
- Because he has humble origins, yet, is the 2nd most powerful man in the nation.
- Son of a London butcher
What royal position did Cardinal Wolsey start off in?
- Royal Chaplain to Henry VII
What archbishopric did Wosley receive while serving as Royal Almoner under Henry VIII?
- Archbishopric of York (2nd most powerful behind Canterbury)
- He was appointed this in 1514
When did Wolsey become Cardinal?
1515
What is Pluralism?
- Holding many offices and lands at the same time
- AKA hogging titles and high positions/lands
What is Simony?
- The selling of Church lands and titles
What were some chief criticisms of Cardinal Wolsey at the time? (5)
- His rampant pluralism
- He had a son (despite priests needing to practice celibacy)
- He partook in simony (selling Church lands and titles for bribes)
- His low class origin
- His palace, Hampton Court, was even nicer than the King’s own palace
What was the name of Cardinal Wolsey’s palace?
Hampton Court
Why was Cardinal Wolsey important?
- His story is an example of Social Mobility
- His political influence (close connection to Henry)
- Diplomatic Achievements (Field of the Cloth of Gold)
- Power in the Church
- Administrative reforms (he leveraged the Star Chamber to protect lower members of societies cases against nobles)
What was the most valued position in the King’s court?
- Dressing the king in the morning and evening
What did the Royal Almoner do?
- Alms= giving
- Royal Almoners give away Royal Charities
How could a poor boy manage to attend Oxford (like Wolsey)?
- The Poor Boys Scholarship
- Sometimes given by the Royal Almoner
What 3 high political positions did Cardinal Wolsey hold?
- Lord Chancellor
- Keeper of the Great Seal
- Chief Legal Officer
What was the Lord Chancellor?
- The judge of the Star Chamber
What notable privilege did Wolsey’s position as Keeper of the Great Seal allow?
- Knowing everything before it got out
- Everything passed by him first
- As Keeper of the Great Seal, he was the one who had to stamp everything that was to be passed by the King
In terms of war, how did Henry VIII differ from his father?
Henry VII hated wars
Henry VIII loved war
What ambition preoccupied Henry VIII?
Reconquering France
What former King did Henry VIII look up to?
- Henry V
What were England’s 2 ancestral enemies?
France
Scotland
_______ is the sport of kings.
War
In which battle does Henry himself defeat the French army?
Battle of the Spurs 1513
(Why spurs? Because the French knights retreated so fast they left behind all their spurs)
In which failed invasion attempt is Scottish King James IV killed?
- Battle of Flodden 1513
Who organizes the defence of England during the Scottish invasion of 1513?
Queen Katherine (Henry VIII’s wife)
Who is Henry VIII’s young French counterpart?
Francis I
- Very similar to Henry (i.e. young, athletic, handsome, renaissance man)
What was the Treaty of London, 1518?
A Franco-English peace agreement orchestrated by Cardinal Wolsey
It included:
- A Nonaggression pact
- English return territory won in 1513 (but keep Calais as usual)
- France promises NOT to help the Scots
But, this treaty never lasts.
When was the Field of the Cloth of Gold?
1520
What was the Field of the Cloth of Gold?
- A 1520 Anglo-French peace summit
- Diplomatic spectacle and festival
- Loads of money poured into it: golden lined tents, sports, food, etc.
- All the English nobility was sent alongside Henry and Catherine
- Henry and Francis actually wrestled (Henry lost)
- Orchestrated through the 1518 Treaty of London
Why was the Field of the Cloth of Gold important?
- Because it was a major attempt to mend relations between England and France
- Display of prestige
Why did the Holy Roman Empire never go to conquer foreign lands?
- Because it was never a unified state
When the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian died childless, who were the 3 contenders for Holy Roman Emperor?
- Henry VIII
- Francis I
- Charles V of Spain
Who was chosen to succeed HRE Maximilian in 1519?
- Charles V
What does Charles V’s Habsburg’s inheritance of the Holy Roman Empire mean to England?
- Charles V is Queen Katherine’s nephew
- English alliance with the now unified Spain and HRE, France could be attacked from both sides
- Check on French power
- Great trading opportunities with the Spanish Netherlands
Describe the Sack of Rome in 1527
- During France and HRE’s war for control of Italy, Holy Roman Empire troops disobey orders and sack the city of Rome
- HRE now kidnaps the Pope
Why is Charles V’s kidnapping of the Pope convenient for Henry?
- Henry wants a divorce from Katherine
- Only the Pope can give him permission for this
- Who controls the Pope now? Charles V
- Henry is allied to Charles V
