Henry VII - The consolidation of power
Why was the monarchy weak in 1485?
Weak hereditary claim to the throne
Lack of money
Yorkists
Less legitimacy and popular support (consent) and opposition from better/other claimants
Restricts policies, threats from richer nobles, ability to raise an army (opposition) and foreign threat, rewarding his supporters = persuading others to his side.
Richard III = heir, the earl of Lincoln - John de La Pole -- Valid legitimate, better claim to the throne -- Rich and foreign support -- popular support
No heir (dynastic
Unstable and impermanent -- lack of alliances -- gives weight to the Yorkists
Henry's Advantages
Members of the great nobility were engaged in mutual destruction
Death of many noble heirs meant land was returned to the crown
The gentry, merchants and landowning farmers were tired of disruption and were ready to support the recovery of royal power as the best means of restoring order and prosperity.
He was an adult, had recently proven himself as a leader and successful soldier.
He was an only child with no family rivals
His obscure welsh origins and years of Exile in France helped because they meant he had a few personal enemies in high places.
Establishing his right to the throne- what did he do?
Married Elizabeth of York after Battle of Bosworth.
His objectives
To establish his right to the throne
To strengthen royal government by better control of the nobility
To strengthen the monarchy and the kingdom for the future by ensuring a strong financial foundation.
His coronation (October 1485) was before his marriage (January 1486) so that no one could say that he had gained the throne through his wife. Elizabeth was the daughter of Edward IV so the union symbolised the reconciliation between the York and Lancaster families.
Elizabeth gave birth to Prince Arthur in September 1486. This helped to establish a new Tudor dynasty.
Henry also summoned parliament in November 1485 and embarked on a royal progress to the north in April 1486. It was a tour of the kingdom by the monarch and his court. He would listen to petitions and cases and grant to justice and favours, demonstrating his royal power and presence to his subjects.
He rewarded his supporters including, giving names to those in particular that had helped him in France and at the Battle of Bosworth.
Henry’s handling of his opponents was also carefully balanced. He dated his reign to the 21st August, the day before the battle of Bosworth, which allowed him to treat Richard’s supporters as traitors. He imprisoned Yorkist’s who had a better claim to the throne than he did.
Problems facing Henry VII
1 Nobles whose wealth and territorial power made them potential rivals to the crown.
2 The uneven control that the crown had over the kingdom: stronger in the more popular areas of the south and east, but looser in the borderlands, especially with the lack of a developed system of local administration.
3 The poor finances of the crown, which had been depleted by wars at home and abroad.
Dealing with the nobility (They relied on 3 things - LAND, WEALTH + SUPPORT)
Acts of Attainder - Used from the start of his reign. They were special laws passed by parliament to declare someone guilty of treason without the trial process. Used against those who had been on the opposition in Bosworth. 138 passed during reign, 46 were reversed. 51 attainders passed in the year 1504-09
Patronage - Henry abandoned Edward's policy of distributing land to loyal followers. He did not want the nobles to become a threat. He needed loyal agents in local communities and often asked men who were lower down of the social scale who did not have extensive lands in the area.
Attacks on retaining- A nobleman kept a large number of men as his personal staff. They were a lawless element. New laws were passed in 1485 and 1504 against illegal retaining. The 1504 Act required nobles to obtain a special liscence for retaining and they would be fined severely if they did not. Penalty = £5 a month
Financial Control- Demanded a financial bond from nobles or their families. They would then be in debt to the crown, ensuring future loyalty. He forced nobles to agree to behave or they would be fined. E.G Lord Burgavenny - he was convicted in 1507 of illegally retaining 471 men and was fined £70,000. He payed £5000 over 10 years. To establish these rules, Henry established the council learned in law to act as a royal debt collector
Local and Regional Government
POWER ALLOCATIONS
Places distant from London were difficult to control. In settled areas, earlier kings had built up the numbers and powers of Justices of the Peace (JPs)
Their Responsibilities: Public order, Enforcement of new and current laws, Decisions of Justice to criminals brought before them. They met 4 times a year so that they could try people that were accused of more serious crimes- except treason
Ireland - power lay with the clan chieftains
Wales - Council of Wales and many nobles, Lead by Jasper Tudor, Henry's uncle
English/Welsh border - Local nobles had special privellages
Scotland - Separate Kingdom, England had no control
Northern England - Earl of Suffolk had power after the murder of Northumberland in 1489
England - Local government conducted through JPs
National Government
Parliament existed but had a minor role in political life. It met infrequently. Henry believed that all power came from the monarch. Parliaments were called to serve the interests of the monarch and keep his subjects under control often by Acts of Attainder.
Henry found the committees and law courts more important. 227 Men were members of the council
Improving the administration of his finances
No written rules - they met when Henry needed it.
By the end of his reign he had built up enough annual income to meet its commitments and money was carefully accounted for. Achieved by Henry's personal interest in the state of national finances
1487 onwards -- He dealt with finance admin in his private rooms in the palace - camber and privy chamber
He established a new post: Surveyor of the King's Wards, to investigate cases of money owed to him from wardships, and a court of audit to monitor government spending.
Henry improved and developed the sources of his income.
His financial policies were cautious and realistic. He largely avoided an aggressive foreign policy. He exploited his legal rights to claim special payments from his nobles to gain money and remind them of his power. It was in the last few years of his reign after the death of his son Arthur (1502) and his wife Elizabeth (1503) that he became obsessed with accumulating money. His income was nearly 20 times grander than the wealthiest Noble, predicted to be around £113,000