Henry VII
Government
The King's Council
Clerics
Nobles
Bishop John Morton
Bishop Richard Fox
Lord Privy Seal for 22 years
Winchester, Bath & Wells, Durham
Bishop of Ely by Edward IV in 1479
Lord Chancellor
Archbishop of Canterbury
John de Vere
Jasper, Duke of Bedford
Thomas Stanley
Thomas Grey
George Talbot
John Dinham
Earl of Lincoln
Giles Daubeney
Earl of Oxford
Great Chamberlain
Earl of Derby
the Marquis of Dorset
Earl of Shrewsbury
Lord High Treasurer from 1486 - 1501
succeeded by Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey
replaced Stanley as Lord Chamberlain
'New Men'
Sir Reginald Bray
Sir Richard Empson
Edmund Dudley
Lovell
Belknap
Sir Edward Poynings
executed for treason in 1495
Council Learned in the Law
ensured Henry was paid all his feudal dues
operated without a jury
Empson and Dudley members
Court of Requests
Court of General Surveyors
dealt with poor men's causes
checked income for crown lands
Parliament
only called 7 times in 24 years
Lords
House of Commons
more important
met in a room in royal palace of Westminster
met in chapter house of Westminster Abbey
2 members elected to represent each county
electorate wealthy people
MPs local gentry
King nominated Speaker
Roles
granted King permission to collect customs duties (tunnage and poundage)
give assent to royal laws
grant taxes (fifteenths and tenths)
raised £30 000
Statute Law highest form of law
1485, recognise claim to throne, granted customs
1487, granted money to deal with Simnel
1489, granted money for war vs France
1491, granted money to fight in France
1496-7, granted money to invade Scotland
1504, Henry requested £90 000 to pay Philip, only granted
£30 000
The Great Councils
Henry's relationship with the Church
Local Government
Regional Government
The North
released Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland to serve as Lord Lieutenant with Lord Dacre as Warden of the Western Marches
1489, Henry appointed Earl of Surrey to run the North
council to address oppression of the poor by the rich
council only concentrated on Yorkshire and Northumberland
Wales
consisted of the Principality and 45 Marcher Lordships
Jasper Tudor appointed Chief Justice of Wales and Constable of all castles
1493, Prince Arthur given possession
1502, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield appointed president
Ireland
ran by a Lord Deputy
England only had control of the Pale
1487, Kildare crowned Simnel king
only had £900 a year and garrison of 300-400 soldiers
used Irish Lords as Lord Deputy
1485, Gerald Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildare elected
1494, Henry appointed Poynings as Deputy
Poyning's Law
forbade holding any parliament in Ireland without consent of King
forbade parliament to consider a law that had not been approved by the King
English laws were to be obeyed in Ireland
parliament voted new subsidy and new customs
Foreign Policy
1485 - 92:
Anti-French
1493 - 1502:
ending of Scottish threat
1503 - 1509
1485 - one year truce with France
1486 - 3 year truce with Scotland's James III
1486 - commercial treaty with Brittany
1487 - treaty with Maximilian, heir to HRE
Brittany Crisis 1487 - 92
1488-89, Henry came to diplomatic agreements with Brittany, Spain and Burgundy to create anti-French alliance
1488 - French forces defeated Bretons at St Aubin du Corbier
Treaty of Redon, 1489
Henry agreed to send 6 000 troops to defend Brittany
Anne agreed to pay for English troops
Treaty of Dodrecht, Feb 1489
Henry would provide 3 000 troops to help Maximilian's garrison besieged by French
Maximilian would provide troops to help Bretons
Treaty of Medina del Campo
Henry and Spain agreeing to attack France
England wanting to recover Normandy and Aquitaine
1493, Spain recovered the Pyrenees
Catherine of Aragon to marry Prince Arthur
July 1489, Maximilian bought by France and made peace with Charles VIII of France
1490, Spain withdrew forces from Brittany
December 1491, French attacked Brittany
forced Anne to marry Charles
Brittany part of France
1492, Charles VIII welcomed Warbeck to the French court
Treaty of Etaples, November 1492
France agreed to give Henry financial compensation for cost of campaign
England removed all troops from French soil
England acknowledged that Brittany was part of France
France would not aid any rebels against Henry
pension of £12 500 a year for 15 years
1493 - Henry imposed trade ban on Netherlands
1494 - France invaded Italy
wars distracted foreign powers from helping Perkin Warbeck
turned France and Spain against each other
1495 - Spain, the Pope, Milan, Venice and Maximilian formed Holy League
1496 - Magnus Intercursus
Philip of Burgundy and Maximilian signed with England
English could sell goods in all Philip's lands except Flanders
would receive impartial justice
Truce of Ayton 1497
formalised in 1502 Treaty of Perpetual Peace
neither Scotland or England would support claimants to the other's throne
Margaret would marry James
1501 - Catherine of Aragon married Prince Arthur
1503 - Margaret married James IV of Scotland
Castilian Succession Crisis 1504-06
Ferdinand signing Treaty of Blois in 1505 with France
Philip of Burgundy shipwrecked in England
Henry hoped to create anti-Spanish
alliance to isolate Ferdinand
prepared revoked Malus Intercursus
League of Cambrai, 1508
anti-Venice alliance of French and Maximilian
initially didn't have Spain = Henry happy
Ferdinand added Spain to avoid siding with Venice
Brittany / France
Burgundy / Holy Roman Empire
Spain
Scotland
National security
Dynasty recognition
Defence of trade
England’s exports went through the Netherlands, which came under Burgundy. Important for commercial reasons for good relations to be maintained.
Relations dete
Relations deteriorated when Philip and Maximilian were welcoming to Perkin Warbeck
1495, Holy League: Spain, the Pope, Milan, Venice and Maximilian, Henry (from 1496) formed against France. Believed to be dangerous to exclude Henry especially since France was offering Henry to help defeat Warbeck
Treaty of Windsor in 1506, Henry secured stronger relationship with Philip of Burgundy
Treaty of Dordrecht in February 1489:
Alliance with Maximilian (Holy Roman Emperor)
Henry prepared to sacrifice the commercial interests of London & east-coast merchants to put an embargo to Burgundy
1496, Intercursus Magnus brought trade embargo to an end - agreed by Philip and Henry
death of Isabella, Queen of Castile, resulted in the Treaty of Windsor (Intercursus Malus)
national security
dynasty recognition
defence of trade
France had invaded Brittany in 1487 and Henry needed to demonstrate his support for the Bretons
Henry VII is able to enhance his dynastic recognition through an alliance with Maximilian of the Holy Roman Empire, the latter marrying Anne of Brittany by proxy (not legally binding).
Henry did not improved trade per se, but he does enhance the English financial system. Charles VIII compensated Henry for the cost of launching an invasion and provided him with a pension in accordance with the 1492 Treaty of Etaples.
national security
dynasty recognition
defence of trade
Spain’s national security was compromised in the 15th century as they were attempting to rid themselves of the North African Moors who had started the reconquista in Granada in 1482
Spain agreed with the UK not to harbour rebels or pretenders with mutual protection in the event of an attack.
The marriage of Ferdinand of Aragorn and Isabella of Castile brought the two kingdoms together
Spain’s King Ferdinand had inherited a claim to the Italian city state of Naples.
Spain was expanding westward into South America where their main finds and imports were gold and sugar.
national security
dynasty recognition
defence of trade
Despite the treaty of perpetual peace, border raids were still very frequent and there remained bitterness
Scotland was part of of the auld alliance, which was anti-English dating back to 1295
Perkin Warbeck was welcomed into Scotland by James IV and married Lady Catherine Gordon (James IV’s cousin)
Henry VII’s daughter, Margaret, was born in November 1489, making her an obvious match for James IV of Scotland.
1492, Earl of Angus re-established control and a 9-year-long truce was signed in 1493
Warbeck’s departure from Scotland in July 1497 allowed James IV to sign the Treaty of Ayton in September 1497 with Henry VII
1502, the ‘Treaty of Perpetual Peace’ was signed
Truce was extended
Marriage of Margaret and James would take place in August 1503
Franco-Scottish alliance continued (The Auld Alliance)
Trade was difficult with Scotland as there was a lot of lawlessness and disagreement between the British and the Scots
Scotland and France had good trade links which made them good allies which initially could be a massive threat against england
Treaty of Perpetual Peace was less successful: Borders raids continued and James IV continued to expand his navy, leading to strained relations between the two countries
Society
Nobles
Gentry
Churchmen
Yeomen
Commoners
born rich and from wealthy families
barons, earls and dukes
not a closed caste
Henry relied on Northumberland to control northeast of England
only trusted Lancastrian military commanders had political influence under Henry
could use retained men to bring unlawful influence on others in court case
great landowners, eg. Sir Reginald Bray
carry out administration of localities
1490 - 375 knights
peers and knights owned 15-20% of country's land
had to agree to Royal Supremacy
Archbishops very powerful
able to influence royalty
only remained powerful if supported monarch
bishops were rich and powerful
clergymen were poorly paid but highly respected
members of community
Martin V, Pope from 1417 - 1431 stated that the king
ruled the Church rather than the Pope
John Morton and Richard Fox were valued by Henry
for their spirituality
fairly wealthy men
either owned own land or rented land
from gentlemen
merchants made living by
trading goods
craftsmen skilled
labourers worked for Yeomen
employed to do heavy back-breaking
jobs on farms
1515 - act passed to fix wage at 3d per
day in winter and 4d per day in summer
skilled workers paid 5d per day or 6d per day
Rebellions
Yorkshire Rebellion 1489
Cornish Rebellion 1497
sparked by parliamentary tax in 1489
Earl of Northumberland murdered by rebels in North Riding of Yorkshire in April
Northumberland retainers enabled tenants to murder him
murder viewed as punishment for deserting Richard III
sparked by demand of extraordinary revenue to finance campaign against Scotland
15 000 people involved
attempted to exploit the rebellion made by Perkin Warbeck
rebels marched to London
Henry withdrew Lord Daubeney and troops from defending Scottish border
rebel leaders, including peer Lord Audley, were executed
Rebellion shocked Henry into ensuring Anglo-Scottish tensions were eased
Economic Development
Religion, Humanism, Arts
50 000 people living in London
30 000 people employed in cloth industry by 1500
90% of English exports were the cloth trade
1 in 4 harvests failed
Common rights
the right to use common land to keep animals
enclosure created boundaries for land to be designated to certain people rather than shared with everyone
Merchants of the Staple
Merchant Adventurers
traders who controlled the export of wool
reinforced London's commercial dominance within the country and created an axis with Antwerp
Hanseatic League
a commercial union of free cities dominating trade in Northern Europe
privileges asserted over Merchant Adventurers
to ensure members of the League wouldn't support Yorkist claimants to the throne
Seven Sacraments
Penance - when an individual sought forgiveness from God for their sins
Baptism - a service that welcomed a newborn infant into the Church community
Confirmation - the transition from childhood to adulthood
Eucharist - A service in which Church members received the body and blood of Christ in the form of bread and wine
Marriage - a public declaration of lifelong partnership in the way that is approved of in the Bible
Holy Order - the process by which individuals from the laity could become members of the clergy
Last Rites - when the priest prepared the Church member for their death and passage into the afterlife
Transubstantiation
the Roman Catholic belief that the substance of bread and wine completely changed into the substance of Christ's body and blood
achieved by the consecration of the bread and wine
gave priest power
feast of Corpus Christi was celebration of the Eucharist
Hierarchy of the Church
Pope
Archbishops of Canterbury
and York
Bishops
Parish priests
head of a substantial state in northern Italy
wielded spiritual power
God's representative
John Morton exercised most power under Henry VII
most powerful archbishoprics of England
had 17 dioceses between them
Winchester and Durham dioceses had considerable wealth
would perform the sacrament of Holy Communion (Eucharist)
Social Role of the Church
leaving money to the parish church
leaving money for a
chantry chapel
joining a religious guild
going on a pilgrimage
lay people joined via clergy
wealthier guilds sourced from local patronage and power
some ran schools and almshouses
funded interior design
paid for objects that accompanied services
chantries financed from property bequeathed in will
Eamon Duffy: "the central function of a chantry priest was intercession for the soul of his patron"
could involve visiting a holy site
Challenges to the Catholic Church
John Wyclif 1320 - 1384
started Bible translation movement
influenced by nominalism, theory of communism and William Langland
Believed:
universals more important
than individuals
things in common more valuable
than individuals
Avion Papersy - moving
papersy to France
individual should reflect
on Christianity
John of Gaunt
wanted to put pressure on Church for Hundred Years War
wanted to reduce papersy
believed in theory of derinium
Richard II under aid of John of
Gaunt = council important
Nobility supported Wyclif - believed wicked clerics in church
Peasants' Revolt 1381
social and political revolt - religiously charged
rebels converged in London - 13th June
Wyclif symbol of community
chopped head of the Archbishop of Canterbury
no evidence Wyclif organised revolt
Lollards
Wyclif Bible important to Lollards
read scriptures in English
Gospel of Matty often read
Bristol and Northampton - warly centres of Lollards
Uprisings of governments in Bohemia
1415 - general council at Constance
purpose to end cism with 2-3 Popes
45 - 267 conclusions condemned
Protesting
taking money from rich monasteries
Church burned first heretics in 1401
audacious attempts continued
1414 - rebellion causes higher status nobles to flee
Lord Cobham, friend of Prince of Wales, Henry V
interest in Wyclif in conviction in Arundel
rebellion of 300 men
Humanism
desire to revive literature of classical Greece and Rome
challenged scholasticism
encouraged religious regeneration based on Scriptures
Petrarch - father of Renaissance
promoted belief that medieval culture was obsolete
promoted studies of classical literature and vernacular languages
Plato and Marsilio Ficino
promoted the neo-platism movement
took Plato's ideas and joined with Catholicism
man represented link between spiritual and material realms
Education
53 new grammar schools founded 1460 - 1509
Magdalen College School, Oxford
began humanism approach
Drama
Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire, 1490
mystery plays
performed on holy days
based on morality
Art and Architecture
1502, Henry VII approved architectural type
for Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey
William Caxton established printing press in 1478
Justice of the Peace
local officials
18 per county
maintained law and order
implemented laws
appointed annually
directly responsible to the king
appointed from ranks of clergy and lesser landowners
Henry increasing appointment of new men
to weaken power of great landowners
to reduce influence of overmighty subjects
reduce perversion of local justice
dependent on:
high constables for every hundred
petty constables for every parish
Benefit of Clergy
Sanctuary
Praemunire
Henry enacting on those
who could read
Henry ruled this couldn't be
claimed in treason cases
14th century statutes forbidding acknowledgement of foreign power above the King
used this statute to undo decision of a Church
penalty was life imprisonment / loss of property
Finance
Crown lands
Feudal obligations
Started with £3 000 per annum
raised to £42 000 in 1509
1487 - under £350 p.a
1494 - over £1 500 p.a
1507 - over £6 000 p.a
1502 - Robert Willoughby de Broke paid
£400 for livery of lands
Bonds and Recognisances
Custom Duties
1515 - £35 000
1491 - friends of Marquis of Dorset
signed bonds totally £10 000
£30 000 per annum under Henry VI
£40 000 under Henry VII
increased by new Book of Rates in 1507
Parliamentary grants
Loans
1504, Parliament refused to grant Feudal Aid
reduced to £30 000
1497 & 1504 parliament granted compromise
same amount for each county raised but amount paid by taxpayers would be assessed by wealth
Benevolences
Clerical taxes
estimated £203 000 gained throughout reign
1491 - Henry raised £48 500 to take army to France
1489 - Convocations (Archdioceses of Canterbury and York) voted £25 000 towards cost of French War
Charged £300 for Archdeaconry of Buckingham
received over £6 000 p.a. due to increased bishop deaths
French Pension
part of Treaty of Etaples
£159 000 to be paid in annual amounts of £5 000
Administration
Exchequer initially used
complex, honest and reliable but very slow
1487 - shifted to
the Chamber
directly under Henry's control
used surveyors, receivers and auditors
money immediately available to use
end of reign, 80% of revenue went to Chamber
Reginald Bray
had been Chancellor for estates of
Duchy of Lancaster
helped adapt techniques to all
income from Crown lands
Henry's income rose from £90 000
to £113 000 by 1509
Henry's expenditure
1496 - Parliament agreed to grant to defeat Warbeck & Scots
1505 - lent Philip of Burgundy £138 000
lent Maximilian several hundred thousand pounds 1505-09
left £300 000 to Henry VIII
1485 - calling of Parliament and the announcement of Henry’s marriage
1487 - in response to Lambert Simnel’s threat
1488 - to authorise a subsidy for the campaign in Brittany
1491 - to authorise war against France
1496 - to grant a loan of £120 000 for war in Scotland