Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Topic 2- HVII's government - Coggle Diagram
Topic 2- HVII's government
A. Councils and the Court
1.The Council:
three functions: advise king, administer realm, make legal adjustments
three types of councillors: nobility, churchmen, laymen
did not have to be a councillor to advise the king: most influential advisor was his mother, Margaret Beaufort
The great council- a meeting of the HoL without the HoC with no clearly defined functions (met 5 times under H7) usually concerned with rebellions and war
Council Learned in law:
created to exploit the kings prerogative rights
essentially found old laws to exploit nobility
used bonds and reognisances
where someone acknowledges they owe money by making a promise (usually loyalty), and If the promise is broken it would be paid in full
led by Bray, but ran by Empson and Dudley
Court and Household:
three levels to the court
The household was responsible for looking after the king- supervised by Lord Steward
The Chamber was the politically important part, and presided over by Lord Chamberlain- this was a powerful position close to the king
Privy Chamber was the King's retreat, protected by his most intimate servants which made it more difficult for those out of favour to regain the kings support- created as a response to Warbeck
B. Parliament
Only called 7 times- usually to grant extraordinary revenue
most usually form of extraordinary revnue was fifteenths and tenths
fractional taxes of fifteenths and tenths granted in 1487, 1489-1490, 1491-1492 and 1497
these were imposed on the alleged value of a taxpayer's goods
extroadinary revenue yielded a value of 203,000 during his reign
Henry called parliament 5 times in the first half of his reign, and twice in the second
suggests that his position was far more stable
C. Justice and maintenance of order
Justices of the Peace
H7 relied on these at a local level
met quarterly to administer justice
Most JPs were local gentry who did the tasks unpaid
Various acts of parliament were passed to increase the power of JPs
in 1497 parliament enabled them to decide on all offences except murder
Served for one year, then could be put up for reappointment- done by H7
Bonds and Recognisances
forced many of his subjects to take out bonds and recognisances to restore law and order
some of these were the results of genuine debts owed to the crown
many were purely political
the king used bonds to enforce order and obedience and defeat the law
this system is morally dubious which made it very unpopular
D. Improving Royal finances
Crown Lands
income had dropped to £12,000 at beginning due to inefficient exchequer system
In 1492 he reverted to the chamber system
By 1509 income increased to £42,000 a year
partly achieved by effective treasurers of chamber, such as Sir Thomas Lovell
meant doing it through the royal household rather than an administrative department
Profits from royal prerogative
H7 used his feudal rights to increase income
profits from wardship increased- enabled crown to gain profits from property held by a minor
1504 parliament granted a feudal aid
meant the crown could tax tenants on the knighting of eldest son, or marriage of eldest daughter
Statute of Uses 1489 prevented a potential loophole for avoiding paying tax on a dead persons estate
other sources of revenue
customs revenue through tonnage and poundage. Revenue increased from 34,000 to 38,000
foreign pensions: £5000 per annum by France after Etaples
profits of justice- included fines and income from bonds. E.G. 1504-1507 at least £200,000 promised to the king, though not all collected
Extroadinary Revenue
a sum of at least £400,000 raised through this
led to rebellions in 1489 and 1497
H7 had to promise parliament that he would not raise any more money through this method 1504
in total H7 left a sum of £300,000 in plate and jewels and £10,000 in cash to his heir