The consolidation of power Flashcards
Who did Henry beat to become King of England and at which battle?
Beat Richard III
Battle of Bosworth
In which year was the battle of Bosworth?
1485
In which two respects was Henry’s claim to the throne weak?
- He was descended through the female line represented by his mother, Lady Margaret Beufort.
- More importantly, the line came from John of Gaunt’s third wife: their son John Beaufort had been born before their marriage and was therefore seen as illegitimate.
Henry became the Lancastrian claimant only because there was no one else who could fulfil the role. In reality, however, it was victory on the battlefield alone which had brought him to the throne.
Who proclaimed Henry as King of England on the battlefield?
Lord Stanley
Who was Lord Stanley?
Stanley, Henry VII’s stepfather, initially stood aside from the battle. His intervention on behalf of Henry proved crucial, and he was rewarded with the title Earl of Derby. Derby was crucial to the exercise of royal power in the northwest of England and North Wales during Henry’s reign.
By the point of Henry becoming King, why was Richard become an object of suspicion?
Disappearance of the princes in the Tower, along with other presumed crimes.
Where did Henry live for most of his time before being King since 14 years old?
France, as a fugitive in the Duchy of Brittany.
What is a parliamentary sanction?
An official confirmation or ratification of a law given by Parliament as the acclaimed body of the State; by the laws of the time, King Henry VII’s tenuous claims to the throne would normally have had to be fortified by a parliamentary sanction.
What is Act of Attainder?
This declared a landowner guilty of rebelling against a monarch; the attainted noble lost his title, lands and sometimes his head; his heirs were disinherited.
What is tonnage and poundage?
The right to raise revenue for the whole reign from imports and exports.
Essentially an import and export tax.
Who was Edward, Earl of Warwick?
The son of Edward IV’s brother, the Duke of Clarence, he was placed in the Tower of London in 1485. There he remained except for occasional public appearances. He was alleged to have plotted with Perkin Warbeck against Henry VII in 1499 and was beheaded for doing so.
Who was Sir William Stanley?
Stanley, the brother of Thomas Stanley, the Earl of Derby, and Henry VII’s step-uncle, was rewarded with the post of Lord Chamberlain following Bosworth. This not only gave him considerable political influence, it also enabled hum to develop his landed estate in Cheshire and North Wales. It was therefore a shock when he was accused of treason.
Why did Henry date his reign from the day before the Battle of Bosworth?
It ensured that anyone who had fought on the Yorkist side could be designated a traitor.
An example of Henry publicly rewarding many of his key supporters?
Conferring 11 knighthoods.
What did Henry do regarding people who were seen to have much greater claim to the throne than Henry himself?
He arranged for supporters to detain Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV, and the Earl of Warwick, Edward IV’s nephew.
Examples of key appointments to his Council and Household by Henry?
Making Sir Reginald Bray Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Making Sir William Stanley Chamberlain of the Household.
Why did Henry arrange for his coronation to take place on 30th October before the meeting of his first Parliament on 7th November?
Demonstrated that his right to the throne was based on hereditary right and not only because Parliament had sanctioned it.
