Henry VII: Government - The Nobility

Question 1

Attainders

Answer 1

• Special law that declared someone guilty of treason without trial
• Their lands and title would be seized
• Could be reversed

Question 2

Attainders: Examples & Figures

Answer 2

• 138 attainders passed in total
• 46 reversed
• Henry became more severe throughout his reign - 51 attainders passed between 1504-1509
• Reversal of an attainder was expensive - Sir Thomas Tyrell had to pay £1738 for the reversal of his and his father’s attainders

Question 3

Land & Patronage

Answer 3

• Henry largely abandoned Edward IV’s policy of distributing lands to loyal followers
• Giving land to supporters made nobles richer and made them a potential threat
• Henry absorbed vacant lands, making him the largest landowner in England
• Henry increasingly rewarded lower class men by giving them responsibilities and status - they were less distracted by competing loyalities
• Number of nobles fell by 25%

Question 4

Retaining

Answer 4

• Retaining involved a noble employing a large number of servants, most of whom were used as gangs or enforcers
• Used to put pressure on tenants who were slow to pay rent, and on juries to deliver verdicts in the noble’s favour
• In 1485, MPs and members of the House of Lords had to swear that they would not retain illegally
• In 1504, nobles had to obtain a licence from the King before retaining large numbers
• Many nobles could have hidden servants’ wages

Question 5

Bond

Answer 5

• Noble owned a large sum of money to the king
• Financial control to ensure loyalty of nobles
• Bonds only paid if noble upset Henry
• Debts collected by Council Learned in Law (controlled all finances connected to Henry’s lands)
• 1499 - 1509 - 2/3 of nobles were placed under a bond