government Flashcards
(32 cards)
How many men were recorded to have attended the council during his reign ?
- 227
What were the functions of the council ?
- To advise the King
- To administer the realm on the King’s behalf
What were the three main types of councillor ?
- Members of the nobility : Daubeney and Dynham
- Churchman : Morton and Fox
- Laymen (gentry or lawyers) : Bray and Dudley
Who was one of Henry’s key advisors ?
- Lady Margret Beaufort (His mother)
-
What didn’t the council have under HVII’s reign ?
- No established rules or procedure but it was permanent and had a core membership
- It wasn’t essential for someone to hold office in order to advise the King
What was the Great council and how many times did it meet ?
- Gathering of the House of Lords without the commons
- Met 5 times
- Tended to deal with issues relating to war or rebellion
Who was Dudley ?
- Came to prominence after the death of Bray
- Role was to exploit financial opportunities where he had ample opportunities to make influential enemies
- Became vulnerable when HVII died
What was the council learned ?
- Council’s main offshoot
- Function : to maintain the King’s revenue and to exploit his prerogative rights (powers exercised without parliament)
- Made the system of bonds and recognisances
- Seen as a shady operation eg not recognised as a court of law and those summoned before it had no chance of appeal
- It bypassed the normal legal system and caused fear and frustration
- It was an expression of HVII’s will
Who was Empson ?
- Ambitious, lawyer and member of the council learned with a ruthless approach
- Removed with Dudley after HVII’s death which Brough rejoicing in the streets and indicated how unpopular their financial control became in the last years of HVII’s reign
What was the significance of the royal court ?
- Centre of government
- Wealth was power, the royal court
What is personal monarchy ?
- Political power depended more on the relationship of that person with the King more than their specific role
- Access to the King was the main determinant of power
What were the two levels at court ?
- Household proper was responsible for looking after the King
- The Chamber (politically important) presided over by the Lord Chamberlain (1495 - Stanley was found to be involved with pretender Warbeck)
How did HVII respond to Stanley’s betrayal in 1495 ?
- Remodelled
- Created a privy chamber where the King could retreat
- This changed the character of the court making it more difficult for those out of favour to regain HVII’s support
- Cut himself off from much of the traditional contacts at court
What were parliament’s main functions (2) ?
- To pass laws
2. To grant taxation to the crown
Who had the right to vote ?
- Men of property and 40 shilling freeholders in the counties
Which house was more important ?
- HL
- Commons : 2 representatives per county and 2 each from Oxbridge
How many parliaments did HVII hold ?
- 7
- 5 were in the first 10 years
- 2 in the remaining 14 years
When were his first 2 parliaments and what did they do ?
- 1485-6 + 1487
- Passed numerous acts of attainder (declared individuals guilty without the inconvenience of a trial and their property would automatically be forfeit to the crown
- First parliament granted tonnage and poundage for life
What was granted in other parliaments ?
- extraordinary revenue (taxation granted to enable a war)
- fifteenths and tenths : form of taxation
When were fractional taxes of fifteenths and tenths made ?
- 4 times
- 1487, 1489-90, 1491-2, and 1497
- Yielded £203,000
What did HVII’s final parliament limit and protect ?
- 1504
- Succeeded in limiting the demand for extraordinary revenue and the King never seemed out more revenue my these means
How did HVII maintain law and order ?
- well-placed members of the nobility but there was a fine balance in not wanting to give the nobles too much power
- Magnate control was largely in the North with Northumberland and the Stanleys
How can it be evidenced that HVII had little trust in his magnates and the nobles ?
- Employment of a spy network who reported on the magnet’s performance
- Bonds and recognisances
What did HVII increasingly rely on in the countryside for law and order ?
- JPs (Justices of peace)
- largely the gentry who were unpaid but thought their may be opportunities for advancement
- Responsible for tax assessments, alehouse regulations and the maintenance of law and order
