Government: councils, parliament, justice, royal finance, domestic policies

Question 1

Who were the privvy council

Answer 1

Chosen by the king and from nobility, church and laymen such as legal proffessionals and gentry
often appointed as a reward for loyalty
in total henry appointed 227 in total - rarley attended meetings council was made up of 40 to 50 memeber but henry relied on a core 7 or 8
Existed to advise Advise the king on matters of the realm
Provide administrative roles on behalf of the king
Conclude legal judgements and cases

Question 2

give and example of memebrs of the privvy council and what did they do

Answer 2

Lord Chancellor, John Morton, Responsible for adminstation
Lord Treasurer, John, Lord Dynham - responsible for finances
Henry also had minor offices such as Sir Reginald Bray
As well as later in the reign elite councillors eg Sir Edward Poynings

Question 3

What did Henry use smaller committees for

Answer 3

To improve efficency

Question 4

Give some examples of smaller commitees and what they did

Answer 4

The Court of Requests dealt with legal cases involving those who could not afford the normal system.
The Court of General Surveyors checked the revenues coming from crown lands.

Question 5

What was the most famous commitee

Answer 5

the Council Learned. established in 1495
role: increase the crowns revenue
It was responsible for the collection of feudal dues such as wardships, marriages and inheritance

Question 6

Why was the council learned so hated

Answer 6

Method consisted of extracting money directly out of the kings subjects and bypassing the ordinary legal processes
they were executed by henry viii demonstrating henry viii condemnation of them and not wanting to be attached to epson and dudley

Question 7

what is a regional governement

Answer 7

What Henry used to govern other parts of the england when it was to far from london to govern himself

Question 8

Who goverend the North of England

Answer 8

The earl of Northumberland, was released from the tower in 1485 and was Henry’s lieutenant in the North in 1486, when he died in 1489 was replaced by Earl of surrey

Question 9

Who governed Wales

Answer 9

Jasper Tudor
said to revive the council of wales, appointed his son arthur as his nominal head
This gained vast support for Henry here
Rewarded welsh loyalty by entrusting them to govern their own finances as well as appointing welshmen in key positions

Question 10

what was governing ireland like for Henry

Answer 10

Henry was lord of Ireland but governing was carried out by a Lord deputy
1492 Kildare acknowledged Warbeck’s claim to the throne and so Henry deprived him of this position
1494 Henry appointed SIr Edward Poyinings as Lord Deputy and later passed Poynigns law which said that no law could be passed prior to the approval of the king
But the expenses or ruling caused to high for henry so he returned back to using Irish Chieftains and reinstated Kildare

Question 11

Who were JPs?

Answer 11

justice of peace- were elected by the King to keep law and order, maintaining peace over economic matters and small scale crimes in local areas.
There were on average 18 JPs per county,
Henry gave title to smaller landoweners to reduce the amount of control larger landowers may dominate

Question 12

What did JPs do?

Answer 12

Not paid but in their interests to exert power over their land, to remover their title was the only punishment Henry could exert on them however it would considered a disgrace among JPs
When they would meet in their quarter session would report more serious crimes except - treason which was investigated by Assize court a group who were orifepssional judges acting under a special commission

Question 13

Why was parliament pretty insignificant in the reign for Henry VII (5)

Answer 13

Only met 7 times during entirety of reign
Used it to serve interests of monarch eg passing acts of attainders against idviduals nobles and to ratify his claim
Henry did not wanted his power to be derived so ruled through decrees and proclamtions
Henry would only call parliament if he needed money for wars

Question 13

how did Henry widen JPs powers (2)

Answer 13

1485
1487 eg. could grant those bail waiting for trial

Question 14

What were the 2 ways Henry collected revnues

Answer 14

Exchequer system and later used the chamber system

Question 15

What was the exchequer system like in comparison to the chamber system

Answer 15

Exchequersystem was a slow system taking years to collect outstanding sums. First year of reign Henry only collected £11,700 from his lands whereas Richard III collected £25,000 using the chamber system
The chamber system allowed more personal control over the funds as money past through the kings chamber which was the inner most part of the kings household, making it more efficient and quicker = at end of century royal revenues were in excess of £100,000

Question 16

what is extraordinary revenue and ordinary revenue

Answer 16

Ordinary = revenues collected regularly without the need for parliaments approval
extraordinary revenue = usually collected by taxes for times when needed to raise money for war, the ability to collect these funds would need approval from parliament

Question 17

What were crown lands?

Answer 17

ordinary revenue
Lands held by the king by inheritance or confiscation from traitors
for example inherited land from Principality of wales
Was administered by sir reginald Bray
Allowed Henry to hold onto crown lands.

Question 18

What were the developments henry made to crown lands

Answer 18

Sir Reginald Bray reintroduces the principle of estate managment system that was introduced by edward IV
Increased crown lands through Acts of attainder confiscating land and estates from those who fought against him
As well increased them if tennants died without an heir = henry could inherrit them
1486 acts of resumption reclaimed land granted away in war of the rose. Did not always act on reclaiming but the threat of confisication was a poewerful form of control to keep nobles behaving

Question 19

What were feudal dues?

Answer 19

ordinary revenue
Traditional rights held by the Crown to demand money based on the idea that the king was the sole owner to all the land

Question 20

how were feudal dues administrated

Answer 20

by relief - paid by an heir when he received his inheritance
through marriage - the king had a right to arrange marriage for tenant’s at a profit
wardship - control of the states of a minor
livery - payment made by a ward on reaching adulthood and taking control of his land

Question 21

how did henry develop feudal dues during his reign

Answer 21

Used it to raise money
control powerful families
appointed a master of kings wards in 1503 to adminster wardships
by 1487 his income from wardships and marriages was £350 and by 1507 was 6000 a year

Question 22

What were customs duties?

Answer 22

ordinary revenue
Paid on goods entering or leaving the country.
mainly came through tonnage and poundage particularly on the sale of wool, wine and leather

Question 23

how did henry develop customs duties

Answer 23

certificates for costal trade, controlled who could trade along the coast
twice updated the book of rates = set out export and import charges between 1485 and 1495,
Impact: custom duties earned Henry about £33,000 a year. From 1495 to 1509, this increased to £40,000 a year.

Question 24

what were the main forms of ordinary revenue

Answer 24

crown lands
customs duties
feudal dues

Question 25

what are bonds and recognisances

Answer 25

extraordinary revenue
agreements that if nobles and merchants breeched they would have to pay large sums of money
henry used for both political and financial purposes
was highly resented as was a crippling sum often based on behaviour

Question 26

what is an example of bonds and recognisances

Answer 26

marquess of Dorset had to agree to pay 100,000 if she didnt show ‘good behaviour

Question 27

what were loans and benevolences

Answer 27

extraordinary revenue
Kings right to ask for help in the case of an emergencies
was organised by the council.
The council learned enforced these in 1491 where £48,000 was raised for a war in brittany

Question 28

what were the problem with loans and benevolances

Answer 28

the term ‘loans’ suggested henry was not finacialy stable indicatinga vulnerability that if he could not raise enough funds he would not be able to fight or defend himself
loans and benevolences were enforced by the council learned that introduced harsh taxes that were widely hated and would contribute to causes of rebellion

Question 29

what were feudal dues in terms of extraordinary revenues

Answer 29

rights of the king to be able to demand money but related onlt to a single occasion
for example the king was entitled to gifts for special occasion so nobles were obligated to make a grant of a gift on behalf of the people
for example he received 30,000 for prince Arthur’s knighting in 1504

Question 30

What were parliamentary taxes?

Answer 30

extraordinary revenue
special grants of taxes by Parliament to finance royal policies such as military action
widley hated as would place taxes on the value of moveable property eg jewleary
would cause to tax rebllions 1489 = yorkshire and one in cornwall in 1497

Question 31

what were some forms of extraordinary revenue

Answer 31

parlimentaary taxes
loans and benevolences
bonds and recognises