Henry VII, 1485-1509 Flashcards
Why was their unrest in the early years of Henry VII’s reign?
Claim to the throne was weak - came from his mothers side
Took the crown at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 thus not given throne legitimately
Yorkists would not accept claim to throne believing Richard III had been usurped
Largely unknown in England before 1485 but reputation damaged by 14 years in exile in France along with French support
The Lovell Rebellion (1486)
Uprising from Richard Lovell and the Stafford brothers, all supporters of Richard III
Began in the Midlands, the North and in Wales when Henry was on his Royal Progress
Rebellion was poorly coordinated and dispersed in the face of Henry’s forces
Lovell fled to Flanders and Humphrey Stafford was executed
The Yorkshire rebellion (1488)
Reaction to Henry’s subsidy (tax) to fight in France which was £100,000 at a time of bad harvest
Easily put down by Royal army but demonstrated Henry’s limited power in the North
The Cornish rebellion (1497)
Reaction to subsidiary to pay for way defence against Scotland (James IV planned to invade to support Perkin Warbeck)
15,000 rebels, from a range of social classes gathered but were defeated by Henry at the Battle of Blackheath
Leaders were executed
Lambert Simnel (1486)
Claimed to be the Earl of Warwick (Richard III’s nephew)
Supported by Margaret of Burgundy and Yorkist support like the Earl of Lincoln
Simnel landed in Lincolnshire with 8,000 men but was defeated at the battle of Stoke
Significant threat as Simnel followed the same plan as Henry VII in 1485
Perkin Warbeck (1491-99)
Claimed to be Richard, Duke of York (who was murdered in the tower)
Started in Yorkist stronghold of Ireland but moved to France
1492 Warbeck moved to Flanders and gained support of Margaret of Burgundy and Holy Roman Emperor Maximillium and some of Henry’s own advisors such as William Stanley
Warbeck attempted a landing at deal in 1495 but then fled to Ireland
Gained support from James IV of Scotland but defeated
Tried to support the Cornish rebellion but eventually was captured and executed in 1498
Why was Henry Tudor’s claim to the throne so weak?
It came from his mothers side - Margaret Beaufort, who was a descendent of Edward III
Significant factors of Henry VII’s domestic policies:
Security of the throne - primary aim was secure the throne by eliminating any threats or pretenders
Financial policies
Control of the nobility - favoured to control nobility through financial ruin e.g bonds
Financial policy: successes
Use of the chamber system - rather than using the exchequer system meant that Henry had direct control over his money and that money was instantly accessible
Bonds and recognisances -
Arguments the Yorkist challenge was a serious threat to Henry VII’s rule?
Weak nature of Henry VII’s claim
Stafford/Lovell rebellion in 1486 showed how insecure H was at the start of his reign
Simnel and Warbeck presented little danger but they provided a focus for the plots of others in England and overseas, such as Margaret of Burgundy, who financed Simnel’s army at Stoke
Simnel was supported by powerful nobles like Kildare, Lincoln and Lovell
Simnel was a threat because it forced the King into battle
Warbeck = threat as received support from various times from France, Burgundy, the HRE and Scotland
H had to impose a costly and unpopular trade embargo 1493-96 to stop Burgundy and the HRE supporting Warbeck
H’s decision to execute Stanley in 1495 + Warbeck in 1499 shows he did not feel secure
Arguments the Yorkist challenge was not a serious threat to Henry VII’s rule?
H had more troops and they were more experienced
Yorkshire tax rebellion in 1489 was not a serious threat and probably not connected to Yorkshire claims to the throne anyway
Warbeck’s failure to exploit the Cornish tax rebellion in 1497
H’s sensible policies, e.g. his effective spy network which tracked Warbeck’s movements + discovered Stanley’s treason, reduced the threat as time went on
Arguments Henry VII was effective in dealing with the Yorkist challenges to his throne:
Henry was successful as none of the challenges were able to remove him from the throne
Yorkist cause was reduced to using Pretenders
Dating the start of his reign to the day before Bosworth meant anyone who fought against him could be convicted of treason
Henry married the best Yorkist claimant, Elizabeth of York
Decline in rebellion after the defeat of Simnel
H defeated the tax rebellions in 1489 + 1497
H ended foreign support for pretenders through the Treaty of Etaples 1492, the Intercursus Magnus 1496, the Truce of Ayton 1497 + the Treaty of Windsor 1506
Henry was able to hand on a secure throne to his son
Arguments Henry VII was not effective in dealing with the Yorkist challenges to his throne:
Simnel Rebellion did force Henry into battle only two years after Bosworth
Sir William Stanley’s disloyalty in 1495 showed H was not yet secure
Foreign support for the Pretenders, particularly from Margaret of Burgundy, made it more difficult for Henry as he was unable to deal with her
What was the most important aim of Henry VII’s foreign policy?
Securing the Throne
Marriages
Avoidance of War
Why was it important for Henry to use foreign policy to secure the throne?
Foreign policy was the most important way to secure his throne as most support for pretenders came from abroad
Margaret of Burgundy was a constant threat until her death in 1503
Foreign support for pretenders was a problem throughout H’s reign
His willingness to impose trade embargoes 1493-96 and 1506 and to bribe Maximillian with huge sums of money to stop Burgundy and the Holy Roman Empire supporting Warbeck and Suffolk respectively shows that securing his throne was more important than financial or economic considerations
Marriages with Spain and Scotland were designed to gain international recognition of his dynasty and secure its future
