Henry VII Flashcards
(137 cards)
How did he become King
- proclaimed King of England on battlefield by Lord Stanley, 3rd September 1485, Henry met by Lord Mayor of London = public wooed by pageantry/ceremony into cheering new monarchy
- Richard had become an object of suspicion (due to the disappearance of princes in the tower), public accepted Henry because he was not Richard
Problems Initially Faced
- weak: lived abroad since he was 14
- weak: descended through female line represented by mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort (line came from John Gaunt’s 3rd wife, son of John Beaufort born before marriage = illegitimate, so Henry only Lancastrian claimant only because there was no one else to fulfil role)
- power insecure: no discernible claim to throne + many enemies
- terminated Plantagent rule in England = established Tudor dynasty
- victory over Richard III’s forces at the Battle of Bosworth on 22nd August, 1485
How he Consolidated his Power
- publicly rewarded many key supporters (e.g. conferring 11 knighthoods)
- dated his reign from 21/08/1485, day before Battle of Bosworth, ensuring anyone who fought on Yorkist side = traitor
- detained Earl of Warick, Edward IV’s nephew, who had a claim to the throne
- Parliamentary Acts of Attainder against Yorkists who had fought at Bosworth ensured property was forfeit to crown = increased royal income, enhanced when Parliament granted Henry customs revenues of tonnage and poundage for life
- made key appointments to council + household (made Sir William Stanley Chamberlain of Household)
- coronation 30/10/1485 before meeting of first parliament on 7th November, right to throne = hereditary right, not because parliament sanctioned it
- January 1486, Henry married Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV. Waiting till other consolidation steps completed = ensure crown not bought by wife’s own claim to throne. Able to exploit royal propaganda union of 2 houses Lancaster + York
Position still Insecure
- several Yorkist claimants to throne
- pretenders to throne
- Margaret of Burgundy never reconciled to Tudor takeover, had access to funds to encourage Yorkist claimants
Viscount Lovell and the Staffords, 1486
- led by Viscount Lovell and Humphrey Stafford
- Lovell tried to raise a rebellion in Richard III’s heartland of support in Yorkshire, managed to escape from king’s forces
- Stafford tried to raise forces against Henry in Yorkist support area, Midlands, captured + executed
- significance: easily suppressed, shows little significance for a Yorkist uprising at this stage
Lambert Simnel + Rebellion of the Earl of Lincoln
Figurehead: Lambert Simnel (passed as Earl of Warick, imprisoned by Henry)
Conspiracy by: John De La Pole, Earl of Lincoln, potential Yorkist claimant
Henry’s Response:
- Richard III’s main power base in North of England, Henry reinstated Earl of Northumberland, who led a major portion of Richard III’s army at Battle of Bosworth, to power in North
- Neutralise Richard’s old power base + ensured Yorkist Howard family would not join conspiracy
- reinforced coastal defences in East Anglia, however rebels landed on Northwest coast, crossed Pennines to drum up support in Yorkshire. Yorkist gentry reluctant to commit wholeheartedly, waiting to see who was likely to win
Response to Hoax:
- Henry had the real Earl of Warick exhibited in London for all to see.
- Lincoln fled, joined Lord Lovell at court of Margaret of Burgundy
Battle of Stoke Field, 1487
Significance:
- brought end to War of the Roses, Henry’s position = safer
- Crisis overcome by shrewdness + hard work + organisational skills + military leadership of supporters + willingness of landowners to support his cause
Events:
- Henry gathered group of advisors in South + Midlands
- 2 armies met at East Stoke near Newark in Nottinghamshire
- army held firm
- Earl of Lincoln killed in battle, crucially been unable to add followers to army of mercenaries (Margaret had arranged)
Perkin Warbeck Imposture
- 1491: impersonate Richard, Duke of York in Ireland. Brief appearance in court to Charles III France, flee to Margaret of Burgundy (trained as potential Yorkist prince). Attracting patronage from foreign rulers = serious threat, fragile position
- 1495: tried to land in England, quickly defeated and fled to James IV court in Scotland. Conspirators = accomplice in heart of Henry government, Sir William Stanley (Lord Chamberlain), Henry vulnerable where should be secure
- 1496: small Scottish force crossed border on Warbeck’s behalf, quickly retreated. Warbeck interests sacrificed when James gave in to Henry’s offer to marry daughter, Margaret.
- 1497: Warbeck made a final attempt to seek English throne by trying to exploit uncertainties by Cornish rebellion, but forces were crushed and surrendered to king. Tried to escape with Earl of Warick but failed
Executed in 1499
Edmund de la Pole + Earl of Suffolk + Richard de la Pole
- younger brothers of the Earl of Lincoln
- Suffolk fled to Flanders in 1498, persuaded to return after a short exile, but fled again in 1501 (took refuge at Court of Emperor Maximilian)
- Treaty of Windsor 1506, friendly relations restored. Maximillian agreed to give up Suffolk, who was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Executed for treason in 1513.
- Richard de la Pole was at large, but killed at Battle of Pavia in 1525
Key Aims of Foreign Policy
- national security
- recognition of the Tudor dynasty
- defence of English trading interests
Brittany and France - 1487
Following an invasion in 1487 it looked as if the French would gain complete control of Brittany.
Brittany and France - 1489
This alarmed Henry who, in 1489, summoned Parliament to grant him extraordinary revenue to raise an army against the French. Two main reasons for this:
1) sense of obligation to the Bretons
2) his fear that direct French control of Brittany could increase a potential French threat to England
Treaty of Redon
England + Brittany agreed to the Treaty of Redon in February 1489, where Duchess Anne would pay for a small English army to defend Brittany from the French threat. At the same time, Henry tried to strengthen his position by an alliance with Maximilian, the Holy Roman Emperor-elect. A widower, Maximilian had contracted a marriage-by-proxy with Anne and had no desire for the Duchy of Brittany to fall into French hands. The English army went to Brittany but Anne surrendered and married Charles VIII. Left army marooned in Brittany/Maximillian lost interest in the matter. Situation made worse when Perkin Warbeck sought French backing for his claim to the English throne.Failure- Henry suffered major setback
How did England recover in 1492?
Recover- skilfully. Launched invasion of France in 1492 and the French quickly sought a peace settlement. (used knowledge of Charles VIII wanting to launch an invasion of Italy to his advantage).
Treaty of Etaples
Treaty of Etaples November 1492- Charles VIII agreed to withdraw his support for Perkin Warbeck and to pay a pension to Henry to compensate him for the expense of having recruited an army of invasion. Strategy = successful, managed to defend financial position/period of relative cordiality in Anglo-French relations.
Burgundy, the Netherlands and the Holy Roman Empire
- bulk of England’s exports went through the Netherlands (under Burgundy jurisdiction), important keep good relations. Complication = Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy (lead upholder Yorkist cause), who enlisted support of Maximillian (Holy Roman Emperor in 1493), who passed over jurisdiction in the Netherlands to his son Philip.
- relations deteriorated: due to hospitality they were offering Perkin Warbeck, Henry gambled putting an embargo on English trade with Burgundy would ease the matter. Problem = caused securing the dynasty/encouraging trade into conflict with each other.
- relations improved: after Warbeck left Burgundy, Henry and Philip were able to agree the Intercursus Magnus in 1496, which brought trade embargo to an end
1504- Isabella, Queen of Castile died. Outcome of Treaty of Windsor was new trade agreement, the Intercursus Malus. Henry demanded trade deal which would have given much stronger trading position to English merchants in the Netherlands had it ever been enforced (this trade deal never put into practice). Another outcome: Philip/Maximilian agreed to hand over Yorkist fugitive, Earl of Suffolk, whom Henry imprisoned in the Tower.
Success: Henry improved both England’s trading position/security of the dynasty
Treaty of Medina del Campo 1489
Treaty of Medina del Campo 1489-
success:
- the 2 monarchies offered mutual protection in event of attack
- they agreed not to harbour rebels or pretenders
- treaty arranged marriage alliance between Prince Arthur and Catherine of Aragon
problems:
- arrangements for royal marriage did not go smoothly
- Ferdinand proved reluctant to allow the marriage to go ahead as long as Henry’s dynastic stability remained threatened by Perkin Warbeck
- 2 monarchs argued over the size of Catherine’s dowry
Catherine and arthur
marriage agreed in 1499 and took place in 1501. Death of Arthur in 1502 brought complications to relationship with Ferdinand:
- Henry immediately suggested Catherine should marry Prince Henry, Ferdinand reluctant to agree. Little need for English alliance and proposed marriage would need a papal dispensation (price)
- 1504, Henry lost enthusiasm for the marriage, when death of Isabella made Ferdinand a less significant political figure.
- Henry supported Juana (Catherine of Aragon sister). Juana and husband Philip of Burgundy set sail for Spain in January 1506, but were forced to take refuge in England when ship was wrecked at sea
Treaty of Windsor
Treaty of Windsor 1506 (Henry took advantage in Juana/Philip situation) and secured strong relationship:
- the Intercursus Malus restored trade relations between England and Burgundy
- the return of the Earl of Suffolk (further securing Henry’s dynasty)
- proposed marriage alliance for Henry VII and Philip’s sister, the Archduchess Margaret (never happened)
- Henry’s recognition of Juana and Philip as rulers of Castile (strengthening couple’s claim to the throne)
Disadvantages after Philip of Burgundy’s death:
- Juana was described by her father as having gone mad
- gave Ferdinand opportunity once more to become regent of Castile
- this left Henry diplomatically isolated as once again he had been diplom
1485-1495
Anglo-Scottish relations were tense
1495-1496
1495-1496 (turning point): King James IV offered hospitality to Perkin Warbeck. Warbeck stayed for 2 years at the Scottish court, and received pension from king + aristocratic marriage. Potential threat to Henry, made worse by James encouraging Warbeck to cross the border in 1496 with an army. The army was small, spent little time in England, received no support from the people of Northumberland and quickly retreated back over the border when word was received that an English force was making its way north from Newcastle. This attempt at invasion led Henry to raise a larger army to launch an invasion of Scotland. This decision had important political repercussions because it prompted a taxation rebellion the following year.
1497
1497, the Cornish Rebellion: a large scale rebellion in Cornwall shook Henry. It was evident that it was in the interests of both England and Scotland to secure an immediate truce.
1498 onwards
1498 onwards: Anglo-Scottish relations significantly improved. Because of this improvement, James had no longer any diplomatic use for Warbeck, who had become tiresome. Warbeck was executed in 1499.
1501-1503
1501-1503: It was agreed that James should marry Henry’s daughter, the Princess Margaret. In 1502 this was sanctioned by a formal peace treaty, the Treaty of Perpetual Peace, and this marriage took place in 1503. The improvement in relations with Scotland lasted until the end of Henry’s reign, Henry had been successful in ensuring the security of the dynasty.