Henry VII | Judiciary Flashcards
(4 cards)
Why was keeping law and order important for Henry VII ?
-Oppostion to his reign (Yorkist)
-Threat of rebellion from the nobility
-Instability in England
A failure to control these key elements, leads to Henry becoming vunerable on the throne, keeping law and order is important to control the Yorkist threat and control his nobility - which undoubtebly cause a threat to Henrys control.
Who did Henry rely on to keep the peace in England ?
How does this succeed ?
-Henry has to rely on trusted and well placed nobility,
-Former Yorkist prisoner used to control the North
-Gentry and JPs
By relying on the nobility as a whole, to control specific regions throughout England, it allows Henry to maintain unquestioned loyalty from well-educated and trusted individauls, whos best interests was to gain more trust from the king and bolster their own social standing. Simularly, JPs became crucial to keeping law and order as they fulfilled their unpaid tasks either out of a sense of duty or because they perceived that doing so might open the path to greater advancement or local prestige, meaning they were purwly driven by loyalty, which proved them to be very effective. However alongside using trusted nobles, Henry used individuals he didnt trust to keep the peace, such as the Gentry and other landowners. This means power is distributed across a higher population of people, and thus limiting autonomy, so one faction could not rise up against him. In addition to this, the use of the Earl of Surrey (former Yorkist captive) to keep the peace in the north succeeded, as he is more likely to be resepcted by the Yorkist majority population and therefore reduced the chances of a rebellion against his control - in addition to this, it allows Yorksits to settle back into life under a Lancastrian ruler, instead of coming down harshly on them, this means Yorkists are more likely to respect Henry and trust in his governance.
What system did Henry use to control his nobility ?
What was its function ?
Why did this succeed ?
-Bonds and Recognisances
A bond was a legal document which bound an individual to another to perform an action or forfeit a specified sum of money if they failed to do so. A recognizance was a formal acknowledgement of a debt or other obligation which could be enforced by means of financial penalty.
This succeeded as it allowed Henry to encourage loyalty and good behaviour, by financial means overall limiting the threat of the whole of the nobility. Henry could file bonds and recognisances on any one who distrusted, meaning they had to obey him, as they couldnt afford not to.
Which courts functioned under Henry VII ? (3)
What did they deal with ?
-Church courts
-Manor courts
-Borough courts
Church courts
Church administration, and offences committed by the clergy, proving of wills, issues relating to marriage and ‘moral’ offences
Manor courts
Landholding, rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants, the use of common land, and the responsibilities for drainage and land issues.
Borough courts
Medieval trading standards, and specific judicial rights granted by royal charter.
