Henry VII's Government

Question 1

What were the 3 main functions of Henry VII’s council? - Government

Answer 1

1. To advise the King
2. To administer the realm on behalf of the King
3. To make legal judgements

Question 2

What 3 groups of people were councillors for Henry VII? Give examples of each - Government

Answer 2

1. Nobility (Lord Daubney and Lord Dynham)
2. Churchmen (John Morton and Richard Fox)
3. Laymen - Gentry/Lawyers (Sir Reginald Bray and Edmund Dudley)

Question 3

Who was John Morton? - Government

Answer 3

An able churchman and lawyer who had previously supported both Lancastrians and Yorkists. However, worked against Richard III and was later promoted to be Archbishop of Canterbury under Henry VII.

Question 4

What was a magnate? - Government

Answer 4

A high ranking member of the nobility.

Question 5

Who was Sir Reginald Bray? - Government

Answer 5

One of Henry VII’s most faithful servants, helping him to raise funds prior to Bosworth. Later made Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and also the head of the Council Learned.

Question 6

What was the Great Council? What issues was it concerned with? - Government

Answer 6

The Great Council was a gathering of the House of Lords without the Commons, dealing with relating to war or rebellion.

Question 7

How many times did the Great Council meet during Henry’s reign? What was Henry’s intended purpose for the great council in terms of the nobility? - Government

Answer 7

The Great Council met only 5 times during Henry’s reign.

The Great Council was intended to bind the nobility to key decisions on the issue of national security.

Question 8

What was the Council Learned and what was its function? - Government

Answer 8

An offshoot of the King’s council operated by top legal individuals. Intended to exploit Henry’s prerogative rights, mainly through the enforcement of bonds and recognisances on nobles in order to maintain their loyalty.

Question 9

Why was the council learned seen as a secretive body? - Government

Answer 9

Seen as secretive due to its separation from all recognised courts of law, meaning that no one prosecuted in there had any chance for appeal.

Question 10

Who was Richard Empson? - Government

Answer 10

Empson was an ambitious lawyer and bureaucrat who aided Bray in his running of the Council Learned. Ruthless.

Question 11

When did Reginald Bray die? Who was he replaced by? - Government

Answer 11

Reginald Bray died in 1503, replaced as head of the Council Learned by Edmund Dudley.

Question 12

What was seen as the centre of Henry’s government? What characteristics did this area have? - Government

Answer 12

The centre of Henry’s government was his Court, which was magnificent and opulent in order to show off his wealth and power.

Question 13

What were prerogative rights? - Government

Answer 13

Describes the powers at the disposal of the monarch without the permission of parliament, granted through the role of being the monarch.

Question 14

What was the political aspect of the court known as? What was its purpose? Who was part of it? - Government

Answer 14

The political area of the court was known as the Chamber, which was the private areas of the King’s court. Key for administration. Contained King’s key advisors and servants, presided over by the Lord Chamberlain.

Question 15

Who was Henry VII’s Lord Chamberlain? What saw his removal from this role and WHEN? - Government

Answer 15

Henry VII’s Lord Chamberlain was Sir William Stanley, his step-uncle. Replaced after his implication within the Perkin Warbeck imposture. This happened in 1495.

Question 16

Following the Perkin Warbeck imposture, what alteration did Henry make to his chamber? - Government

Answer 16

Henry created a new, privy chamber, where the King could retreat to be surrounded by his closest servants. Made it more difficult for out of favour courtiers to regain the King’s trust.

Question 17

What were the 2 main functions of Henry VII’s Parliament? How many Parliaments did Henry call throughout his reign? How were they spaced in his reign? - Government

Answer 17

1. Pass laws
2. Grant taxation to the crown
   Henry called 7 parliaments during his reign, with 5 in the first 10 years and 2 in the last 14.

Question 18

What was the purpose of Henry’s early Parliaments? What examples are there of these purposes? - Government

Answer 18

Henry’s first parliaments were concerned with taxation and the consolidation of his power.
Henry passed multiple acts of attainder to mitigate the power of the nobility, and also was granted tonnage and poundage for life.

Question 19

What examples of Parliament’s financial interventions are there? - Government

Answer 19

First parliament granted tonnage and poundage for life, other parliaments granted extraordinary revenue to deal with conflict eg. The Scottish Rebellion.

Question 20

What was extraordinary revenue? What was its most common form of payment? - Government

Answer 20

Extraordinary revenue is taxation granted by parliament in times of emergency, usually in terms of conflict. Usually paid in the form of fifteenths and tenths, taxes on goods of 1/10 in urban areas and 1/15 in rural.

Question 21

Who did Henry rely on to maintain law and order domestically? Why did he have to strike a balance when maintaining law and order? - Government

Answer 21

Henry relied on high ranking members of the nobility quashing any rebellions on his behalf. Had to ensure nobles didn’t become overly powerful and risk any challenges to his own power.

Question 22

What was Magnate control? Given there was no magnate control in the North, who did he place there? Why was this risky? - Government

Answer 22

Magnate control was where wealthy and powerful nobles oversaw law and order of regions at the discretion of the King.
Henry placed the Earl of Surrey in the North after the murder of the Earl of Northumberland. Surrey had been imprisoned as a supporter of Richard III, and was in an area of Yorkist support. However, he was loyal to Henry, providing 10 years of service in the North.

Question 23

What were Justices of the Peace? What group of society did most JPs come from? - Government

Answer 23

Unpaid individuals at local level who maintained law and order in rural areas. Met 4 times a year.
Mainly upper classes who did unpaid work in the hope of reaching a higher ranking office in the future.

Question 24

What were JPs responsible for? - Government

Answer 24

JPs oversaw the administration of tax assessments, alehouses, complaints against local officials and maintenance of law and order.

Question 25

What were bonds and recognisances? How did Henry use them to maintain loyalty of the nobility? - Government

Answer 25

Bonds and recognisances were strict financial penalties imposed on the nobility, which would be triggered if they went against a formal agreement which guaranteed loyalty to the King. Could cause financial ruin to a noble.

Question 26

What legal area did Church Courts have jurisdiction over? - Government

Answer 26

Church courts oversaw the prosecution of the clergy, church admin, ‘moral’ hearings, confession and marriage issues.

Question 27

What were the 2 types of local courts? What legal areas did they have jurisdiction over? - Government

Answer 27

Manor courts - oversaw issues between landholders and tenants, use of common land.
Borough courts - medieval trading standards, specific judicial rights granted by royal charter.

Question 28

What legal areas did King’s county courts have jurisdiction over? - Government

Answer 28

Held assizes twice a year to deal with major criminal and civil cases, held quarter sessions for JPs to oversee slightly less important criminal and civil cases.

Question 29

What legal areas did King’s common law courts have jurisdiction over? - Government

Answer 29

Dealt with common pleas and civil cases, issues concerning royal revenues.

Question 30

What legal areas did chancery and other equity courts have jurisdiction over? - Government

Answer 30

Chancery and equity courts exercised jurisdiction on basis of equity with a strict use of common law.

Question 31

How did Henry use Crown lands to improve royal finances through administrative changes? - Government

Answer 31

Henry altered the system of collection of rents from crown lands to be done through the Chamber rather than the relatively inefficient collection methods of the Court of the Exchequer.

Question 32

How did Henry make money from the crown lands? - Government

Answer 32

Henry rented out crown lands that he owned, either genuinely or through seizing of lands by acts of attainder/heirs in minority, to nobles.

Question 33

What was wardship? How was this often overturned? - Government

Answer 33

Wardship was the act of the crown taking temporary ownership of lands which were owned by people in minority. Often had to be overturned through the payment of an additional sum for the initial owner to regain the land.

Question 34

What was feudal aid? - Government

Answer 34

Feudal aid was the right by which the crown could impose additional taxes on tenants for the knighting of a Lord’s eldest son, the marrying of a Lord’s daughter or to ransom a Lord. Raised significant income for the Crown.

Question 35

How did Henry use customs revenue to increase crown income? (SPECIFIC EXAMPLE) - Government

Answer 35

Henry’s first Parliament in 1485 granted tonnage and poundage for life, meaning that certain goods were additionally taxed.

Question 36

How did Henry increase crown income through pensions? (SPECIFIC EXAMPLE) - Government

Answer 36

Henry negotiated a treaty with France in 1492 (The Treaty of Etaples) after the conflict with France in Brittany, which agreed that the French would pay Henry a £5000/year pension for life.

Question 37

How did Henry use his justice system to improve Crown finances? Give example - Government

Answer 37

Notably, fines as a result of bonds and recognisances, and also for fines imposed upon the breaking of laws. Between 1504 and 1507, £200,000 promised to Henry as a result of these breaches.

Question 38

How did Henry use extraordinary revenue to improve crown finances? What was the issue with this? - Government

Answer 38

Henry received over £400,000 in extraordinary revenue, granted by Parliament in the form of additional taxes, during times of emergency such as wars or rebellions. This method, however, did result in rebellions due to its unpopularity.

Question 39

How many times larger was the size of crown lands at the end of Henry’s reign than in the 1450s? - Government

Answer 39

Crown lands were roughly 5 times larger in 1509 than in 1450.

Question 40

What was the annual income from crown lands during Henry VII’s reign? - Government

Answer 40

The annual income from crown lands during Henry VII’s reign was £40,000.

Question 41

How many Acts of Attainder did Henry pass during his reign? How many were reversed? - Government

Answer 41

Henry passed 138 Acts of Attainder during his reign, reversing 46.

Question 42

How much money did Henry VII leave for Henry VIII? - Government

Answer 42

Henry VII left Henry VIII £300,000

Question 43

How many of England’s 62 noble families paid money in bonds and recognisances to Henry VII? - Government

Answer 43

36/62 noble families paid money in the form of bonds and recognisances.

Question 44

When was the Act of Resumption passed? What did this determine? - Government

Answer 44

The Act of Resumption was passed in 1486, with this returning all lands lost to the crown since 1455.

Question 45

When did Henry VII introduce a new Book of Rates? What impact did this have? - Government

Answer 45

Henry introduced a new Book of Rates in 1507, with this increasing customs revenues to the crown.

Question 46

How much money did Henry take in benevolences in 1491? - Government

Answer 46

Henry took £49,000 of benevolences in 1491.

Question 47

In which parliament did Henry VII commit to no further requests for extraordinary revenue? - Government

Answer 47

Henry committed to no further requests for extraordinary revenue in the 1504 Parliament.