Key Figures

Question 1

Earl of Warwick 1475-99)

Answer 1

• Nephew to Richard III
  -Placed in the Tower of London in 1485
• Alleged to have plotted with Perkin Warbeck and was executed in 1499 for doing so
  -Lambert Simnel pretended to be Earl of Warwick from 1487

Question 2

Sir William Stanley (c1435-95)

Answer 2

• Henry VII’s step-uncle, was rewarded with the post of Lord Chamberlain following Bosworth (22 Aug 14- 85)
• This title gave him significant influence (allowed him to expand his landed estate)
• Therefore a shock when he was accused of treason, and in late in 1494 Sir William was suddenly arrested and charged with being involved with Perkin Warbeck’s conspiracy.

Question 3

Sir Reginald Bray (d.1503)

Answer 3

• Faithful servant of Henry VII: helped Henry raise funds before the Battle of Bosworth
• Exercised through his role of Duchy of Lancaster
  Led the Council Learned in Law
  Thomas Penn described him as the ‘king’s chief executive’

Question 4

Sir Richard Empson (c1450-1510)

Answer 4

• Member of the king’s Council form 1494, and eventually chaired the Council Learned
• Closely identified with the increasing ruthlessness of Henry VII’s regime
• Charged with treason after Henry VII’s death and executed a year later

Question 5

Edmund Dudley (1462-1510)

Answer 5

• Dudley came to prominence following the death of Bray
• Steve Gunn suggests his role was to exploit financial opportunities
• Upon Henry VII’s death he became accountable for what had been the king’s demands
• Both (Epsom and Dudley) were convicted of treason and were executed, largely because of Henry VIII’s desire for popularity.

Question 6

Maximilian I (1459-1519 (HRE))

Answer 6

• Holy Roman Emperor from 1493- 1519
• In 1477 he had married Mary of Burgundy and through her he had gained control of the Netherlands (England’s main trading partner)

Question 7

Charles VIII (1470-98 (FRANCE))

Answer 7

• King of France from 1483-1498
• Main concern was to assert his claim to the throne of the Kingdom of Naples —-> reducing any potential threat from Charles to Henry VII

Question 8

James IV (1473-1513 ( SCOTLAND))

Answer 8

• Responsible for the 1496 invasion of England but did not pursue the policy, making peace the following year
• Married Henry VII’s daughter, Margaret Tudor
• He was killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513

Question 9

Richard Fox (c 1447-1528)

Answer 9

• Began serving Henry VII when he was in exile
• In 1487 Fox became Bishop of Exeter and Keeper of the Great Seal
• Successfully managed the Crown’s transition to Henry VIII

Question 10

Polydore Vergil (c1470-1535)

Answer 10

• Italian humanist
• Came to England in 1502 in the employ of the church and welcomed at the Court of Henry VII