The consolidation of power Flashcards
(9 cards)
What were Henry VII’s character and aims like?
Henry VII believed in the strong and unquestioned royal leadership
Henry Tudor (Earl of Richmond) became king on 22nd August 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth; his victory terminated Plantagenet rule over England and established the new Tudor dynasty
Weak claim to the throne: Lancaster descendant through his mother (Maragaret Beaufort), his line came from John of Gaunt’s third wife, but their son was born before their marriage, thus was seen as illegitimate
Lived abroad since he was 14, spending time in the French and Breton courts, learning their structures and the politics of the court
Public had grown to dislike Richard III and so readily accepted Henry VII as their new king
How did Henry VII consolidate his power?
Predated his reign to the day before the Battle of Bosworth so that anyone who had fought on the Yorkist side could be designated a traitor
Publicly rewarded many of his key supporters. eg. He conferred 11 knighthoods
Arranged for his supporters to detain Elizabeth of York (Edward IV’s daughter) and the Earl of Warwick (Edward IV’s nephew) as they could be seen as having a greater claim to the throne
Made key appointments to his household and Council. eg. Sir Reginald Bray became Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Sir William Stanley became Chamberlain of the Household
Arranged for his coronation (30th October 1485) to take place before his first Parliament (7th November 1485); this demonstrated that Henry VII’s right to the throne was hereditary and not solely because the Parliament had sanctioned it
Passed parliamentary Acts of Attainder against Yorkists who had fought at Bosworth which ensured that their property was forfeit to the Crown, thus increasing royal income
An Act of Attainder declared a landowner guilty of rebelling against a monarch; the attainted noble lost his title, his lands and was sometimes executed; his heirs were disinherited. Declared individuals guilty without the inconvenience of a trial (if the attainted was alive). If they were dead, property would be forfeit to the Crown
Parliament granted Henry VII the customs revenue of tonnage and poundage for life (the right to raise revenue for the whole reign from imports and exports)
Married Elizabeth of York in January 1486. Waiting to marry her until all other steps to consolidation of his power were completed ensured that Henry VII’s assumption of the Crown was not due to his wife’s own claim to the throne
Royal propaganda through the Tudor Rose; Henry VII and Elizabeth’s marriage united the Houses of York and Lancaster
In September 1489, Prince Arthur was born, securing Henry VII an heir to the throne
What were the issues with establishing the Tudor dynasty?
There were several Yorkist claimants to the throne, such as Edward IV’s nephews, the Earls of Warwick and Lincoln
Many Yorkist pretenders to the throne appeared, posing as the two murdered princes in the tower
Influence of Maragaret of Burgundy was also a threat; she never reconciled to the Tudor takeover. Being the dowager duchess of Burgundy, she had access to funds which enabled her to encourage the ambitions of the Yorkist claimants and financially, as well as politically, support them
What was the Lovell-Stafford rebellion, 1486?
First uprising against Henry VII’s reign, occurring in Easter 1486; quite minor
Led by Francis, Viscount Lovell (key supporter of Richard III) and Humphrey Stafford. Lovell tried to raise a rebellion in North Riding of Yorkshire (Richard III’s heartland of support); Stafford simultaneously tried to raise forces in the Midlands, another area of Yorkist support
Lovell managed to escape Henry VII’s forces. Stafford was captured and executed, but his younger brother and accomplice Thomas Stafford was pardoned
Little enthusiasm for a Yorkist rising in their traditional heartlands, it was easily suppressed
Who was Lambert Simnel and what was the Rebellion of the Earl of Lincoln?
Figurehead Lambert Simnel was passed off as the Earl of Warwick, who Henry VII was imprisoning in the Tower
Conspiracy was formulated by John de la Pole (Earl of Lincoln), and in May 1487 Simnel was even crowned King Edward in Ireland
Henry VII exhibited the real Earl of Warwick in London. Lincoln subsequently fled from his court and joined Lovell at Margaret of Burgundy’s court in the Netherlands, persuading her to support Simnel’s claim and pay for a force of mercenaries to invade England
Henry VII had plenty of notice that a rebellious conspiracy was being planned, and so had time to plan his response:
1) He took the risk of reinstating the Earl of Northumberland (he had led a major portion of Richard III’s army in the Battle of Bosworth) to power in the North
2) This helped neutralise Richard III’s former power base and ensure that the Yorkist Howard family wouldn’t interfere, as the Earl of Northumberland was their descendant
3) He reinforced coastal defences in East Anglia
Rebels landed in the NW coast of England in Cumberland, then crossed the Pennines to gain support in North Riding of Yorkshire; the Yorkist gentry of N Riding were reluctant to wholeheartedly commit to the cause, presumably waiting to see who was likely to win
What was the Battle of Stoke Field, 1487?
Henry VII gathered a group of advisors in the South and Midlands; it included close relatives of former Yorkists who had been victims of Richard III
The two armies met at East Stoke near Newark, Nottinghamshire
Henry VII’s army (led effectively by the Earl of Oxford) held firm and the Earl of Lincoln was killed in battle. On the other hand, Lincoln had been unable to gain sufficient follows to add to his force of mercenaries upon landing in England
Henry VII’s victory at the Battle of Stoke Field is often considered the end of the Wars of the Roses, rather than the Battle of Bosworth. His position became safer, though not completely secure
Henry VII overcame this crisis through a combination of his own shrewdness and hard work, organisational skills and military leadership of his key supporters, willingness of landowners across many parts of the country to support his cause
Henry VII’s treatment of those who rebelled was relatively mild, which weakened the resolve of many Yorkists to oppose him
After the Battle of Stoke Field, Henry VII began developing the policy of using bonds of good behaviour to insure well-behaved landowners who might otherwise face financial ruin
What was the Perkin Warbeck imposture?
Over a period of 8 years, Perkin Warbeck (cloth trader from Tournai in Flanders) persistently was a threat and irritant to Henry VII by claiming to be Richard, Duke of York
His ability to attract patronage from foreign rulers transformed him into a serious threat; demonstrated how fragile Henry VII’s position was considered by other rulers
1491 — Warbeck began to impersonate Richard, Duke of York in Ireland. After a brief appearance at Charles VIII’s court in France, he was forced to flee to the court of Margaret of Burgundy
In Margaret’s court, Warbeck was trained as a potential Yorkist prince and he began to draw English courtiers into his conspiracies
1495 — Warbeck’s first attempt to land in England was a fiasco. Henry VII had been informed of his intentions by royal agent Sir Robert Clifford, who had infiltrated Warbeck’s retinue. Warbeck was quickly defeated, and fled to James IV’s court in Scotland
Sir William Stanley (Lord Chamberlain) was an accomplice to Warbeck’s conspirators. The evidence against him was circumstantial, but he confessed to the crime in hopes of escaping execution. Beheaded in February 1495
1496 — small Scottish force crossed the border on Warbeck’s behalf, quickly retreated
Warbeck’s interests sacrificed by James IV when he succumbed to Henry VII’s offer of marriage to his daughter Margaret
1497 — Warbeck made a final attempt to claim the English throne by exploiting the uncertainties created by the Cornish Rebellion, but his forces were crushed and he eventually surrendered to the king
Henry VII was remarkably lenient and allowed Warbeck to stay at court, then confined him to the Tower after he tried to abscond. Accused of treason after allegedly trying to escape with the Earl of Warwick. Both were tried and executed in November 1499
Who was the Earl of Warwick?
Potentially the most obvious Yorkist claimant to the throne, convenient for Henry VII that Warbeck’s final attempts at conspiracy enabled him to get rid of Warwick
In many respects he was an innocent victim of the political manoeuvrings of the period — aged 10 during the Battle of Bosworth, after which he spent most of his life in confinement before being beheaded in 1499
Who were Edmund de la Pole (Earl of Suffolk) and Richard de la Pole (“The White Rose”)?
They were the younger brothers of the Earl of Lincoln
Suffolk fled to Flanders in 1498, and was persuaded to return after a short exile. In 1501 he fled again, seeking refuge in at the court of the Emperor Maximilian; he was safe for as long as Margaret of Burgundy was politically opposed to Henry VII
1506 — Treaty of Windsor restored friendly relations with Burgundy; a feature of the treaty was that Maximilian had to give up the Earl of Suffolk
Suffolk was imprisoned in the Tower and Henry took no action against him until 1513, when he had him executed for treason
Richard de la Pole remained who was still at large during his time in exile. Killed fighting for French forces at the Battle of Pavia in 1525
