To what extent do you agree that the re-establishment of the Council of the North in 1537 was the key turning point in increasing royal power in the localities in the years 1485-1603?

Question 1

Council of the North: significant but limited regional control

Answer 1

• re-establishment = significant attempt by crown to assert more royal power in North (often associated w rebellion)
• council granted judicial + administrative powers e.g hearing treason + felony cases, enforcing royal proclamations, regulating food supply + acting as voice of central gov
  => considerable involvement in restoring order after PoG + effective for a bit
• breadth of impact = highly limited, only in North, little to improve royal control in Wales or East Anglia
• effectiveness declined after E.- leadership given to southern councillors e.g. Henry Hastings = lacked legitimacy
• by 1590s, council = increasingly marginalised, lost capacity to drive widespread local cooperation
  => regionally important but not most transformative or enduring

Question 2

JP expansion: nationwide + long term enforcement of royal policy

Answer 2

• expansion of JPs = transformative development in increasing royal power
• Henry VII+ - JPs systematically empowered to: replace corrupt juries, investigate illegal retaining + enforce social legislation
• duties expanded under H8 to include administering subsidies e.g 1513, enforcing religious reform, regulating wages + prices + overseeing poor relief
  => extent of involvement in governing localities = substantial, touched every part of social political + economic
• effectiveness in maintaining order evident during national crisis e.g 1590s, managed grain shortages, vagrancy + unrest w/o rebellion
• present in every county of E + W; increased from 25/county (Wolsey )to 50–60 by 1603
  => unparalleled breadth of impact; surpassed CoN in both scale + consistency

Question 3

Laws in Wales Act: structural integration + long-term transformation

Answer 3

• laws in wales Acts 1535 + 1542 = major TP, significantly increased royal power thru enforcement + structural change
• abolished marcher lordships (long semi-autonomous zones run by powerful nobles) + reorganised W into 12 English-style counties
• each county given sheriffs, JPs, coroners + right to elect MPs to Parliament => effectively integrated W into Eng legal + political system
• effective in maintaining order - no more rebellions in W after 1540s even tho prev known for instability
• breadth of impact = national, brought W into line w E governance + model for centralisation + standardisation
• embedded perm structures operating on behalf of Crown = more systemic + enduring increase in royal power