Topic 3: The Pretenders

Question 1

Role of Yorkist and Lancastrian factions:

Answer 1

• less than 1/4 of the nobility fought for Richard
• 1486 Stafford- Lovell rebellion, skilfully handled , Henry used spies to monitor the activities of Yorkists

Question 2

Lambert Simnel (1486-87):

Answer 2

• Margaret of Burgundy supported his claim with 2,000 German and Swiss mercenaries
• Battle of Stoke, 16th June 1487: 12,000 vs 8,000 (crushing Tudor victory, most Yorkist leadership killed except Viscount Lovell, those killed= included the Earl of Lincoln)
• Yorkist cause popular in Ireland: Earl of Kildare supported his claim along with 40 other Irish nobles, he was crowned king of ireland
• the John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln supported this rebellion in Ireland as he was discontented with his court position as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
• 1485- Henry appointed Jasper Tudor as Lord Lieutenant- ensure future Irish obedience- context Earl of Kildare= Gerald FitzGerald and he was the Lord Deputy to Jasper Tudor, outwardly disobeying the king- however his power was so great he was nicknamed ‘the uncrowned king of Ireland’

Question 3

Henry VII’s use of parliament:

Answer 3

• 1486 Act of Resumption - recovered all crown property granted away since 1455 for Henry VII
• Acts of Attainder (context attainders were also reversible so were used by Henry to ensure good behaviour), 138 passed and 46 reversed
• he married Elizabeth of York in January 1486
• 1st parliament declared Henry king on 21st August 1485

Question 4

Henry VII and land:

Answer 4

• in 1485, Henry VII had control over all the land owned by the York and Lancaster families, the Principality of Wales, the Duchy of Lancaster and the earldoms of Richmond, March and Warwick
• 1485 he received £29,000 for his land —> 1509 £42,000
• his income developed as a consequence of the 1486 Act of Resumption, which returned lots of crown land (that had previously been removed in 1455)

Question 5

Henry VII and patronage:

Answer 5

• John de Vere, the Earl of Oxford become the largest landowner in East Anglia
• Jasper Tudor was made Duke of Bedford, was restored to his welsh estates and rewarded extra land
• Howards- disloyalty, stripped of the title Duke of Norfolk
• John Morton retained his position as Chancellor for a long period (1486-1500)- well trusted
• Henry made 37 Knights of the Order of the Garter (effective as it gave prestige but not power of land which he retained)
• Henry tended to reward his supporters with land seized from Attainders NOT from the crown’s land

Question 6

Meetings of the Great Council: 5 meetings

Answer 6

• 1485- for the calling of parliament and the announcement of his marriage
• 1487- in response to the threat of Lambert Simnel
• 1488- to authorise a subsidy for the campaign in Brittany
• 1491- to authorise war against France
• 1496- to grant a loan of £120,000 for war in Scotland

Question 7

Attainder case study:

Answer 7

Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset, had never been trusted by Henry since his apparent support for Richard in 1485. Thurs, in 1492 he was required to transfer all of his land to trustees, give a recognisance for £1,000 and find others who would give recognisances worth £10,000 on his behalf.

By 1499 Dorset had proved his loyalty to Henry (by, for example, helping to put down the Cornish rebellion) and these agreements were cancelled. The bonds and recognisances had served their purpose.

Question 8

‘Sticks’ - examples of ineffective use of patronage/ reasons for potential unpopularity:

Answer 8

• 1496 Katherine Dowager Duchess of Buckingham was fined around £7,000 for marrying without the king’s license
• 1498 Edward Duke of Buckingham fined £7,000 for entering his inheritance before 21
• Henry’s increased control can be seen in the increase in proceeds from wardship and marriage: from £350 in 1487 to £6,000 in 1507.

Question 9

Perkin Warbeck (1491-99):

Answer 9

• James IV married him to his cousin Lady Catherine Gordon (treaty against Scotland: Treaty of Ayton 1497, sealed by marriage of James IV to Henry’s daughter Margaret)
• Treaty of Etaples 1492 with France, Henry ceded Brittany in exchange for Warbeck’s expulsion from France
• 1493 Trade embargo against Burgundy- significantly harmed their economy, particularly in the wool trade