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58 Cards in this Set
- Front
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Why was it so important to appease the nobility and what was the Great Chain of Being? |
- the stability and security of the realm rested on the nature of the relations between the king and his nobility - according to the Church's teachings, the nobility had a duty to serve their social superior, the King, who was God's deputy on earth - the King was obliged to protect them, reward them for their loyalty and service and most importantly to rule wisely and fairly GREAT CHAIN OF BEING = NATURAL ORDER OF SOCIETY - and belief in the divine order of things extending from God, down through the angels, humans, animals, vegetables and minerals - used by the Church to justify the hierarchy of life from the King down through the nobility, gentry and peasantry |
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What had upset the natural order of society and why was this such a problem? |
- the Wars of the Roses as the crown was fought over by rival factions, damaging and reducing the status of the monarchy - the nobility profited most from it, seizing the opportunity to take the law into their own hands - they had always tried to control their localities, but took it a step further by using their servants and retainers as private armies to settle their petty quarrels and to make/unmake kings on the battlefields in the recent civil wars |
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Why did Henry have to assert control over the nobility, what were the difficulties of this and what was his aim? |
- needed to assert authority to restore the dignity and authority of the monarchy - problem was suppressing the magnates' (powerful noblemen) abuse of their power whilst preserving the power itself - difficult as a great noblemen had the power to provoke disorder and even revolt, but could also quell rebellions and act as a mediator between central govt and the people - H hoped that by imposing his will by ruthless impartiality the nobles might learn to accept that their position was one of obedience, loyalty and service to the crown: if this could be achieved the rest would follow suit because the nobility were the natural leaders of society |
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What was the feudal system and how did Henry's reign mark a change in the nobility and social system? |
- feudal system was the medieval political and social system, seen in the picture - H's reign marked the end of an independent feudal nobility and the beginning of a service nobility |
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What did Henry do with the nobility to make it easier to control and why? |
- he kept the peerage small by limiting how many new lords he created (in direct contrast to the policies of Edward IV and Henry VIII, in whose reigns the nobility grew) why: - a limited noble class was easier to control - he so rarely elevated someone to the upper levels of society that it was regarded as a particularly prized honour and distinction when it did happen - the grant of a title might involve the King's finances on a large scale as a title often brought with it estates, usually granted from crown lands, so the creation of new peers resulted in loss of income for the king - if titles were handed out on a large scale it could mean a considerable drop in the rents that the crown received |
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How many earls did Henry create and who were they? |
3 (Edward IV created 9) - his stepfather, Thomas Lord Stanley, who became Earl of Derby - Philibert de Chandee became the Earl of Bath in recognition of his military skill as captain of his mercenary troops at Bosworth - Sir Edward Courtenay became the Earl of Devon |
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Why did the nobility shrink in Henry's reign? |
- rarely created peers - even Sir William Stanley and Sir Rhys ap Thomas weren't made peers after Bosworth - he elevated his uncle Jasper Tudor from Earl of Pembroke (restored to him in 1485) to Duke of Bedford - only briefly created one marquis and one viscount and 8 barons (Edward IV created 2 viscounts and 13 barons) - only 3 of H's creations were actually new peerages which needed to be accompanied by grants of land - peerage thus shrunk from 62 in 1485 to 42 in 1509 as new creations failed to keep pace with the number of noble families that died out through natural, and sometimes unnatural causes (e.g. royal intervention) |
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Briefly describe the life story of Jasper Tudor: |
1437-95 - second son of Owen Tudor and Queen Catherine - ennobled in 1452 by half brother Henry VI as earl of Pembroke - dedicated Lancastrian and supported Henry VI in Wars of Roses - Jasper became his teenage nephew's guardian and mentor and took him to safety in france when edward IV secured the crown for a second time in 1471 - following 14 years in exile, Jasper returned with his nephew to secure victory at Bosworth in 1485 - Jasper rewarded with the title of Duke of Bedford |
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What was the Order of the Garter and how did Henry use it? |
- founded in 1348 in Edward III's reign, was a significant honour reserved for the King's closest servants and bestowed on the most important knights who then attained the senior rank of knighthood - H created 37 (including peers), more than half being his associates in war (e.g. Reginald Bray, Sir William Stanley, Sir Rhys ap Thomas - Stanley wasn't impressed but Thomas was enthusiastic about it) - apparently H's ultimate mark of favour (rather than peerage), probably because IT GAVE THE RECIPIENT PRESTIGE BUT NOT POWER OR LAND |
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In terms of super powerful nobility how was Henry luckier than his predecessors? |
- had no male relatives - Edward IV had had to cope with 2 powerful brothers, the Dukes of Clarence and Gloucester but H, apart from his stepbrothers who never received a dukedom, had none |
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What was Henry's policy with Crown lands? |
- H was determined to bring as much land as possible back to the Crown as land = power - the more H had the more power he was seen to wield - estimated amount of Crown land was x5 larger by the later years of H's reign compared to 1450s (Henry VI) - lands formerly held by Warwick 'kingmaker' and the Dukes of Clarence and Gloucester were almost all retained by H by the end of his reign - in 1486 Parliament passed the act of Resumption, recovering for the Crown all properties granted away since 1455 (before wars of roses) - where possible, H rewarded loyal supporters not from Crown estates but from forfeited lands of opponents, often people whose land had been attainted away who then had to fight to get them back from royal appointees |
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What was Henry's policy with feudal dues? |
- H wanted to emphasise his power as Kingly asserting his feudal rights over the nobility, thus sending out numerous commissions of inquiry to re-establish his rights in: - Wardship (where the king took control of estates inherited by minors, taking the profits until they were of age) - Marriage (where the King could profit from arranged marriages of heirs and heiresses) - Livery (where the King was paid in order for someone to recover land from wardship) - Relief (where the King received money as land was inherited - a form of inheritance tax) - Escheats (payments made when land reverted to the Crown) |
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Give example of Henry asserting his feudal rights: |
- Katherine Woodville married her third husband, Sir Richard Wingfield, without royal licence and was fined £2000 (despite being the Queen's aunt and Jasper Tudor's ex-wife) - Edward Duke of Buckingham was fined around £7000 for entering his inheritance in 1498 without licence before he was 21 - proceeds from wardship and marriage increased from £350 in 1487 to £6000 in 1507 |
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Which overmighty noble families still existed and how did Henry try to control them? |
- the Percy Earls of Northumberland and the Stafford Dukes of Buckingham - such families kept under surveillance, even closely related families like the Stanley Earls of Derby were kept firmly in check |
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How did Henry try and control the power of the Stanleys? |
- H was fearful of the family's growing wealth and power, the core of which he had given them - in 1506 H took the opportunity to fine Bishop Stanley, his stepbrother, £245,680 (equivalent o £119 million today) for illegally retaining |
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Define retaining: |
employing and maintaining servants |
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What was Henry's attitude to the nobility and what was their involvement at his court? |
- kept them close at court so he could keep an eye on them - nobility involved themselves in the political dynamic of H's court: court faction and political fighting took on a sinister role in H's reign - two victims of his court were Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset and George Neville, Baron Bergavenny, who was the only nobleman to suffer the public disgrace of being tried, fined and imprisoned for illegal retaining - H mistrusted much of his nobility but favoured a few, with this imbalance perhaps contributing to the feuding at court |
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What did Henry recognise in the nobility? |
- their importance to him in controlling the provinces in the absence of a standing army - he never attempted to interfere with their authority in the localities and they continued in their dominate in local govt - H continued medieval practice of granting overlordship of outlying areas of his kingdom to the greater magnates as a gesture of goodwill - thus Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland was released from captivity only a few weeks after Bosworth and was regranted the wardenship of the north of England |
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What was patronage and what was Henry's attitude towards it? |
- the award and distribution of royal favours - H had a new attitude towards it: medieval kings had used it to buy loyalty whereas H made it clear that patronage came AS A RESULT OF good and loyal service - this meant that the beneficiaries of H's generosity were just good servants of the Tudor govt |
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Give some examples of who Henry rewarded with patronage: |
- H first rewarded those who had given him loyal support at Bosworth: earl of Oxford became a major landowner in east anglia, Jasper Tudor etc - others were rewarded on the basis of good service: Sir Reginald Bray was helped to accumulate land in 18 counties, worth well over £1000 by his death; Edmund Dudley was a lawyer who became one of H's right-hand men, and wasn't awarded a peerage but used his title of King's councillor as proudly as any peerage - clearly a society where patronage was truly valued because such reward was not bestowed lightly |
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Describe the career of Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey and how it reflects Henry's policy of forgiveness in light of loyalty: |
- earl's father had been Duke of Norfolk (bestowed on him by Richard III) and had died fighting for Richard at Bosworth - Surrey was imprisoned in the tower when H came to power and both he and his father were attainted - released in 1489 and put in charge of maintaining law and order in the north (probably as had impressed the King by turning down offer of escape during Simnel rebellion) - attainder revoked and title restored, but only some lands returned - Surrey given more lands back after successfully repressing the Yorkshire rebellion, but not all - his ducal title was denied him and kept as a final prize until the end - eventually given 1513 by Henry VIII for his leading role in defeating the Scots |
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What did Henry frequently use acts of attainder for? |
- used to punish disobedient magnates - after a period of time would usually revoke them, but would only gradually restore the confiscated lands as rewards for actions of particular loyalty and support |
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Who was Thomas Howard? |
1443-1524 - former Yorkist who governed the North of England on behalf of H - richest and most powerful nobleman in England after the death of Jasper Tudor in 1495 |
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What were Acts of Attainder and what was Henry's attitude towards them? |
- dated back to 14th century and were acts that led to a family losing the right to possess its land, spelling economic and social ruin - were reversible and thus used by H as sanctions for good behaviour -used in cat and mouse policies like with the earl of surrey - more ready to reverse them than Edward IV (H reversed 46 to his 42) though in 5 that were reversed against nobles, 4 had conditions - harsh terms were imposed on men of less than noble rank and they commonly had to pay for reversal e.g. Thomas Tyrell had to pay £1378 for the reversal of his and his father's attainders - H's severity increased as his reign went on: 28 attainders passed in 1485-86 and 51 passed in 1504-09 |
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How did Henry use financial penalties to control the nobility? |
- used financial threats to strengthen royal authority and curb the power of the nobility, especially where he was suspicious of an individual but couldn't prove treason - in such cases manipulated the existing system of bonds and recognisances for good behaviour to his advantage - used with all the elite classes as a method of ensuring loyalty and good behaviour and keeping the peace - also used them to raise much needed revenue for the crown, with sums ranging from £400 for a relatively insignificant person to £10,000 for a peer - became more severe with them as his reign went on: between 1485 and 1509, 36 out of 62 noble families gave bonds and/or recognisances to H, compared to 1 peer during Yorkist rule |
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Define Bonds: |
written agreements in which people promised to pay a sum of money if they failed to carry out their promise |
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Define Recognisances: |
a formal acknowledgement of a debt or an obligation that already existed, with the understanding to pay money if this obligation wasn't met |
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Give examples of who Henry used bonds and recognisances on: |
- Lord Dacre was forced to enter into a bond £2000 as proof of loyalty - senior clergy also included: Bishop of Worcester had to promise to pay £2000 if his loyalty was ever in question, as well as agreeing not to leave the country - most important noble to be treated in this way was Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset |
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How did Henry treat Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset? |
- had never been trusted since he defected from H's camp in France for Richard III - H thought he had been involved in the Simnel conspiracy and after further treachery in 1491 his friends signed bonds totalling £10,000 as a promise of his good behaviour - in 1492 he was required to give all his land except two manors to trustees and a recognisance for £1000 - by 1499 Dorset had proved his loyalty to H (e.g. helping to put down the Cornish rebellion) and these agreements were cancelled |
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What was Henry's attitude to retaining and which acts did he pass through Parliament regarding it? |
- openly condemned it at the beginning of his reign, passing 2 laws against it in 1487 and 1504 - H knew that retainers could be armed and trained to provide their noble masters with an army as the practice had helped perpetuate the Wars of the Roses, explaining why he was keen to stop it |
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What did the act of 1487 on retaining entail? |
- in 1487 H forced the members of both houses of Parliament to swear that they wouldn't retain illegally, with only licensed retainers permitted by the act of 1487 - strict limits were placed on the numbers of retainers a nobleman could legitimately employ - the size of a nobleman's retinue was determined by his status: a duke could retain around 120 servants while an earl could employ around 80 |
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What did the legislation on 1504 on retaining entail? |
- laid down much stricter methods of enforcement - introduced a novel system of licensing whereby men could employ retainers for the king's service alone - to do this a lord had to have a special license endorsed with the privy seal, and the entire retinue had to be listed for royal approval |
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What was retaining? |
- long-held noble practice of recruiting gentry followers - latter were used for administrative purposes, but also as local fighting forces - had played an important role in Wars of Roses and viewed by H as a threat to his own power as feudal lord and king - H took clear steps to limit retaining but never intended to eradicate it |
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How successful was Henry's policy on retaining? |
- there was a reduction in the numbers of retainers that magnates retained - those they employed seemed to have been limited to the legitimate categories of servants, officials and lawyers - however studies of individual nobles such as the Duke of Buckingham and Earl of Northumberland show that they might have got round official policy by employing more estate officers than necessary, though if nobles did retain without royal permission while H was on the throne they were careful not to leave any evidence |
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How did Henry punish those who retained illegally (give examples)? |
- usually financial penalties - e.g. in 1506 Lord Bergavenny was fined the statutory (since the 1504 act) £5 per month per retainer, which amounted to the enormous sum of £70,550 - this fine was divided amongst 26 others and H did suspend this in favour of a recognisance, though it was a warning to others (this case was complicated as Bergavenny had been implicated in the Cornish rebellion) |
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What was the biggest difference in attitude between Edward IV and Henry over retaining? |
- biggest difference can be seen over how they treated their friends - Edward turned a blind eye but H treated everyone alike - among those indicted for illegal retaining in 1504 was the Duke of Buckingham, the Earls of Derby, Essex, Northumberland, Oxford and Shrewsbury and even the King's mother Lady Margaret |
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How did Henry's action affect the practice of retaining? |
- didn't eliminate the practice but controlled it to a far greater extent than his predecessors and prevented it from being a significant problem - didn't stamp out illegal retaining but made the nobility more cagey about it - no written records of illegal retaining by nobles exist, showing how they were eager to keep it quiet from H |
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What was the King's council, how did Henry use its positions as "carrots" and give examples of men on his: |
- very important - a position as King's councillor was a sign of the King's confidence, the emphasis being on loyalty to trusted servants - 2 chancellors retained their position for long periods: John Morton (1486-1500) and William Warham (1504-09) - position of Treasurer first occupied by Lord Dinham (1486-1501) and then by the Earl of Surrey (1501-22) - Richard Fox became Keeper of the Privy Seal in 1487, a position he was to retain until 1516 - H's 5 key counsellors had all aligned themselves with him before Bosworth: Reginald Bray, Giles Daubeney (all involved in Buckingham conspiracy) and Thomas Lovell and John Riselly (joined H in exile) |
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What was the Great Council? |
- these magna consilia were meetings of noblemen, called together by the king to discuss high matters of state, usually in moments of emergency when the calling of Parliament would have taken too long - useful form of control for the king as they were a way of gaining support of his most important subjects for any potentially controversial policy - in other words, if all nobles had been included in and agreed to a major decision then they couldn't criticise Henry |
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When was the Great Council called and why? |
1485: for the calling of Parliament and the announcement of H's marriage 1487: in response to Lambert Simnel's threat 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 |
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What were Henry's "carrots" when dealing with the nobility? |
patronage, order of the garter, King's council and the Great council |
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What were Henry's "sticks" when dealing with the nobility? |
feudal dues, retaining, crown lands, acts of attainder and bonds and recognisances |
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Describe John de la Pole's position as a noble in 1485: |
- 24 years old - eldest son of Edward IV's sister Elizabeth and John de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk - nephew of Richard III - received a major grant of land for good service to Richard against the Buckingham rebellion - made President of the Council of the North by Richard III in 1484 - seen by many as Richard III's successor |
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How did Henry deal with John de la Pole? |
- John did die at the Battle of Stoke - received the order of the garter - but after betrayal and death his family was attainted |
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Describe Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset's position as a noble in 1485: |
- eldest son of Queen Elizabeth by her first marriage - gave help to the Duke of Buckingham in Yorkshire in 1483 - denounced by Richard III in october 1483 - attainted by Richard III in february 1484 - included in Richard III's proclamation against Henry Tudor on 7th december 1484 - 23rd June 1485: name drop from a proclamation by Richard III almost identical to the one in december 1484 - went into exile with H Tudor in France after the Buckingham rising (autumn 1483) - deserted H's cause in summer 1485, fleeing to Flanders only to be brought back to H's camp by H's followers - at the time of H's invasion he was left behind in Paris as security against a loan from the French king |
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How did Henry deal with Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset (in brief)? |
with bonds and recognisances |
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Describe Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland's position as a noble in 1485: |
- became an earl in 1461 - had been Richard III's retainer since 1474 - profited from Richard III's grants of land - by 1483 was seen to be the greatest magnate north of the river Trent - summoned to the battle of Bosworth by Richard III but didn't take part in the fighting |
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How did Henry deal with Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland? |
gave him the order of the garter |
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Describe Francis, Viscount Lovell's position as a noble in 1485: |
- 29 years old - knighted in 1480 by Richard, Duke of Gloucester for service in scotland - created a viscount by Edward IV in january 1483 - created a Knight of the Garter in 1483 by Richard III - helped to put down the Buckingham rebellion in october 1483 - a personal friend of Richard III - fought against H Tudor at Bosworth |
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How did Henry deal with Francis, Viscount Lovell? |
attainted him |
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Describe Edward Plantagenet, Earl of Warwick's position as a noble in 1485: |
- 10 years old - son of George, Duke of Clarence (Edward IV's brother) - seen as heir to the house of York - nephew of Richard III |
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How did Henry deal with Edward Plantagenet, Earl of Warwick? |
- locked in him the Tower and exerted his feudal rights, taking wardship over him |
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Describe Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey's position as a noble in 1485: |
- 42 years old - son of John Howard, Duke of Norfolk, who was killed in action at Bosworth fighting for Richard III - had fought for Edward IV at the Battle of Barnet - Steward of the Household for Richard III 1483-84 - wounded at Bosworth and at first reported dead |
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How did Henry deal with Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey? |
- given bonds and recognisances and attainted - put in charge of the North - eventually his attainder was reversed and he got the order of the garter and a place on the King's council |
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Describe Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham's position as a noble in 1485: |
- 8 years old - potential royal rival - son of Henry Stafford, former Duke of Buckingham who had rebelled against Richard III in 1483 - all of his lands were taken into the Crown's possession after the Act of Attainder was passed against his father |
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How did Henry deal with Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham? |
- exerted his feudal rights and took wardship over him - kept the attainder and sold back his lands |
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Describe John de Vere, Earl of Oxford's position as a noble in 1485: |
- fled from England to france in 1485 and had to escape from Calais to join Henry - provided important military support for H at Bosworth |
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How did Henry deal with John de Vere, the Earl of Oxford? |
- gave him the order of the garter, patronage and seats on the King's council and Great Council |
