1) The consolidation of power

According to the spec: character and aims; establishing the Tudor dynasty...

How did Henry VII initially reach power?

Battle of Bosworth in 1485 (the last of the Wars of the Roses between the Houses of Lancaster and York) where he defeated King Richard of York.

Lord Thomas Stanley and Sir William Stanley supported with Henry.

Richard III had the Duke of Norfolk and Earl of Northumberland with him. However, the Earl of Northumberland abandoned Richard on the battlefield and fled.

What were the 5 stages of Henry VII’s consolidation of power?

1. Establishing his right to the throne.

2. Dealing with rebellions

3. Strengthen royal government

4. Create a strong financial foundation (“A rich king is a strong king”)

5. Achieve a successful foreign policy

How did Henry VII establish his right and legitimacy to the throne? (6 ways).

1. Coronation - feudal oaths, legitimacy, divine status, not parliament.

2. Henry adjusted the date of his reign to earlier (21 August 1485), ensuring that anyone who fought in the Battle at Bosworth for the Yorkist’s could be labelled as traitors.

3. He detained Earl of Warwick as he could be seen to have a stronger claim to the British throne.

4. arranged to be crowned on 30th October, before his first parliamentary meeting, demonstrating that his reign was based on hereditary right.

5. Married Elizabeth of York, but waited to ensure that his assumption to the crown was not seen to be brought about by his wife’s own claim to the throne.

   • Marriage united the two warring houses (York and Lancaster) and created the emblem of the Tudor rose.

6. Birth of an heir, Prince Arthur, September 1489

How did Henry VII gain support in the early years of his reign, helping to consolidate his power? (4 ways).

Previous King, Richard III, was not hugely popular anyway due to suspicion over the disappearance of the 2 princes.

1. Henry wooed the public by pageantry and elaborate ceremony - crowd accepted him.

2. He publicly rewarded his key supporters, such as Lord Stanley, Jasper Tudor, William Stanley & John Morton, from the Battle of Bosworth, examples include knighting them.

3. Made key appointments to his councils and royal households, helping to encourage loyalty.

4. Married Elizabeth of York, uniting the two warring houses of York and Lancaster.

How did Henry VII remove opponents (initially)? (3 ways).

1. Adjusted the date of his reign to 21 August 1485 so that he could label anyone who fought on the Yorkist side at the Battle of Bosworth could be labelled as traitors.

2. Used the parliamentary Act of Attainder against the Yorkist’s who fought at the Battle of Bosworth - their land, assets, and titles were forfeited to the crown. e.g. Francis Lovell, Viscount Lovell + Sir Walter Devereux…

3. Married Elizabeth of York - from the opposing house of York.

How did Henry VII initially achieve financial security? (2 ways).

1. Used parliamentary Act of Attainder against Yorkists who fought in the Battle of Bosworth, ensuring titles, land and assets were forfeited to the crown, increasing royal income. e.g. Francis Lovell, Viscount Lovell + Sir Walter Devereux…

2. Parliament granted him the customs revenue of tonnage and poundage for life.

Define tonnage and poundage…

• the right to raise revenue for the whole reign from imports and exports.

• provided the Crown with a regular source of income from overseas trade.

Explain how in some ways, the situation Henry VII inherited made it easy/ hard to consolidate his power…

Easier:

• War of the Roses has returned much land wealth to the crown, creating a gentry class keen to create stability & a nobility who were weakened by the constant warfare.

• public suspicion of Richard III due to the disappearance of the 2 princes.

Harder:

• The legacy of the War of the Roses (1455-85) - arguably a difficult situation with many alternative Yorkist claimants to the throne.

Why was Henry VII’s claim to the throne weak? - 3 reasons

1. descended through the female line represented by his mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort whose line came from John of Gaunt’s third wife whose son was born illegitimate, making their marriage be viewed as illegitimate also.

2. only became the Lancastrian claimant as there was no one else to fulfill the role.

3. Henry had lived abroad in Brittany in exile since he was 14.

Briefly outline the events (rebellions) and actions Henry VII took to establish his dynasty, including dates…

1. rebellion by Viscount Lovell and the Staffords, 1486.

2. The Simnel conspiracy - pretender, being passed as the Earl of Warwick.

   Led to the Battle of Stoke field, 1487, where Henry was victorious.

3. The Perkin Warbeck Imposture - pretender, claiming to be Richard, Duke of York.

   Executed in 1497.

4. Edmund de la Pole and Richard de la Pole - they did not actually try and trigger an uprising or rebellion.

Explain the events of the Lovell and Stafford rebellion in 1486. (3)

• Lovell tried to raise a rebellion in Richard III’s heartland (North Riding of Yorkshire).

• Stafford attempted to raise forces against Henry in the midlands. HOWEVER, he was arrested and executed.

• Lovell managed to escape the King’s forces.

Why was the Lovell and Stafford rebellion a threat/ not a threat to Henry VII’s reign?

Threat

• Lovell tried to raise forces in Richard III heartland - expected Yorkist support to be strong in that area.

Not a threat

• little enthusiasm at this early stage in Henry’s reign for a Yorkist uprising.

• Henry was able to arrest and execute Stafford.

Explain the events of the Simnel conspiracy before the Battle of Stoke field happened, including key dates and names…

• Lambart Simnel was being passed off as the Earl of Warwick (potential Yorkist claimant to the English throne).

• conspiracy put together by John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln.

• Crowned King ‘Edward’ in Ireland 1487.

How did Henry VII initially resolve the Simnel conspiracy?

Henry VII exhibited the real Earl of Warwick in London, for Henry had imprisoned him when he first assumed the throne.

Describe the actions of the Earl of Lincoln after his scheme was exposed and the events of the Battle of Stoke Field…

• Earl of Lincoln fled from England, joining failed plotter Lovell at Margaret of Burgandy’s court in the Netherlands.

• They persuaded her to pay for a fleet of mercenaries to invade England.

• An army of approximately 8,000 invaded England and met Henry’s army of approx. 10,000 men at East Stoke, Nottinghamshire.

• Earl of Lincoln was killed in the battle (Attainted later in 1487).

How did Henry VII respond to the threat of the Earl of Lincoln and Lovell?

• due to Lincoln’s failed previous plot, Henry had plenty of warning that a rebellion conspiracy was being planned - Henry had time to gather an army of approx. 15,000 men, led by the Earl of Oxford.

• reinstated the Earl of Northumberland to power in the North - helped to neutralise Richard III’s family in the north and also the traditionally Yorkist Howard family.

• As the Earl of Lincoln was killed in Battle, Henry was relatively mild in his treatment of those who rebelled against him - further weakened Yorkist resolve to oppose him.

Assess how much of a threat the Simnel conspiracy was to Henry VII’s position on the throne…

Not much of a threat;

• could prepare effectively due to plenty of warning that a rebellion was being prepared.

A big threat;

• had to gamble and reinstate the untrustworthy Earl of Northumberland (a Yorkist who supported Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth).

• worried about a repeat of the Battle of Bosworth and being double-crossed like Richard III was.

Describe the events of the Perkin Warbeck imposture, including key names and dates…

• Claimed to be Richard, Duke of York.

  1. 1491 - appeared in the courts of Ireland and then France but soon forced to flee to the court of Margaret of Burgundy.

  2. here, Warbeck trained as a Yorkist prince and began to draw English Courtiers into his conspiracy.

  3. 1495 - attempted to land in England but was quickly defeated by Henry.

     Warbeck fled to Scotland.

  4. 1496 - a small Scottish fleet invaded England on behalf of Warbeck but quickly retreated.

  5. 1497 - attempted a final rebellion but again, his forces were crushed and he surrendered to Henry.

How did Henry defeat Warbeck so quickly in 1495?

Sir Richard Clifford infiltrated Warbeck’s retinue and alerted Henry so that he was prepared.

How did Henry VII respond to the Scottish army invading on Warbeck’s behalf?

Truce of Ayton 1497 - established first meaningful peace between countries since 1328…

Treaty of Perpetual Peace (1502) gave Scottish King, James IV an offer of marriage to his daughter Margaret, which was accepted.

How did Henry deal with Warbeck after he surrendered in 1497?

• initially allowed Warbeck to remain at court, imprisoned in the tower with Earl of Warwick.

• After attempting to escape with E of W, Henry accused both of treason and executed them.

Assess how much of a threat the Perkin Warbeck imposture posed to Henry’s position on the throne…

Not a threat;

• warned by Sir Richard Clifford in 1495 so Henry was well prepared.

• no significant military threat, and each attempt to invade was swiftly crushed.

Threat;

• Warbeck continued to impersonate Richard for nearly 7 years - long time span.

• Received lots of foreign support, indicating many foreign rulers did not support Henry’s claim to the English throne.

Explain the threat of the De la Pole brothers…

• Edmund, Earl of Suffolk, and Richard, were the younger brothers of the Earl of Lincoln.

• Suffolk had fled to Flanders in 1498 but returned in 1501 before fleeing again, seeking refuge in HRE Emperor Maximilian’s court.

• After Treaty of Windsor 1506, Maximilian gave up Suffolk to Henry.

• Richard did not reside in England.

• They did not try to create a rebellion against Henry nor did they contest his throne.

How did Henry deal with the threat of Edmund and Richard de la Pole?

After Maximilian had given Suffolk up, HVII imprisoned him in the tower until HVIII executed him for treason in 1513.

*Richard was killed fighting for the French in 1525.

Assess how much of a threat the de la Pole brothers posed to Henry’s position on the throne…

Threat;

• living potential Yorkist claimants to the throne, with potentially stronger claims than Henry.

Not a Threat;

• did not actually try to start a rebellion.

= threat on in the hypothetical sense - not reality.

Why was Margaret of Burgundy a constant threat to Henry VII?

• sister of Yorkist Kings, Edward IV and Richard III.

• as dowager duchess of Burgundy, she had access to funds which enabled her to encourage the ambitions of other potential Yorkist claimants.