Henry VII's Reign

 Henry’s Claim to the Throne

• Henry had been in exile in France for 14 years, he hardly knew England and his invasion was aided by the French, who were not popular in England.

• Henry only had a weak claim to the throne, through his mother Margaret Beaufort. Others who had a claim through their fathers, or grandfathers, were considered to have a stronger claim e.g. the de la Pole brothers.

• Only 1 in 4 English nobles fought against Henry at Bosworth.

• Married Elizabeth of York in January 1486, joined together the white rose of York with the red rose of Lancaster to form the Tudor rose.

Northern Progress and the Lovell Conspiracy

• In the spring of 1486, the newly crowned Henry VII went on a progress (royal tour) around his new kingdom. In an age before the circulation of images, this was an important way to let the people see the King and start to build loyalty. 

• Henry VII used spies to monitor Yorkist supporters and in April 1486, he learned that Lovell and Humphrey Stafford had escaped and were planning a rebellion.

• Sir Edgcumbe and Sir Tyler were appointed to apprehend Lovell, who was forced to flee to Flanders under the protection of Margaret of Burgundy.

• The Stafford brothers led a rebellion in Worcester while the King was on his Northern Progress.

• As soon as Henry advanced towards Worcester on 11 May 1486, the Stafford brothers fled to Culham Abbey.

• Henry sent John Barrowman to forcibly remove the Staffords from Culham Abbey on the night of 14 May.

• They were tried before the Court of King’s Bench, Humphrey was executed, but his younger brother Thomas was pardoned.

Yorkist Challenges

• Earl of Warwick – locked up in the Tower of London (but lived in comfort).

• John de la Pole (Earl of Lincoln) – swore loyalty to Henry and was later asked to join the council.

• John de la Pole (Duke of Suffolk) – swore loyalty to Henry and left alone.

• Earl of Surrey (fought with the Yorkists at Bosworth) – Kept in prison until 1489 when Henry was satisfied that he would be loyal.

• Henry Percy (Earl of Northumberland) – Placed in prison, released at the end of 1485, given control of the North and the chance to prove his loyalty.

 Rewarding the Lancastrians

• Jasper Tudor (Henry’s uncle) – became Duke of Bedford and chief justice in Wales. 55 with no heirs, so Henry could grant this knowing that his position would not be threatened by Jasper’s heirs.

• Giles Daubeney – Made Lord Daubeney and Lieutenant of Calais in 1486. Became Chamberlain of the household in 1495.

• Bishop Richard Fox – Made Keeper of the Privy Seal (1487-1516), often at Council and a frequent ambassador.

• Sir Reginald Bray – Made Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Henry’s chief financial and property advisor.

• ORDER OF THE GARTER – Special honour reserved for the King’s closest associates, gave them prestige and honour, rather than land or money. 37 appointed, including Giles Daubeney and Reginald Bray.

The Yorkshire Rebellion (1489)

• Sparked by a parliamentary tax to fund Henry’s expedition to Brittany.

• Egremont led an army, which was defeated outside York by the Earl of Surrey and 8,000 troops.

• Earl of Surrey appointed as Henry’s representative in the North.

• Egremont fled to Flanders, but the rest of the rebels were not punished and Henry did not collect any more of the tax.

• In the Spring of 1486, Henry went on a ‘Royal progress’ around his new Kingdom. He spent a lot of time in the North, especially Yorkshire.

The Cornish Rebellion (1497)

• Spring 1497, Henry orders a loan of £120,000 should be repaid by general taxation. This tax is supposed to prepare for a military offensive against Scotland, who were supporting Warbeck.

• Resentment comes to a head in St Keverne (Cornish Parish). An Gof and Thomas Flamank lead a rebellion.

• 15,000 rebels marched via Exeter, Salisbury and Winchester to Kent. This could be considered a genuine danger to the city. Queen Elizabeth, Lady Margaret and the royal children are moved into the Tower of London for their own protection.

• Rebels hesitate and camp at Blackheath, not sure whether to negotiate.

• The hesitation allows royal troops to arrive from the North, the rebels are defeated on 17 June and more than a thousand were killed on the battlefield.

• An Gof and Thomas Flamank are hanged, drawn and quartered. Parts of their body are displayed in disloyal towns.

Pretenders: Lambert Simnel (1486-87)

• Trained by Yorkists to have excellent manners etc, even though he was of common birth. He pretended to be Edward, Earl of Warwick (leading Yorkist claimant).

• Simnel was supported by Margaret of Burgundy (sister of Richard III).

• Margaret raised 2,000 mercenaries, led by Martin Schwartz, they set sail for Ireland in April 1487. Many of the Irish magnates accepted Simnel and he got support there too.

• Simnel was crowned as Edward VI in Dublin Cathedral.

• Henry paraded the real Earl of Warwick through the streets of London (he had been locked up in the Tower of London and was not dead as the Yorkists had assumed).

• Simnel’s forces landed in Lancashire in June 1487, they tried to get support in Cumbria and north Yorkshire, but got a poor response.

• Simnel’s 8,000 men were easily defeated by Henry’s 12,000 men.

• Simnel was forgiven and given a job as the King’s falconer. Henry punished some offenders with fines, rarely executions. Only 28 men were attainted.

Yorkists: Edmund de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk (1499-1506)

• His brother John had fought against Henry and been killed early in his reign. Edmund was punished by being forced to pay £5,000 just to inherit some of his father’s land. He was also not allowed to inherit his father’s ducal title, which was extremely humiliating.

• Edmund fled to Burgundy in July 1499, came back, then fled again in summer 1501.

• He called himself ‘The White Rose’ and asked for support from Burgundy and Maximilian (Holy Roman Emperor).

• On the 19th June 1502, Henry signed the Treaty of Aachen and promised Maximilian 10,000 crowns towards his war with Turkey whilst Maximilian agreed to stop giving refuge to Henry’s enemies, notably Edmund de la Pole.

• He was not captured until 1506 when Philip of Burgundy was shipwrecked in England with de la Pole on board. 

 Dealing with the Nobility

• Patronage– Earl of Shrewbury, Giles Daubeney (promoted to peerage), Reginald Bray (land over 18 counties, worth more than £1000 a year), Edmund Dudley (made a King’s councillor). All were rewarded for good service to the King.

• King’s Council– John Morton and William Warham kept their positions for long periods, showing that trusted advisors remained in posts close to the King.

• Great Council– Called in 1485 (Henry’s marriage), 1487 (Lambert Simnel threat), 1488 (money for the campaign in Brittany), 1491 (authorised war against France) and 1496 (loan of £120,000 for war in Scotland).

• Acts of Attainder (land confiscation)– Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey fought against Henry at Bosworth and in March 1486, he was imprisoned and attainted. He swore an oath of allegiance in January 1489 and his lands were slowly returned as a reward for good service.

• In 1492, Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset, was not trusted by Henry had to pay a recognisance of £1,000 and find others who would give recognisances worth £10000 on his behalf. By 1499, Grey had proven his loyalty to Henry and these were cancelled.

• Retaining– 1506, Lord Burgavenny fined £70,550, even though this was scaled down and divided amongst 26 others, it was still a huge fine.

Finances

• Act of Resumption (1486) allowed Henry to greatly increase crown lands. Crown lands were 5 times larger by the end of Henry’s reign than they were in the 1450s.

• Crown lands were worth £15,000 a year under Edward IV, only £3,000 a year in the early part of Henry’s reign.

• In 1487, feudal obligations made under £350 per year, in 1494 it was over £1,500 and in 1507 it was over £6,000.

• Simony (selling Church appointments) = Henry charged £300 for the Archdeaconry of Buckingham.

France

• Breton Crisis (1487-92)= The French wanted to take back the only part of the channel coast that was not under their control, Brittany. They sent a force into Brittany in 1488.

• Breton Crisis= Brittany again asks England for help he signs the Treaty of Redon (February 1489), sending 6,000 English troops to fight for Breton independence.

• Henry prepared an invasion fleet, but didn’t sail for France until mid-September 1492. He then remained at his garrison in Calais for a month, before setting out with 26,000 men to besiege Boulogne.

• The Treaty of Etaples (November 1492)= Agreed £159,000 French pension for Henry, paid in instalments of £5,000 a year. The French also promised not to support Perkin Warbeck. Henry made it clear that he would not attack France and he would honour the Treaty of Etaples, which he renewed in 1498.

• Italian Wars (1494-1509)= In 1494, France invaded Italy, starting the Italian wars. The HRE and Spain wanted England to attack France.

• Italian Wars= Henry agreed to join the Holy League in 1496, but only as an honorary member. Henry stays out of the Italian wars, which continue until his death.

Spain

• Treaty of Medina del Campo (March 1489)= Prince Arthur would marry Catherine of Aragon, allying England and Spain. Catherine’s dowry, paid in instalments to Henry, was set at £40,000. Spain promised not to help any English rebels. Reduced tariffs on trade between England and Spain. If either country went to war with France, the other one would help.

• Death of Prince Arthur (April 1502) places alliance with Spain in doubt. Prince Henry is betrothed to Catherine in June 1503, but this marriage does not take place until after the death of Henry VII.

• Castilian Succession Crisis (1504-1506)= Isabella of Castile died and left Castile to her daughter Joanna. This separated Aragon and Castile, ending the union of Spain.

• Castilian Succession Crisis= Joanna was married to Philip of Burgundy. Henry decided to support Philip, as an alliance with a weak Aragon was pointless.

• Castilian Succession Crisis= Ferdinand made an alliance with France (Treaty of Blois in 1505). Philip set sail for Castile to help Joanna.

• Castilian Succession Crisis= While he was in England (at Henry’s mercy), Henry negotiated the return of Edmund de la Pole. Henry also agreed to support Philip and Joanna’s claim to Castile by cancelling debts of £138,000.

• Castilian Succession Crisis= After arriving in Spain, Philip suddenly died and Joanna had a mental breakdown, leaving Ferdinand to take over Castile. Henry tried to arrange a marriage alliance, but he was unable to, (though one did occur soon after his death).

Burgundy

• Intercursus Magnus (1496)= established free trade between England and Burgundy and the cloth trade with Burgundy was the most important trade to England and this treaty allowed Henry and English merchants to make lots of money.

• Henry suspended trade with Burgundy in 1505, as they refused to return Edmund de la Pole.

• Intercursus Malus (April 1506)= This was negotiated when Philip was shipwrecked in England at the mercy of Henry. Edmund de la Pole was returned, so trade could continue.

• But the terms of this treaty were so favourable to the English that Burgundian merchants complained and the Intercursus Malus was never implemented. Instead, they went back to the terms of the Intercursus Magnus.

• 1506- Henry attempted to marry Philip’s sister Margaret of Austria as Elizabeth of York had died in 1503.

• September 1506- Philip died and Margaret became de facto ruler. She repudiated the marriage and treaty so it was not ratified.- Philip died, and Margaret, in practice, took on the role of ruler. She rejected the marriage and treaty, preventing their official approval.

• 1507- Third treaty established reinstating the terms of Magnus.

Scotland

• Auld Alliance (1295)= This ancient alliance between Scotland and France was the biggest threat to England, as they could be attacked on two fronts.

• In 1495, James IV came of age and wanted to prove himself against the English. He supported Perkin Warbeck (arrived in Scotland July 1495), gave him a royal welcome and married him to his cousin– Lady Catherine Gordon.

• James IV provided military support for Warbeck’s invasion of England in September 1496, but this failed, as it had no support in England.

• Henry offered a truce, he accepted. This was the Truce of Ayton (1497).

• Treaty of Perpetual Peace (January 1502)= The execution of Perkin Warbeck turned the truce into a full peace treaty. This was significant, as no peace treaty had existed between England and Scotland since 1328.

• Treaty of Perpetual Peace= This was sealed with the marriage of Princess Margaret to James IV in August 1503.

• Despite the peace, border raids continued chiefly conducted by the Scottish Borders Reivers Gangs who stole sheep and horses. James IV built up his navy, founding a new port at Newhaven in 1504. The Auld Alliance did not end. Tension with Scotland continued, so you can argue that the Scottish problem was not completely solved.

Leagues

• League of Venice (1495)= Includes Pope, Maximilian I (HRE), Ferdinand II (Aragon), State of Venice, State of Milan. Aim was to kick the French out of the Italian States. Henry was left out of it.

• Holy League (1496)= Includes Spain, Papal States, State of Milan, State of Venice. Aim was to stop Charles VIII (French) attacks in the Italian states. Henry was invited to take part, which shows his greater status on the European stage. Henry joins as an honorary member, but makes it clear that he is not willing to attack France.

• League of Cambrai (December 1508)= Includes France, England and the Netherlands. Aim was to create an anti-Ferdinand (Spain) alliance. Louis XII (France) changes his mind, as he doesn’t want to annoy Ferdinand. Louis XII changes it into an anti-Venice league instead, England is isolated. But members of the League still had good relations with England.