Government of Henry VII and threats to his rule

1485 (22nd August)

Henry VII defeats Richard III at Bosworth Field

1485 (7 November)

Henry VII calls parliament for the first time, after his coronation

1455

Start of the Wars of the Roses

1485

End of the Wars of the Roses

1485 (21st August)

The date that Henry said his reign started so that everyone who fought against him was legally a traitor.

1485 (30th October)

Henry VII's official coronation

1486 (18th January)

Henry VII married Elizabeth of York which united the 2 families. The date was also significant because it was after Henry's coronation so it was clear that he ruled in his own right.

1486 (April)

Lovell rebellion: Lord Lovell and the Stafford brothers coordinated a plan which failed because Henry heard about it. An army was sent and the rebels dispersed. Lovell fled to Flanders, Thomas Stafford was pardoned then remained loyal but Humphrey was executed.

1486 (September)

Birth of Prince Arthur

1486 (September)

Act of Resumption which allowed the King to take back all crown property given away since 1455. Henry never did take all of the land which he could have done

1487 (June)

Simnel's Rebellion and Battle of Stoke: Simnel pretended to be the Earl of Warwick, after which he gained support and 2000 mercenaries from Margaret of Burgundy.

1489

Yorkshire Rebellion: the Earl of Northumberland was murdered after trying to collect tax to aid Brittany. The money was never collected, but the rising army was easily crushed.

1491-99

Warbeck's Rebellion: a Yorkist conspiracy with Warbeck pretending to be Richard, Duke of York. This received international support but little support from England.

1491 (June)

Birth of Prince Henry

1497 (May)

Cornish Rebellion: anger over tax collection for war on the northern border. At one point there were over 15,000 supporters, Henry raised an army of 25,000 and crushed them.

1499 (November)

Warbeck hanged after being imprisoned at the Tower of London

1502 (April)

Death of Prince Arthur

1503

Death of Elizabeth of York after complications within childbirth.

1506 (April)

Edmund de la Pole imprisoned in the Tower

1509

Death of Henry VII and accession of Henry VIII

200

The number of councillors in the King's Council. Only a few members met on a regular occasion however.

£42,000

Income from crown lands in 1509, compared to £29,000 at the death of Richard III.

£40,000

Annual income from custom duties at the end of Henry VII's reign, compared to £70,000 under Edward IV. This is because smuggling was a problem for Henry.

£10,000

The price the Earl of Northumberland was fined for raping a royal ward

£6000

Income from feudal dues in 1507 (compared to just £350 in 1487)

£203,000

The loans Henry asked nobles for. He eventually had to repay these.

£5000

French Pension from the Treaty of Etaples

£30,000

The knighting of Prince Arthur brought in this much money.

£113,000

Annual crown income at the end of Henry's reign which is significantly more than it was under Richard III, but less than other monarchs (the French king received £800,000 per year)

John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster

Henry’s claim to the throne as this was his maternal and illegitimate great-great grandfather.

14 years

The amount of time that Henry spent in exile in France.

John de la Pole senior

This nobleman was invited to join the King's council after a short period of time and was allowed to keep all lands and titles to praise him for supporting the king at the Battle of Bosworth.

16th June 1487

Battle of Stoke

2000

Mercenaries sent by Margaret of Burgundy to support rebels during the Simnel rebellion

Earl of Northumberland

Nobleman who was murdered trying to collect taxes in Yorkshire in April 1489.

1500

Troops supplied by James to Warbeck to invade the North

15,000

Supported for the Cornish rebellion in Bodmin - cross-class support

John Morton

Fled to Henry in France after resisting RIII and was rewarded by being made Lord Chancellor and then the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1486. He was best known for harsh taxation policies that nobles were not allowed to refuse.

Sir Reginald Bray

He had been a loyal member of Margaret Beaufort's household, so Henry appointed him to the King's Council in 1492. He became the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and successfully exploited the revenue of those lands.

1493

Henry reinstituted the Council of Wales and the Marches under his son Arthur.

Sir Edward Poynings

The King’s deputy in Ireland but failed to bring families e.g. Kildares under control.

7

Number of times parliament met under Henry’s reign

5

Henry had this many times more land at the end of his reign than at the start due to the Act of Resumption - this demonstrates reclaiming power after the mess of the Wars of the Roses and also gaining money.

10-fold

Henry’s control of the Duchy of Lancaster increased its revenue this many times

8,000

Rebels in the Battle of Stoke, outnumbered by the King’s forces (12,000)

Worcester

The Stafford brothers (Lovell rebellion) tried to raise an army here despite the King’s mass control. It was crushed easily and they fled when he returned from his Royal Progress.