Henry VII nobility and government

why had the nobility been a problem

during the wars of the roses the relationship between the nobility and the king had deteriorated and they had begun to use their retainers to challenge the authority of monarchs

what did henry have to do with the nobility to correct the issues of the wars of the roses

restore his authority above the nobility, lessen their power and ability to overthrow him whilst keeping them on side to establish himself securely

how did henry use the peerage system to control the nobility

he kept it very small by limiting number of new lords created, William Stanley for example was not made a lord

what was the significance of the creation of the order of the garter

it had no financial obligations like granting a title so it allowed henry to reward loyal supporters in a prestigious way but without bankrupting himself

why did henry have fewer overmighty subjects than his predecessors

he had fewer male relatives, rewarded fewer nobles, kept surveillance on the powerful ones and controlled their marriages to make sure no particularly threatening alliances were made

which families did henry keep surveillance on

the Percys and staffords

what medieval tradition did henry keep with regards to nobility

granting overlordship of outlying areas to powerful magnates to help maintain control and loyalty over those regions.

example of granting of an overlordship

henry percy duke of northumberland was given control over large swathes of the north

how did henry use financial threats to control the nobility

manipulated existing system of bonds and recognisances

what was a recognisance

A formal written acknowledgement of a debt or obligation to the king, usually conditional on good behaviour or loyalty.

what was a bond

A legal agreement that forced someone to pay money if they failed to meet a condition — often used to enforce loyalty or punish nobles.

What is the key difference between a bond and a recognisance?

A recognisance is a promise or acknowledgement of potential debt; a bond is the actual contract enforcing payment if the promise is broken.

Example of a noble placed under a recognisance?

Thomas Grey Marquis of Dorset had to agree to a £10,000 recognisance after the Simnel rebellion to prove his loyalty.

how many noble families had a bond or recognisance between 1485-1509

36 of the 62 families

example of the clergy having to pay a bond

bishop of Worcester promised to pay £2000 if his loyalty was every in question as well as promise never to leave the country

what were henry’s 4 aims to do with the nobility

minimise them to increase control

gain support of the nobles

rebalance power among the crown and nobility.

control them to minimise threat to throne

who was the significant noble in the east midlands

duke of norfolk

who was significant noble in the south west

marquis of dorset

who was significant noble in wales

earl rivers

why were nobles important to henry

the system of government relied on them, in return for their land they paid taxes and raised troops when needed as well as maintaining law and order in their areas

why would the nobility be a threat to henry

henry was a usurper so there was nothing stopping a powerful noble with a better claim trying to overthrow him as had been the norm during WOTR

they were very wealthy and has a lot of land and huge private armies

why was henry lucky with the nobility at the start of his reign

a series of deaths in the 1480s meant that the houses of Warwick, Northumberland and Buckingham were headed by children

why was was restricting the size of the nobility good for henry

• a smaller nobility was easier to control

• he created nobles so rarely which meant it was even more of an honour when he did

• he lost less income than creating loads of peers

how many earls did henry create in his reign and how many had edward IV created

henry created three and edward did 9

how many order of the garters did henry issue

37

how much did the peerage shrink by

62 in 1485 to 42 in 1509

example of henry using natural extinction of titles to slim down the nobility

he would allow the title to lapse and often ignore claims to it by heirs like ignoring walter Herbert’s claim to his brothers earldom of huntington

how did henry control marriages of the nobility

as their feudal overlord, the nobility had to ask henry’s permission to marry so he was able to ensure that magnates didn’t link themselves to rich heiresses and create threatening power blocks

example of heny’s control of noble marriages

when Katherine Woodville (Jasper tudor’s ex wife) married Sir Richard Wingfield without permission he gave them a £2000 fine

when was the Act of Respumption

1486

what was the act of resumption

reverted all crown lands granted since 1455 back to the crown

Factors for nobility was the most serious domestic challenge to Henry

nobility

threat of rebellion and pretenders

financial security

Increase of income from marriage and wardships

from £350 in 1487 to £6000 in 1507

feudal rights

permission for noble marriages

wardships

relief (basically inheritance tax)

Most important noble to suffer due to bonds

Marquis of Dorset, Edward IV’s stepson who Henry believed to have been implicated in Simnel rebellion, he was forced to sign bonds totalling £10,000 in 1491 and when henry invaded France in 1492 he even took his son hostage to make sure he stayed loyal

Retaining limits passed

1487 and 1504

all members of parliament forced to swear they wouldn’t retain illegally

1487, only licensed retainers allowed after this date

1487 retaining act

strict limits placed on the size of retinues allowed, 120 for a duke and an earl 80

1504 retaining act

introduced novel system of retaining whereby nobles had to employ retainers for the king’s service alone and seek a license from the privy seal

retaining restrictions effective example

1506, lord bergavenny fined £5 per month per retainer which amounted to over £70,000

lords indicted for illegal retaining

Buckingham, Derby, Essex and Northumberland and even his own mother the countess of Richmond

negatives of limiting retaining

nobles no longer giving peasants military training which harmed henry if he needed to rapidly expand army to defend against rebellion

limits to the significance of attainders

1/3 of the 138 acts passed during his reign were later reversed

nobility carrots

Patronage

Position on king’s council

Order of the garter

King’s council significance

position as king’s councillor was a sign of the king’s confidence

Examples of tudor chancellors who retained their position for a long time

William Warham and John Morton

Nobility sticks

acts of attainder

bonds and recognisances

limiting retainers

feudal dues

changes to central government

continued practice of 200 strong king’s council but introduced a smaller inner group he relied on for efficiency and committees like richard III

drew his advisors not automatically from the nobility but from the lesser landowners, gentry and professions

New men examples

Edmund Dudley and Reginald Bray

examples of Henrys use of smaller committees in gov

revived richard iii’s court of requests for petitioners and set up court of general surveyors who audited revenues from crown lands

council learned in the law

most notable of his committees, was a small and professional body with the aim of defending king’s position as feudal lord

council learned in the law began

1495

what was council learned in the law responsible for

keeping up to date with wardships, marriages and relief of all the king’s tenants and the dues owed to him

why was council learned in the law criticised

it operated without a jury but this was true of all of the conciliar committees was actually because of its connection to bonds and recognisances

when did council learned in the law become most feared

when empson and dudley promoted to lead it as they were scrupulous in their enforcement of royal rights, so much so they are executed when henry viii came to the throne

largest social grouping on kings council

clerics who accounted for about half

richard fox

henry’s private sec

nobles on the council

not just because of blood, they had to prove ability and if they did they were rewarded

able noble on the council

John de Vere earl of oxford who had supported henry since his exile so was given great chamberlain and lord admiral

Regional governance

developed the use of regional councils to ensure central government had control over the outlying regions

reforms to the council of the north

members appointed by him rather than surrey so the council in london could closely scrutinise actions and he could ensure loyalty

Council of wales

henry revived it, arthur led it and it reduced the power of the marcher lords by reducing their land

Situation in Ireland

had been a yorkist stronghold and direct english control was limited to an area around Dublin

Poynings law

1494, stipulated that irish parliaments could only be called and pass laws with the permission of the king

how successful was Henry’s policy in ireland

limited in success, edward poynings failed to bring ulster under greater control so henry once again forced to rely on traditional families to rule it and earl of Kildare once again appointed his deputy in ireland

Henry’s aims in government

strengthen central government and efficiency

Greater control over regional government

Restore local law and order

How did henry reform local government

developed and widened the office of justices of the peace to ensure they were no longer in the control of powerful magnates, henry appointed them himself

office of JP widened to include

granting bail, implement social and economic policies and try criminals

limitations to JP reforms

the system was still dependent on local law enforcement bringing offenders to JPs and these local officials were often reluctant to do so as it made them unpopular

when did henry call parliament

only when he needed money or laws passed, it was not a permanent feature of his government

how many times did henry call parliament

only 7 times in his entire reign

10% of all laws passed by parliament

delt with the increasing role of JPs and control over provinces

Did henry change anything to do with parliament

no, he used parliament as it had been used before