The Court, Nobility & Control

Henry’s different way of governing

He began to appoint people to the court based on skill rather than social status or rank in an effort to further stabilise England. Some argue this helped to create a ‘new monarchy’. He also had a Privy Council of 7 which dealt with grievances from the people requiring his direct judgement & had the most access and influence to the king. Henry also created specialised committees to deal with the nobility like the Star Chamber & the Council Learned in Law. 

Henry’s key councillors

John Morton - a lawyer who Henry helped become a cardinal & Archbishop of Canterbury

Richard Fox - a lawyer who became chief minister & was elected Bishop of Oxford

Sir Reginald Bray - a lawyer & one of the most senior & influential members in Henry’s government

Giles Daubeney - was constantly at Henry’s side & helped break up the Cornish Rebellion

Sir Thomas Lovell - a lawyer who fought at Bosworth & sided with Henry against Simnel, became the Chancellor of the Exchequer & Treasurer of the King & Queen’s chambers

Edmund Dudley - a leading council member & key advisor, was president of the King’s council & ran the Council Learned in Law to solidify finances & stabilise the dynasty

The nobility in 1485

The nobles had grown overmighty & arrogant (had large estates & private armies) during the Wars of the Roses, meaning that when Henry became king he aimed to restore the correct balance of power to prevent further civil wars. The nobles remained important for maintaining local law & order & providing men & money for wars so Henry used skill full methods of control like coercion & conciliation to ensure he wasn’t overthrown. The number of nobles fell by 25% during his reign. 

The court in Tudor times

Remained an age of personal monarchy meaning that Henry was the centre of the government & access to him was crucial in order to exercise any kind of influence - less control of the king by Parliament as in his son’s reign. The court served as a function for people to come and try and influence the king. Henry was able to combine personal involvement with an effective use of officials to run the government.

Using conciliation to control the nobility - patronage

Henry abandoned the policy of Edward IV where lands would be distributed to loyal followers as he wanted to avoid a new threatening group of nobles forming. He made it clear that rewards only came from good and loyal service and he took over vacant lands and provided them to lower royal agents so they would be dependent on him for power & therefore loyal. Men who fought with him at Bosworth were rewarded (Lord Stanley & Jasper Tudor) as well as men who provided good service (Bray, Dudley & Daubeney)

Using conciliation to control the nobility - Order of the Garter

Henry created 37 Knights of the Garter which provided loyal nobles with prestige to keep them in support of him but didn’t provide much power or land to keep them in their place beneath him. 

Using conciliation to control the nobility - the council

Nobles aimed to be promoted to the King’s council as Henry only appointed those who he trusted and was confident in - often lawyers like Fox and Morton which was also strategical. He also set up the Great Council which was used for gaining agreement & support from the nobility over any controversial policies he hoped to pass - meant that the men were unable to go back on their decision to support the laws once they were passed.

Using coercion to control the nobility - attainders

These allowed the monarch to seize titles & possessions from the nobility without trial - forcing them to remain loyal to Henry if they wanted to keep their power. Henry passed 138 during his reign but 51 were left at the end as a third were reversed in return for future gratitude & loyalty & as a form of calculated mercy.

Using coercion to control the nobility - the courts

The threat of legal action being taken against them in the king’s court acted as a deterrent to the nobility rebelling against Henry. New courts were also created for disobedient nobles like the Star Chamber & the Council Learned in Law which provided further motive to stay loyal to the king. 

Using coercion to control the nobility - retaining

This was where nobles would keep lots of men as personal staff for their own benefit & was viewed as lawless by Henry. Acts against retaining were passed in 1487 & 1504 making it illegal. The second act meant that nobles had to obtain a license from Henry to do it & would be fined 100 shillings if not. However there were loopholes around this like not keeping records of wages paid & re employing people in different capacities. 

Using coercion to control the nobility - bonds and recognisances

These were financial contracts to the king ensuring  the loyalty of nobles & Henry massively increased their use - gained £35,000 from it in 1505. Around half of the nobility were put on these. They worked but were incredibly unpopular as they could be imposed anytime & had no clear definition of what could lead to them. 

Examples of Henry using calculated mercy to control the nobility

He used this method as a strategic way of winning the gratitude & loyalty of the nobles without providing them with too much power - he forgave those he initially charged with treason after Bosworth, he released the Earl of Northumberland from prison & restored his lands & titles he released the Earl of Surrey from prison & appointed him to lead the Council of the North & he placed Simnel in the royal kitchens.

Control of the Earl of Suffolk

Edmund de la Pole was a Yorkist who posed a great threat to Henry’s throne as he had a genuine claim to it - held a grudge against Henry. He fled to the court of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian in 1501 causing Henry to grow desperate & paranoid. He imposed fines on Suffolk’s family, orchestrated spy networks in fear of a larger Yorkist clan threatening his claim & negotiated the release of Philip of Burgundy to Maximilian in 1506 for the extradition of Suffolk - eventually executed in 1513 by Henry VIII.

Control of Warbeck

The second pretender to the throne. Claimed to be Richard of York (Edward IV’s son) & was supported by Margaret of Burgundy, the Earl of Kildare, William Stanley & the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian. Landed in Kent in 1495 but failed to rouse support so went to Scotland and allied with James IV. Warbeck later fled to Ireland after James failed to invade England & eventually confessed to Henry. He was allowed to remain in court until he ran away after trying to help the Earl of Warwick escape - was executed 1499. Remained a threat for 8 years.

The Cornish Rebellion

Happened in 1497 & was caused by Henry’s attempts to raise money to defend against a Scottish invasion. Aimed to march from Cornwall to London & ended up reaching London as the area was isolated & Warbeck’s involvement gained support as he was till saying he was Richard. It was suppressed by military force but made Henry realise the people didn’t want to pay taxes that they didn’t think were relevant to them.